Atlanta Falcons lose 2015 finale to Saints, 20-17
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons lost their eighth game of the 2015 NFL season, falling at home to the New Orleans Saints, 20-17 on a last second field goal.
The Atlanta Falcons fall to 8-8 on the year, finishing 2015 at .500 after a 5-0 start. Atlanta went 1-5 in the NFC South, losing their season finale at home to the New Orleans Saints, 20-17 on a game-winning field goal Kai Forbath as time expired.
Atlanta led the Saints 17-14 at halftime, but the Atlanta Falcons were unable to score any points in the second half, turning the football over on their final two possessions of the season.
Deep in Saints’ territory, running back Devonta Freeman fumbled the football on the four-yard line. Drew Brees led the Saints all the way down to the Falcons’ two-yard line before linebacker Paul Worrilow forced a fumble.
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Atlanta had to punt later in that drive, but did get the football back inside of two minutes to hopefully get an opportunity at a game-winning field goal. While he had an otherwise fantastic day at quarterback, Matt Ryan threw a costly pick into tight coverage inside of two minutes, trying to target Freeman.
For a game that didn’t have any playoff implications, this game, as do most with the New Orleans Saints, went down to the wire. While the offenses of the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints only mustered 37 points in this game, both Brees and Ryan had great days under center in this NFC South rivalry game.
Ryan completed 24 of 36 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and that one awful interception. He eclipsed 4,500 yards passing for the fourth straight season and 20 touchdown passes for the seventh straight season. While the interceptions certainly hurt, Ryan was able to pick up on offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s West Coast system for the most part in 2015.
Devonta Freeman, minus the red zone fumble, had a great game Sunday afternoon. He had 25 rushing attempts for 76 yards and a receiving touchdown. Freeman easily surpassed the 1,000 yard threshold on the season in the first half en route to his first Pro Bowl season.
Despite rolling his ankle late in the second quarter, wide receiver Julio Jones had a fantastic day receiving. Though he didn’t break either Marvin Harrison‘s or Calvin Johnson‘s single-season records, he had nine catches for 149 yards. Statistically, Jones had a top three season for a wide receiver all-time.
Though both Sunday’s loss and the 8-8 record on the season are disappointing, this 2015 Atlanta Falcons team seemed to rectify a lot of the issues that plagued the club the previous two seasons. We saw the defense improve in most areas and the offense at times show great balance.
Next: Atlanta Falcons host New Orleans Saints in season finale
The regular season is over, but there is a lot to look forward with the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. I would have liked a victory over the Saints this year, but I guess this makes up for sweeping them in 2014. Rise Up!