The Atlanta Falcons are now 5-7 after losing to the Washington Commanders, 19-13, on Sunday at FedEx Field.
There were a few moments when the Falcons found a spark, the first being when quarterback Marcus Mariota connected with tight end MyCole Pruitt for a four-yard touchdown pass to give Atlanta a 10-7 lead.
8️⃣5️⃣ gettin’ it DONE
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Pruitt had been the guy to step up in place of the injured Kyle Pitts. Pruitt and Mariota had already played together at Tennessee with Smith before coming to Atlanta this offseason.
Linebacker Mykal Walker also had an important play, intercepting Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke right before the half.
Mykal Walker with his second INT of the season!
Meanwhile, rookie running back Tyler Allgeier led the ground game with 54 yards on 11 carries.
Mariota had a better day, going 15 of 35 for 173 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also added 49 yards in the backfield on six carries. However, his interception to ultimately end the game was extra painful for Atlanta and marked the second red zone interception Mariota has thrown over his career.
Unfortunately, none of the big plays made by the Falcons were enough to keep them in the game as Washington’s defense came up bigger and better plays when they needed to.
Fans Chime in After Loss
Per usual, Falcons fans and more chimed in on Sunday’s loss.
“Death, Taxes, and Marcus Mariota being absolutely horrible at football,” a fan tweeted.
Death, Taxes, and Marcus Mariota being absolutely horrible at football.
Who is to blame this time for the Falcons loss? Some think it’s still Mariota, but others believe it’s Arthur Smith’s playcalling.
“Did the Atlanta Falcons lose on purpose? Arthur Smith or Marcus Mariota’s fault?”- another fan asked on Twitter.
“Marcus Mariota, Arthur Smith, and the Falcons’ Special Teams about to CATCH THESE HANDS. How pathetic,” a fan wrote.
“Play calling in the red zone on the last drive lost the game to Washington, not Marcus Mariota,” another fan wrote.
#falconrecapblog Play calling in the red zone on the last drive lost the game to Washington, not Marcus Mariota.
The Falcons had been efficient all game running over Washington.
“Leave Arthur Smith and Marcus Mariota in Washington,” a fan said.
Leave Arthur Smith and Marcus Mariota in Washington
Falcons Still in Playoff Hunt
The Falcons’ run game has kept them as a true contender this season, so it threw many off when Smith called for a pass play on first and goal with under two minutes on the clock.
Mariota went to target Cordarrelle Patterson in the end zone, but Washington’s Daron Payne lifted his hands up to deflect the pass, thus ending a possible game-winning drive for the Falcons.
“Those are decisions you make, and you gotta live with them,” Smith said after the game. “You like the look, but unfortunately, the result is not what you’re looking for. Give credit to their defensive line. It’s not like they tipped a lot of balls today, and really didn’t get a lot of pressure the way our o-line played. They made one more play right at the end.”
This Falcons loss hurt a little more this time as the Falcons entered the matchup on track to a playoff re-birth, which could now be long gone.
The good news is, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Cleveland Browns in overtime, so Atlanta isn’t fully out of the race just yet, but it does make it much harder for them.
“I’ve been in this long enough to know that you don’t want others to control your destiny,” Mariota said after the game in response to the Bucs losing, via Tori McElhaney.
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Fans React to Falcons Painful Loss to Washington