Here’s what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 33-30 loss to the Chargers:
QUARTERBACK MATT RYAN
On losing after leading:
“It’s a tough loss, obviously. We had some opportunities to maybe put that game away earlier. We didn’t make the plays when we needed to, so it’s disappointing any time you lose and don’t get the outcome you want. But we’ll bounce back, get back to work tomorrow and make the corrections. It’s a long haul, so we’ve got to put this one behind us and try to improve when we get back to work tomorrow.”
On the fourth down play in overtime:
“I’ll have to see the film. Obviously, when I hand it off to the left, I’m trying to carry out my fake to the right so I didn’t really see. But we’ll take a look at the film and try to make those improvements and corrections.”
On whether he was surprised by the play call:
“Absolutely not. That’s the way Dan [Quinn] is and that’s the way our entire team is – we want to attack and we want to be aggressive. As players, it’s our responsibility to make him right and to go out there and make the plays, and we had two chances on third-and-short and then fourth-and-short and we didn’t get it done. From a player’s perspective, that’s the point that’s very disappointing.”
On penalties:
“Too many procedural penalties for us before the snap. Those are things that we can control. How do we fix it? We address it tomorrow and we work on it this entire week during practice and make sure that when we get back into the Dome next Sunday, we’re prepared to not make those same mistakes again.”
On making history:“It doesn’t mean much when you lose, that’s for sure. But, obviously, any time you’re mentioned – especially with somebody as great as Dan Fouts – and you have a streak like that or consistency like that, it’s very nice to be a part of it. But there are a lot of people who have made that possible for a long time, a lot of really good players. It’s nice, but at the end of the day there’s still a sour taste in our mouth today.”
On the interception:
“[It is] Disappointing in that situation, but a good play by them on the defensive side. Their linebacker peeled off the inside route and went outside, and I saw it too late. That’s something I’ve got to do better at. I think I could probably let that ball go a little bit earlier with a little bit better anticipation, if not then check the ball down.”
On the offense slowing down in the second half:
“I don’t think we were conservative by any stretch of the imagination, I just don’t think we executed very well. We had some opportunities to make some plays. I need to do a better job of giving our guys an opportunity to make plays off the ball and those are the things you can try to improve at and control moving forward. But I thought the plan was solid, I thought we stayed aggressive, we just didn’t play well.”
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