The Atlanta Falcons (4-8) have now been swept by their NFC South rival the New Orleans Saints (10-2) and have scored just one touchdown in eight quarters.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Falcons were held to nine points. On Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta scored 16 points. It's worth noting that the Saints have the No. 1 defense in the NFL, but Matt Ryan and Julio Jones believe their unit is capable of more than what they've put on tape against New Orleans.
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"We certainly didn't play good enough," Ryan said following the game. "[We] walked away with too many field goals and not enough touchdowns. It's disappointing when you play like that."
Jones echoed a similar sentiment after catching six passes for 94 yards.
"We're too good to only have one touchdown against them," he said.
Despite the Saints maintain control for much of the game, the Falcons still had a chance to win the game in the final few minutes but were unable to punch in the end zone when it mattered most.
As for is if Ryan believes the Falcons' offense has underachieved with the talent the team has, here's what the starting quarterback had to say:
"I don't think we've played well enough or played up to the standard we're capable of."
With two No. 1 wide receivers in Calvin Ridley and Jones, a tight end who was a first-round draft pick in Hayden Hurst, an offensive line that started four former first-round picks and a former NFL Offensive Player of the Year in Todd Gurley, the expectations are high for Atlanta's offense.
The Falcons have showed flashes of the potential this offense has when clicking across the board, but more often than not, the unit has struggled to score consistently.
Ryan was asked if he still has confidence in offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and while stating his opinion about his play-caller, he was sure to explain the players have not executed to the level they're capable of.
"Yeah, I do … I have confidence," Ryan said. "Dirk does a good job of putting the plan together and putting us in situations to be successful. I think like every week, there's things he would do differently. And there's things we have to do differently as players and make plays when the situations present themselves. That's how I feel at this point.
