The Atlanta Falcons got out to a 10-0 lead over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, but the offense managed to score just seven more points through the final three quarters of Sunday’s 20-17 loss.
Falcons defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham nearly stole the game in the final seconds when he recovered a fumble by Austin Ekeler and took off the other way. Unfortunately, Graham ended up fumbling the ball back to the Chargers to set up their game-winning field goal as time expired.
Here are five takeaways from the Falcons’ Week 9 loss to the Chargers.
5
Patterson scores 2 TDs in return from IR
Patterson wasn’t officially activated from injured reserve until Saturday, but the playmaking running back looked like his old self on Sunday. On Atlanta’s opening drive, Patterson scored a touchdown to give the team a 7-0 lead. Then his second touchdown gave the Falcons a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. Patterson finished the game with 13 carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Allgeier was dominant with 10 carries for 99 rushing yards. This Atlanta team has some major weaknesses, but the running game is not one of them. The passing game needs to do its part to capitalize on the success of the ground attack.
4
Secondary starts strong, Herbert gets hot in 2nd quarter
Atlanta’s secondary was undermanned coming in, but the Chargers were also down their top two wide receivers. After a slow start on the team’s first two drives, QB Justin Herbert completed 10 straight passes to give Los Angeles a 14-10 halftime lead. The Chargers converted on 8-of-16 third downs for the game, and the Falcons couldn’t get a stop when they needed one. Safety Richie Grant’s interception helped Atlanta take a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. Overall, Herbert completed 30-of-43 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The defense played good enough to win for the most part, but the offense went cold in the second half.
3
Drake London fumbles, Chargers give it right back
It’s hard to blame rookie WR Drake London for wanting to make something happen on one of the rare occasions that he gets the ball, but he tried to do too much in the third quarter of Sunday’s game and fumbled in the red zone. Fortunately for Atlanta, safety Richie Grant was there to bail out his teammate a few plays later by intercepting a Justin Herbert pass. The Falcons quickly scored on Cordarrelle Patterson’s second touchdown of the game.
2
Matt Hennessy and Feleipe Franks injured
The Falcons gave Matt Hennessy the start at left guard with Elijah Wilkinson ruled out for this one. Hennessy left the game due to a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return. Atlanta then went to Colby Gossett to finish out the game at left guard. That wasn’t the only injury, though, as tight end Feleipe Franks left the game with a calf injury. Franks also did not return. Check back for injury updates on Monday.
1
What's next for Atlanta?
The Falcons have a quick turnaround in Week 10 as they will play the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football. The last time these two NFC South foes faced off was in Week 8 when Atlanta needed overtime to win a 37-34 thriller. The Panthers are coming off a blowout loss to the Bengals in Week 9, but they’re always feisty when the Falcons come to town.
NOTE: Thursday night games now air exclusively on Amazon Prime.
