Falcons Offense Falters Late vs. Commanders: 3 Observations From Atlanta's Loss

Three key takeaways from the Falcons' 19-13 loss to the Commanders.

The Atlanta Falcons (5-7) are going back to the drawing board after a 19-13 loss to the Washington Commanders (7-5).

The first half played out exactly how one would have expected it to, with both teams leaning heavily on the run in a physical slugfest. At the half it was 10-10 as the two teams traded a touchdown and field goal each. 

The second half was more of the same as the two teams traded punches, however the Commanders found the end zone in the second half while the Falcons could not.

On the final big drive of the game, the Falcons had a chance to win inside the 5-yard line, but a fatal Marcus Mariota interception ended Atlanta's spark.

Here are three key takeaways from Atlanta's loss to Washington ...

Offense has to finish drives

There was both plenty to like about Atlanta's offensive performance in the loss and plenty to dislike. For the positive, the Falcons managed to rack up plenty of yards against a stout Commanders defense to the tune of 332 yards of total offense. 

It doesn't matter how many yards you score if you only manage one touchdown and are forced to settle for two field goals. Going 4-for-10 on third down doesn't help. For a team wanting to stay in the NFC playoff picture, you have to execute better at the end of drives. 

Defense did their job

In an ideal world, your defense will pitch a shutout every single Sunday and look dominant in the process. However, that is unfortunately not how it works and as such, the Falcons defense did a respectable job against the Commanders. 

The defense actually helped the offense outgain the Commanders 332-314, but it could not overcome a pair of Taylor Heinicke touchdowns. The defense could have done better against the run, having allowed running back Brian Robinson Jr. to run for 105 yards on 18 carries. That being said, when an offense only manages 13 points, there isn't much else the defense can do.

Still in the NFC South hunt

On a day that was rather forgettable for the Falcons, some breaks did go their way.

They remain only 0.5 game out of first place in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to the Cleveland Browns in overtime. 

There are are five games left in the regular season for the Falcons to make a playoff push. Doing so won't be easy of course, but on any given Sunday anything can happen. Either way, the Falcons are ahead of schedule in their rebuild and have a lot to be happy about with how this season has gone. 

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The Falcons face another critical game next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7) at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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