Atlanta Falcons: 4 Things Learned vs. Saints

Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back

(22) scores a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

PENALTIES AND TURNOVERS KILLED THE FALCONS

The New Orleans Saints forced 3 turnovers on Thursday against the Falcons, and all of them contributed to Atlanta’s demise in the contest. Two of the turnovers, a fumble by RB Tevin Coleman and a bad snap from C James Stone, occurred while the Atlanta Falcons were deep in Saints’ territory. A blocked punt led to 6 points for Sean Payton‘s squad, putting the Atlanta Falcons in a 14-7 deficit in the first half.

These turnovers killed any momentum that the Atlanta Falcons had and halted any chance of winning this game. Penalties also were a key contributor to the Falcons’ loss on Thursday, as they accrued 7 of them for a total of 41 yards. This especially held true on the defensive end, when mental mistakes caused an encroachment penalty which gave the Saints a key first down, or a facemask penalty against Kroy Biermann gave the Saints even more yardage on a play. Dan Quinn must address these mental mistakes in order to prevent a similar situation in the future.

Next: Defensive Missteps