The Falcons were dismantled by Bill Belichick and Mac Jones on Thursday night, falling 25-0. Atlanta struggled early to establish the running game and failed to convert on several short third- and fourth-down opportunities, which ultimately resulted in a big ‘ole goose egg on the scoreboard. First and foremost, I want to apologize to every Falcons fan who had to sit through that game. Without some kind of inebriant, that must’ve been an excruciating experience.
There is some good news amid all this negativity, though. A.J. Terrell snagged his first interception of the season, which paired nicely with another impressive performance, giving up only 32 yards on four catches. Even if they weren’t all great, Richie Grant got valuable snaps in the wake of Jaylinn Hawkins injury. And at the beginning of the game, Jonathan Bullard was stonewalling the Patriots’ interior offensive line.
There was plenty of bad, too; the Falcons made history in more ways than one. Atlanta’s final four offensive drives resulted in the same fashion, even though a different quarterback was taking the snap. Matt Ryan converted a second-and-long to Kyle Pitts late in the game, then on the next play, Devin McCourty picked Ryan off. The final possession with him under center ended with a J.C. Jackson interception.
Ryan was pulled, and Josh Rosen entered. The former first-round pick threw a 35-yard pick-six by Kyle Van Noy on his third snap of the game. I think you can see where this is going; next up, rookie Feleipe Franks. His first (and only) NFL pass was intercepted by Adrian Phillips.
The last time a team had three different quarterbacks throw three interceptions was in 2000 when the 0-10 Chargers’ trio of Ryan Leaf, Moses Moreno, and Jim Harbaugh threw interceptions in a 17-7 loss to the Dolphins.
Last time a team had three different quarterbacks throw an interception in one game, as far as I can find: November 12, 2000.
The 0-10 Chargers had Moses Moreno, Ryan Leaf, and Jim Harbaugh each throw interceptions in a 17-7 loss to the Dolphins. https://t.co/cjZ2CW7OVA pic.twitter.com/0iZumU6o2i
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 19, 2021
Pretty embarrassing, but the pain doesn’t end there, Falcons fans. For the first time since 1988, the Falcons were shut out at home. The Los Angeles Rams defeated Atlanta in early October of the 1988 season 33-0. The Falcons offense has scored just three points the past two weeks, and according to Mike Rothstein of ESPN, that is the first time it’s happened since Weeks 8 and 9 of the 1987 season.
The Falcons will square off against one of the worst teams in the NFL next Sunday in the Jaguars; a get-right game if I’ve ever seen one.
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