Interceptions, Operational Woes Bury Atlanta Falcons' in Loss to Washington Commanders

For a moment, it appeared the Atlanta Falcons were poised to overcome their second double-digit fourth-quarter deficit of the season Sunday against the Washington Commanders ... but a pair of late interceptions by quarterback Desmond Ridder and a handful of team miscues brought those hopes to an abrupt end.

The Atlanta Falcons' 24-16 home loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon saw a near-comeback derailed by several self-inflicted woes, breaking the team's five-game home winning streak.

The Falcons have been formidable during the fourth quarter inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season, outscoring opponents 41-7 in the final frame through the first three home games, all wins.

And so, when the Falcons entered the fourth quarter trailing the Commanders 24-10, there remained a level of confidence.

Atlanta only added to this optimism when quarterback Desmond Ridder hit tight end Jonnu Smith for a touchdown in the left flat, trimming the margin to 24-16 with 12:38 to play.

From then on, the Falcons outgained the Commanders 131 yards to 16 ... but the score didn't change.

Atlanta's bizarre closing stretch started after Smith's touchdown, when Falcons coach Arthur Smith chose to try a two-point conversion with a one-by-four formation.

Ridder threw to the isolated receiver, Drake London, and saw the pass fall incomplete - but a penalty on Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste brought the Falcons closer and gave them another chance ... which was also stopped, as running back Tyler Allgeier was met with force before reaching the goal line.

Why did Atlanta go for it? Smith pointed to two games last season - against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers - but opted not to dive into the specifics behind his decision.

"We did it last year in L.A.," Smith said. "You're down 14 in the fourth quarter, those are consequences you live with. Did it in L.A., got it to six, did it in Tampa last year. We've done it before. We did it last year twice."

Nonetheless, the Falcons' defense went to work and gave its offense the ball back just over two minutes later.

Ridder and company picked up where they left off, and on the drive's ninth play, a handoff to Allgeier had Atlanta just one yard shy of the endzone.

An incomplete pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt set up 3rd and Goal from the one-yard line, with the team likely to have two attempts to find paydirt, if needed.

In actuality, the Falcons had zero.

A delay of game penalty pushed Atlanta back five yards, and on the ensuing play, Ridder scrambled and tossed up a floating 50/50 ball to London. The pass never reached his hands, however, as St-Juste intercepted it in the endzone, putting a stunning end to such a promising drive.

"It was a miscommunication between myself and Drake," Ridder said. "Drake turned one way, I threw it the other. I was hot in the pressure, so I was just trying to get it up. That's one we're going to go back, learn from, and figure out a way to be better."

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts caught the team's first touchdown of the game from quarterback Desmond Ridder on the opening drive / USA Today Sports

Atlanta's defense, once again, rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out and giving the offense the ball back with 3:29 to play.

But the Falcons failed to generate positive momentum, and an incomplete pass on 4th and 8 from their own side of midfield seemingly spelled the end of the line.

And yet, Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen's group stood tall and forced another three-and-out punt, putting the ball in Ridder's hands one final time with just under two minutes to go.

Tasked with driving 93 yards and getting a two-point conversion, the odds were stacked against Atlanta - but Ridder began pushing the ball downfield.

As the clock hit one minute, the Falcons were running into Commanders territory after an 18-yard completion to receiver Mack Hollins.

Then, confusion.

Players were running on and off the field. Some started and stopped before figuring out what, exactly, they were doing. Smith said he was trying to get them breather.

Still, 25 seconds came off the clock between snaps.

Ridder's next pass came to tight end MyCole Pruitt, gaining nine yards. Pruitt was tripped up in bounds and the clock kept ticking. Atlanta spiked it with 32 seconds remaining.

Then, disaster.

The play clock began ticking lower and lower, and the Falcons seemingly had little idea what they were doing. Smith was forced to burn his final timeout, an inexcusable scenario after a spike.

"Trying to get different guys in," Smith said. "A little bit lack of communication coming out of the huddle - somebody asked something, slowed them down. I wasn't going to take the delay there. We've got to do a better job."

After the timeout, a similar situation unfolded, as Ridder just called for the snap as the play clock hit zero. The Falcons ran the play. Maybe they would've been better off having it been blown dead.

Ridder's pass - intended for running back Bijan Robinson - was undercut and intercepted by Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis, effectively ending the game and any hopes Atlanta had of avenging all of its prior errors.

Smith said afterwards this particular interception was a miscommunication, not panic from Ridder with the play clock ticking.

But nevertheless, how was Atlanta so discombobulated so often during the game's biggest moments? The blame doesn't go to one person, Smith believes, but underlies an integral area in need of improvement moving forward.

"It wasn't on Des," Smith said. "You're trying to figure out what's going on - there's a lot of logistics that go in. Always looking at yourself. It's something we clearly didn't do a good enough job of today. Hasn't been an issue, but it was today, and we have to get it fixed."

Ridder concurred, adding that everybody has to be better, whether it be with substitutions, reads or play calls.

The way things unfolded was largely a snowball effect, Smith said, and the frequency of operational errors certainly support his case - especially when considering it's more than just the closing act.

Smith pointed to the Commanders' touchdown after a 61-yard punt return by receiver Jamison Crowder and running back Brian Robinson Jr.'s 24-yard screen pass touchdown following Ridder's first interceptions as two instances of Washington capitalizing on opportunities that arose from Atlanta's mistakes.

Simply put, Smith believes the Commanders, despite being outgained 402 yards to 193, made the most out of good field position, and the Falcons didn't.

Atlanta's now 3-3 on the season and will likely enter next Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just a half-game back in the NFC South.

Despite an inconsistent start, the Falcons remain in the mix to make the playoffs for the first time in six years ... but losses like this may prove costly come January.

"We've all got to be better. It starts with me," Smith said. "It's a tough pill to swallow. We had plenty of opportunities. But again, Washington made the plays at the critical times, and we didn't, and that was the story of the game."