The Falcons had a golden opportunity to beat a struggling New England Patriots squad on the road and go into their bye week with a perfect 3-0 record. But things did not go according to plan, as missed chances and questionable calls caused the Falcons to lose their first game of the season, 26-10.
The game was closer than the final score, and after watching the game, some may argue that the better team did not win the game. On the opening drive of the contest, Matt Ryan was able to drive the offense down the field, which led to a Jason Elam 26-yard field goal to put the first points on the board. The Pats answered back as Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 21-yard field goal to tie the game at three.
In the second quarter, New England got the scoring started with Fred Taylor scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Pats the lead for the first time. The Falcons answered back, though, as Ryan led an 8-play, 59-yard drive which ended with a Michael Turner 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 10. Later in the quarter, the Falcons were driving, but Turner fumbled at the Patriots 31-yard line and New England recovered. The turnover to another Gostkowski field goal to give the Pats the lead again going into halftime.
The third quarter started with the Patriots adding on to their lead with another Gostkowski field goal to give the Pats a six-point lead. On the ensuing drive, the Falcons looked like they took the lead as Ryan threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins to at least tie the game. However, Jenkins was called for pass interference and the touchdown was called back. It became perhaps the deciding play of the game, as the Falcons would not come close to scoring again.
The Pats melted the clock away in the fourth quarter and iced the game when Tom Brady threw his only touchdown pass of the game to Chris Baker early in the fourth.
The Falcons’ running game could never get anything going as Michael Turner carried the ball 15 times for 56 yards and one touchdown. That led to added pressure for Ryan, who completed 17 of 28 passes with 199 yards, but had no touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez, who has had a great start to his 2009 season, was a nonfactor in the loss as he only made one catch late in the game.
The defense was led by Curtis Lofton, who had 13 tackles, but the front seven could not get as much pressure on Brady as they would have liked; the Falcons did not get a sack against the two-time Super Bowl MVP. They also had a tough time stopping New England’s running game, as Fred Taylor rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown. Brady had a solid game for the Pats going 25-for-42 with 277 yards and one touchdown.
The Falcons fall to 2-1 for the year and will be off next week. They will be back in action on Oct. 11 against the 49ers.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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