The Atlanta Falcons have officially been eliminated from the 2021 NFL playoffs after losing 29-15 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
This marks the fifth straight season that the Falcons have not seen a playoff berth.
Prior to the loss, the Falcons had a slim chance to make the playoffs, but nonetheless, they had a chance.
Atlanta looked pretty good heading into halftime as they led 15-14 over the BIlls, but then they couldn’t find success in the end zone again and gave up two more touchdowns to Buffalo to fall behind.
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
Matt Ryan Gets Ridiculous Taunting Call
The NFL’s taunting penalty continues to haunt teams in the worst ways.
The Falcons needed two touchdowns to catch up to Buffalo at the time and it looked like Matt Ryan had one early in the fourth quarter, but after review, he was called one 1-yard short of the end zone. That wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, but then Ryan was called for taunting after exchanging some words with Jordan Poyer, which pushed the Falcons back to third and goal on the 16-yard line.
Ryan is not one to openly talk smack so this call was shocking for many and Twitter had a lot to say about it.
Even Poyer was shocked by the call:
Just like Poyer, Ryan was shocked himself:
“I probably shouldn’t go into it… doesn’t really matter.”
Ryan said the taunting call (his first in the league) was “surprising.”
Some fans thought Ryan’s taunting penalty was worth the laugh:
It’s very rare that fans get to see the “mean” side of Ryan:
And to our surprise, Ryan, in fact, know how to stick up for himself:
And there should be an exception for Ryan being able to talk back:
With the Falcons’ playoff hopes in the rearview mirror, Atlanta will face the Saints for the second time this season to the top of their regular season, then they will turn their attention to the 2022 NFL Draft.
Falcons Set to Draft at No. 10 Overall
The Falcons currently have the No.10 overall pick in this year’s draft and it’s unclear as to what position they’ll turn to first.
Several NFL mock drafts currently have the Falcons turning to quarterback Kenny Pickett to eventually replace Matt Ryan, but that doesn’t seem like the best move for the Falcons at the moment.
They have several other needs they need to address before they need another quarterback starting at the offensive line and receiving corps, followed by the defensive line and secondary. Not to mention that Ryan is under contract until 2023 and Atlanta could end up extending it to save the massive salary cap hit that they’re about to take.
Of course, this doesn’t mean they won’t draft a quarterback this year, it just means it’s not their top priority at the moment. But stay tuned as the draft inches closer and closer!
READ NEXT:
NFL Twitter Has Hilarious Reaction to Matt Ryan’s Taunting Penalty