After a week of rest, the Falcons got back to action against the Chargers.
Kirk Cousins continued to misfire as he was intercepted four times as the Chargers won 17-13 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“You just can’t go out and turn the football over four times and expect to win the football game,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.
The Falcons have now dropped three in a row and are 6-6 on the season. Their lead in the NFC South is officially now in jeopardy.
The Chargers improved to 8-4.
“So disappointed right now,” Cousins said. “It hurts. Feel like that was a game we had a chance to win if I played at the standard I expect to play at.”
With the Chargers defenders running the Falcons’ pass routes better than the receivers, Cousins, who signed a four-year deal worth up to $180 million in free agency, was held without a touchdown pass for the third consecutive game.
“Not scoring in points in the red zone,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. “It kind of feels like that’s been the deal all year long. We get all the way down there and don’t score. We have to find some ways…as a team…. everybody doing their job, getting points on the board.”
The Falcons are now 0-4 vs. AFC teams, with losses to the Steelers, Chiefs, Broncos and Chargers.
Cousins completed 24 of 39 passes for 245 yards and finished with a passer rating of 40.0. He last threw four interceptions in a game back on Sept. 25, 2014 in a 45-14 Washington loss to the New York Giants.
Cousins is now tied with Seattle quarterback Geno Smith for the most interceptions in the NFL with 13.
The Falcons’ last-ditch drive ended when Cousins tossed his fourth interception to Chargers safety Derwin James with under a minute to play.
“Derwin James is one of the best players … I don’t even know what they call him, star, safety, dime,” Morris said. “Whatever you want to call him in the National Football League. He showed up today and made a bunch of big-time plays. Those guys are a very good football team, well-coached.”
Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who played at Georgia, left the game late with a knee injury. He had nine catches for 117 yards.
The Falcons wasted a fine showing from their pass rush, which had a season-high five sacks and eight quarterback hits. Also, running back Bijan Robinson rushed 26 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. He also caught six passes for 33 yards.
Wide receiver Drake London, who had a key drop in the last drive, caught nine passes for 86 yards.
With the Falcons needing help in the red zone, tight end Kyle Pitts was a non-factor with two targets and no catches.
“He’s done a really good job all season based on what his total production is for what’s going on in the big picture,” Morris said. “We’ve got so many people that we’ve got to get the ball to. I would like to see Kyle get more production.
“I would like to see him have more opportunities. Whether if that is us getting it to him or him doing a better job, we’ll figure those things out as we go.”
The Chargers held a 9-7 lead at halftime behind three field goals from Cameron Dicker. Koo missed his only field goal attempt to kill a promising opening drive.
The Falcons’ 13-play drive stalled at the Chargers’ 17-yard line. Koo, who has a right hip injury, missed the 35-yard chip shot wide to the right.
The Chargers took over and on third down-and-1 from the 34, Falcons outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter punched the ball out of running Hassan Haskins’ grasp. It popped up to cornerback Clark Phillips III, who was tackled by Herbert.
The Falcons were back in business at Chargers’ 34.
After a 3-yard run by Robinson, Cousins connected with London for a 17-yard gain. Three plays later, Robinson ran around left end from 2 yards out for the touchdown.
The TD ended a streak of 15 scoreless possessions for the offense. Their last touchdown was Robinson’s 37-yard run in the third quarter against the Saints on Nov. 10.
The Chargers struck back quickly as McConkey got loose for a 49-yard gain. The Falcons defense stiffened and got a sack from Grady Jarrett and Kaden Elliss. Dicker made a 45-yard field goal to make it Falcons 7, Chargers 3 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.
Cousins, off of play action, had a pass intended for London intercepted by Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still.
Dicker made a 51-yard field goal to make it 7-6.
On the Falcons’ next possession, they were dropped for a 3-yard loss when they ran a jet sweep on third down-and-1 and were forced to punt.
The Chargers went on a 16-play drive that covered 63 yards. Dicker made a 34-yard field goal with :58 left in the second quarter.
The Falcons couldn’t move the ball and punted. The Chargers kneeled to end the first half.
The Falcons’ defense got a three-and-out to start the second half.
The offense got the ball at the 11 and drove down to the Chargers’ 23 before stalling. Koo made a 41-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 10-9 lead with 7:23 to play in the third quarter.
After the defense got another stop with the help of Kentavious Street’s sack, the Falcons went back on the move. But Cousins pass to Mooney was intercepted by Still and he return 61-yards for a touchdown. The Chargers converted the two-point conversion to make it 17-10.
Wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud gave the offense a spark with a 60-yard catch-and-run up the sideline to the Chargers’ 10. The Falcons couldn’t punch it in, and Koo made a 26-yard field goal for the final points of the game.
The Chargers tried a fake punt and threw a pass. Cornerback Kevin King made the stop, and the offense was back in business at the Chargers’ 39.
The Falcons had third down-and-goal from the 13, Cousins tossed his third interception of the game to safety Marcus Maye.
Cousins had gone 13 quarters without a touchdown pass. His last TD pass was the 11-yarder to McCloud in the third quarter (10:23) vs. the Cowboys on Nov. 3.
“You don’t want to lose coming off the bye at home,” Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom said. “Very tough game. Disappointing that we didn’t get it done.”
The Falcons are set to play at the Vikings, who improved to 10-2 with a win over Arizona, at 1 p.m. Sunday in Minneapolis.
About the Author
