Three gut reactions to the Falcons’ Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla – The Falcons entered Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay like huge underdogs. It wasn’t shocking after a disappointing first game of the season against Philadelphia that presaged struggles against the defending Super Bowl champions.

There were times when this expectation seemed destined to come true. There were others, however, where the Falcons showed real fighting.

They fought back after spotting Tampa Bay an early lead that extended to three scores in the third quarter. They started the fourth quarter with just one field goal, making a game predicted by punters as an easy Bucs win, anything but.

The tight competition didn’t last long, with Tampa Bay taking advantage of their mistakes to walk away late. That drops the Falcons to 0-2 this season.

Let’s go over three gut reactions after the Falcons’ 48-25 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

The Falcons suffered far too many self-inflicted injuries in the season opener against Philadelphia. The penalties, especially those before the snap, were particularly damaging to this effort against the Eagles. The same goes for missed missions and poor execution on both fronts.

They did a lot less the following week here in Tampa, but the Falcons were far from perfect against the Bucs. They had to be close to that impossible level against the reigning Super Bowl champions and couldn’t maintain such a level of play.

That’s enough to get you beaten by Tampa Bay. A first-half pass interference call prepared the Bucs for an easy touchdown. A third-quarter interception by Matt Ryan – knocked down by Vita Vea and chosen by Shaq Barrett – deep in the Falcons’ territory was another.

They canceled so many of them over time, coming back into the game. It was another, later, which proved particularly costly. The Falcons were stranded in their own turf and kicker Cameron Nizialek exacerbated the problem with a 30-yard punt that gave Tampa Bay a short field that led to an easy score.

Then Ryan threw a pick-six at Mike Edwards midway through the fourth quarter that essentially sealed him off.

You might be able to make such mistakes against another team. Not the Bucs. They’re going to capitalize on most of them and get a result that we saw on Sunday.

Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees knows Tom Brady well. He has played with him and against him throughout his coaching career and knows how the all-time greats can beat you fast. The tip of the pee: Do not waste yards in large pieces. No deep bullets. The Falcons, Pees said, had to make sure Brady and the Bucs win whatever they get.

“You have to put them to work to get to the red zone, reduce the field, hopefully play well in the red zone, get out of the field on the third down,” said Pees. “But the most important thing is not to give up on easy games, whether it’s running or passing.”

The Falcons didn’t do a good enough job, especially early on. Brady took yards to pieces as he walked the field, finishing the first half with 8.7 yards per attempted pass. He had three passes over 20 yards on the first touchdown and drew a pass interference call from AJ Terrell on a through throw that brought Tampa Bay to the 1-yard line. The Bucs also easily converted from there while building a 21-10 halftime lead. It spread after Brady turned Ryan’s interception into a touchdown.

The Falcons made life more difficult when the defense was more stingy, and it did sometimes. It wasn’t often enough to keep things close enough for a late-game comeback. The defense was put in bad shape by the aforementioned missteps – see the previous section for examples – which brought the score to its final state.

Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell saved two touchdowns Sunday afternoon with broken acrobatic passes. The first came in the first quarter, with Antonio Brown wide open in the end zone behind him.

Terrell jumped up and made a great play there and did it again deep in the third quarter on another pitch aimed at Brown. Terrell climbed very high to break the pass but climbed awkwardly and landed with a thud.

Terrell was assessed for a head injury and diagnosed with a concussion soon after. He has not returned to the game, and there is no certainty when he will be able to return.

The Clemson product is by far the best defensive back in the Falcons, the most stable and dynamic presence in the defensive backfield. Losing him for any stretch, especially beyond Sunday’s action, would be a major setback for the Falcons’ defense.

Every opportunity is precious, with victories becoming essential after a 0-2 start. It gets more difficult if Terrell can’t go. We’ll have to wait and see how he plays out and what head coach Arthur Smith has to say about him in his post-game press conference and throughout the week, to determine how much extra time the if so, it will be missing.