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You are invited to consider this unofficial obituary for the Atlanta Falcons of 2018, which stumbled upon themselves in the fashion of the fashionable Falcons in a great Thanksgiving night against the New Orleans Saints.
Even without Keanu Neal and Deion Jones in defenses and Devonta Freeman, Andy Levitre and Brandon Fusco in the offensive, the Falcons have one of the most talented lineups in the NFL. They were hard hit by injuries, as were the Los Angeles Rams 10-1, Kansas City Chiefs 9-2 and several other contenders.
There is no excuse for the list to explain why the Falcons lost three consecutive games in November, falling almost to lethargic to 4-7. Few people expected that they would beat the Burning Saints in New Orleans but they barely resisted a 31-17 defeat that included a decisive touchdown to make the case look more like unilateral than competitive. .
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It's a crime with former quarterback Matt Ryan, future receiver of the Hall of Fame Julio Jones, a sensational rookie in Calvin Ridley, one of the two biggest receivers of the match in Mohamed Sanu, a young tight end of quality. Austin Hooper, a dazzling youngster at Tevin Coleman and two strong veteran offensive linemen in Jake Matthews and Alex Mack. Yet this is one of nine offenses that have resulted in less than 20 points on five different occasions this season.
The inconsistency is amazing. They scored 12 points in the first week, more than 30 in each of their next three games, 17 points in Week 5, 34 points in Week 6, 23 points in Week 7 and 38 points after. They now have 19 points or less in three consecutive losses against the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Saints.
Not that we should be surprised. After all, it was a trend throughout 2017 as the Falcons struggled to acclimatize to the offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian's system. Last year, an offense that led the league in terms of scoring in 2016 scored 17 points or less on six occasions (something that happened only once in the last season of Kyle Shanahan at the offensive bar).
This makes it impossible to establish a groove and a race, which is why the Falcons have not won more than three consecutive games since this unforgettable but now distant 2016 campaign.
But again, this does not concern the staff. The Falcons outshot the Saints by recording more than twice as many passing yards as their defending opponents on Thursday night. They averaged almost as many yards per game, but they were the bottom team in key moments. New Orleans was better in the third round, New Orleans was less prone to errors and New Orleans was a better finisher.
Bleacher's report @Bleacher's report
Drew Brees and the saints prepare the Falcons 31-17 ⚜ https://t.co/CyzhE264fG
Surface figures indicate that the Falcons generated 17 points on four Red Zone possessions against the Saints. This number is too small to start (it should be at least 20), but it does not take into account that seven of these points occurred on the aforementioned hit. In addition, Atlanta lost tweets inside the red zone on two games that started at the 30-yard limit or beyond.
Technically, the Falcons controlled the ball inside New Orleans' 20-yard line five times while the match was still close at hand. They returned in three of these cases and, in another, Ryan took a killer bag (one of six at night), forcing them to settle for a goal on court.
That says a lot about the mental courage of this team and its inability to rise to the occasion.
That preceded Sarkisian, who was training in the Pac-12 when the Falcons lost four of their first five playoff games with Ryan in the center.
In the first seven years of Ryan's career, the # 3 choice of 2008 has compiled a 80.8 Fourth quarter valuation of smugglers, compared to 91.3 for the first three quarters. From 2013 to 2015, 70% of his interceptions took place in the second half of the games. And from 2013 to 2016, he launched 11 interceptions, an NFL record, in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter (seven of those choices were scored in games to a score).
The pre-season Falcons of Sark had a reputation for having a lot of adventures to play before they had the ultimate lead against the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl LI.
The Falcons hid their throttling mentality in 2016 because the Shanahan attack was so good that they rarely had to play tight games. They did not face a lot of adversity, and we all saw what happened when they finally did it.
But now, Shanahan is gone and Sarkisian has not benefited so much from this side of the ball. As a result, the Falcons are only 14-13 years since the loss at the Super Bowl, and their attack ranks 13th in football with an average of 23.4 points per game during this period.
This is largely due to their offensive coordinator, who – as noted by former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz – gave a telling example. Thursday night– seems to lack the ability to adapt and change the approach:
Geoff Schwartz @geoffschwartz
The saints must also have seen something on film. They bring the pressure of security all the game and the Falcons have not blocked them once. No adjustment of the pass game either.
Jones, who remains their brightest star, scored just six touchdowns in those 27 games. He is often the center of attention when Sarkissian's offensive in the red zone is criticized, which we should expect more after the debacle that will take place Thursday in New Orleans.
Do not forget that with the season late in the division game last year with the Eagles, Sarkissian abandoned his running game and developed a tunnel vision. Ryan made four consecutive passes in a final series inside the 10-yard line, including three at Jones, well covered.
Philadelphia security Malcolm Jenkins later is derided by Sarkisian's approach to suggesting that he and his teammates knew what would happen in the fourth row "before they split up".
At the next football game that they played, against the same opponent and in a strangely similar situation, they relied again and again on a double team. In 2018, during the first hour of prime time, the Falcons reached three times the Eagles' 15-yard line and left with zero points.
So, little has changed and it may be too late for minor adjustments. It is obvious that Sarkisian is not the ideal man for this post and he should be relieved of his duties by Monday black.
Scott Cunningham / Getty Images
Beyond that, the work of head coach Dan Quinn should not be much more secure. It's Quinn who controlled the most infamous collapse of the NFL history championship game, and we must not forget that he is a defense specialist. The success of this team has nothing to do with Quinn's area of expertise and, although the defense has made tremendous progress in 2017, the unit, although beaten, has been a mess again this season.
This is not about the list. No one expects the Falcons to abandon Ryan just months after signing up for a new $ 150 million five-year deal, and his players are probably not going anywhere. This quick, young defense can also bounce back, especially when Neal and Jones are in good health.
The Falcons have the talent of the Super Bowl, and this will likely be the case next season, but the persistent lack of team execution is expected to result in significant changes in the weeks and months to come.
Otherwise, we will probably write again the goal of this team before the arrival of winter 2019.
Brad Gagnon has been covering the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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