The Falcons won’t be going to the playoffs.
At least the Saints won’t either.
The Saints had a chance with a 30-20 victory over the Falcons Sunday. However, shortly after, the 49ers defeated the Rams 27-24 in overtime, and the Saints’ hopes were dashed.
Can the Falcons take some solace in that? Asking for a friend.
The Falcons end the season with a 7-10 record. The offseason starts now.
Here are the highlights on Sunday’s game:
Play of the game: The Saints held a narrow 7-6 lead late in the second quarter. Their starting quarterback Taysom Hill had to leave with left foot injury. Enter backup Trevor Siemian. After an incomplete pass and a first down via a pass interference call, the Saints faced a first-and-10 from the 13-yard line. Siemian found Tre’Quan Smith, who made an acrobatic catch with the use of his helmet, for a touchdown. The score put the Saints up 14-6 with under six minutes remaining in the half. The Falcons committed turnovers on their next two plays, an interception from Matt Ryan and a fumble from Mike Davis, that the Saints turned into 10 points. They took a 24-6 lead into intermission thanks to the big catch from Smith.
Offensive game ball: Alvin Kamara. The Saints running back rushed for a career-high 146 yards. He did so on 30 carries. It bettered his previous best of 134 yards, which came against the Giants in 2018. It also bettered his season-high of 120 yards, done twice against the Giants and Jets. The Saints ran for 195 yards on the day. The Falcons as a team rushed for 62 yards.
Defensive game ball: Cameron Jordan. The Saints defensive lineman harassed Ryan for much of day. He finished with a sack, a quarterback hit and two pass deflections.
Key stat: The Falcons committed three turnovers all of which came on the first play of a possession. The Saints turned the miscues into 13 points. The Saints did not turn the ball over.
Biggest takeaway: When is the NFL Draft? It’s April 28-30. That will be extremely important part of the rebuilding effort. The new regime is going to have to hit on several selections. The Falcons have the No. 8 pick in the first round to start the process.
They said it: “Everything is evaluated every year. We’ll take a fair evaluation of everybody, every year.”– Falcons head coach Arthur Smith
Next up: The Falcons head into an offseason in which there is likely to be a great deal of roster turnover as general manager Terry Fontenot and Smith continue to reshape the franchise.
Credit: ArLuther Lee
Credit: ArLuther Lee
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