Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Reveals Reason Behind Loss vs. Chargers

The Atlanta Falcons failed to grab a win Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Arthur Smith believes he knows why.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 8, 2022

The Atlanta Falcons are heading back to the drawing board after their 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday.

In a game that comes down to a game-winning field goal, every play counts, and head coach Arthur Smith pointed to the team's third-down woes in the loss.

"Usually what it comes down to is third down," Smith said. "Miscommunication there ... I don't think we even got to the top of the drop. That happened on two straight third downs and that's usually the case. We made some adjustments (but) obviously we didn't make enough plays."

The Falcons converted just 5 of 11 third-down chances, good for 45 percent, which matches with their season average and ranks them sixth in the league. However, the Falcons want to be even better in that department.

"Really when it comes down to it, we've just got to be better on third down," Marcus Mariota said. "They had some things on defense, got some free hitters - and that's on me, I've got to do a better job with protections. This game's always going to be won and lost on third down, and when you're not converting these third downs, and on the flip side they're getting these long drives, they make the plays when they need to, unfortunately you're going to find yourself on the losing end."

The Chargers completed 8 of 16 third-downs, and several scoring drives were extended because of the defense's inability to get the punt team out.

If the Falcons can figure out their third-down woes, more wins should be in their future. Luckily for Atlanta, its opponent this week, the Carolina Panthers, boast a league-worst 26.7 percent on third down.

The Falcons and Panthers play Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

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Published Nov 8, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.