Jessie Bates Reveals What Went Wrong for Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders

Atlanta Falcons All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III shared where he believes the team must improve following its loss to the Washington Commanders.

The Atlanta Falcons lost 24-19 against the Washington Commanders this past week, giving them their first loss at home. While some may point fingers at the offense’s performance, safety Jessie Bates III took accountability for where the defense could improve.

“I feel like we have got to get better in the red zone,” Bates said. “Something that’s been our strength throughout the year, I think they may have went three for three in the red zone today. So that’s something we have got to get better at. I felt like we did a really good job of responding in the second half. Just something that we continue to learn from and continue to build.”

After holding Sam Howell and Washington’s offense to three points in the first quarter, the Falcons were up 7-3, but the second quarter momentum would flip for good as the Commanders scored two touchdowns and entered halftime with a 17-10 lead before extending it to 24-10 in the third quarter.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates took accountability for where the defense underperformed against the Washington Commanders in the team's most recent loss / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

While it’s nice to see a star player holding his unit accountable for where they can improve, the biggest issue in Atlanta this season hasn’t been the defense; it has been the play of quarterback Desmond Ridder.

One week after quieting his doubters by throwing for a career-high in passing yards and getting the team a win against the Houston Texans, Ridder threw three interceptions in one score loss to Washington. However, Howell (a quarterback drafted two rounds after him) threw three touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Inconsistency throwing the ball has hurt the offense’s ability to score and forced the defense to play close to perfection for the team to have a chance at winning games. 

Improvement from both the Falcons defense and offense is crucial heading into next week’s divisional matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.