Washington 34, Falcons 30: Top 10 Observations

There were some good, some bad and some ugly in the Falcons' loss to Washington.

Today's game between the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Football Team had a little bit of everything. 

There was a lot of good, a lot of bad, and even some ugly on both sides of the football for both teams.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, they ended up on the wrong side of a heartbreaking 34-30 defeat.

Our Top 10 observations from Mercedes-Benz Stadium ...

1. Cordarrelle Patterson is as good as advertised: The Falcons' veteran pickup in free agency wasn't supposed to be the top option in the offense this season.

Yet through four games, Patterson has found the end zone five times, including three today.

Patterson is a pleasant surprise for the Falcons' offense and Matt Ryan should look for him more often if he wants the team to succeed. 

READ MORE: WATCH: Falcons' Cordarrelle Patterson Catches Three Touchdowns vs. Washington

2. Taylor Heinicke has the clutch gene: The Washington quarterback is 2-1 as the starter this season, and he's led a game-winning drive while trailing in the fourth quarter in both wins.

Heinicke finished the game passing for 290 yards and three touchdowns and was incredibly efficient throughout the day.

He's making a very strong case to become the starter full-time moving forward.

3. Isaiah Oliver is incredibly important for the Falcons' defense: The fourth-year cornerback out of Colorado has played very well over the last two weeks, and the Falcons really felt his absence when he left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury.

Oliver has been one of the best defensive backs for the Falcons this season and he could have made a difference in the second half if he was able to guard Terry McLaurin, who scored two touchdowns after he left the game.

4. J.D. McKissic isn't human: We have no words for his twisting, leaping, game-winning move.

OH MY.

It’s a touchdown for @JdMckissic and #WashingtonFootball takes the lead!

📺: #WASvsATL on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/8WGXRgpP6h

— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2021

READ MORE: Atlanta Falcons QB Feleipe Franks: ‘The Next Taysom Hill’?

5. Mike Davis is not the answer at running back: The Falcons' running game is on life support.

Signing Davis in the offseason looked like a good move on paper, but the same can't be said for his play on the field.

Davis averaged 1.1 yards per carry today with 14 yards on 13 carries. He did catch a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the team needs a bruising running back who can run between the tackles.

That's how Arthur Smith thrived in Tennessee, and he's not able to operate under his strengths when Davis can't do much out of the backfield.

The offensive line is also part of the problem, but Davis isn't doing any favors either.

6. There is serious concern for the Washington defense: Coming into the year, the WFT defense was in the conversation among the NFL's best. It has been anything but that in the first four games of the season.

The WFT defense has given up an average of 30.5 points per game this season, flirting with the bottom of the league in that statistic.

Luckily, the offense has overachieved and bailed them out of two of their four games, but considering how much the front office has invested in the defense, they need to be better.

7. Foye Oluokun should be a household name: The fourth-year linebacker out of Yale has a knack of finding the football.

He's improved every year since arriving in Atlanta and is playing the best football of his career.

Oluokun recorded a team-high 12 tackles and the team's only sack Sunday afternoon. He's been the best defender in Dean Pees' defense this season and he should deserve the praise that comes with strong play.

READ MORE: Dean Pees Full of Praise for Falcons Defender

8. The DeAndre Carter touchdown flipped the momentum: In a jam-packed game with multiple touchdowns from Terry McLaurin and Cordarrelle Patterson and a play of the year candidate with J.D. McKissic's airborne touchdown, many might forget DeAndre Carter's kick return touchdown at the beginning of the second half.

Now THATS a way to score you first-ever @NFL tuddie!

DeAndre Carter, take a bow son!

101-YARDS 👏 TO 👏 THE 👏 HOUSE 🏡 pic.twitter.com/HPlnwPD2x3

— NFL Australia & NZ (@NFLAUNZ) October 3, 2021

The touchdown marked the first career trip to the end zone for Carter, and it gave Washington a 19-13 lead at the beginning of the third quarter.

While the lead changed a few more times after that, Washington would not have won the game without Carter's efforts.

9. Kyle Pitts is finding opportunities: The rookie tight end saw a career-high nine targets in the loss. 

That's a good sign for the fourth overall pick, who had high expectations coming into his rookie year.

Patterson and Calvin Ridley cannot be the only sources of offense for this team, so Pitts showing signs of progression is very good for the Falcons moving forward.

10. Washington and Atlanta need to play better if they want to win later in the year: Both teams had opportunities to win that they squandered. This was not the best showing from either team and neither team can expect to win many games playing the way they did today.

Both defenses made critical errors that led to touchdowns and they continued their disappointing trends they've shown early in the year.

Washington comes out with the win, but Ron Rivera can't be super satisfied with his team after this week.

Atlanta will make the trip to London to face the New York Jets next week, but will have a hard look at the film that prevented them from bagging a win in hopes to get a different result across the pond.

CONTINUE READING: WATCH: Falcons' Cordarrelle Patterson Catches Three Touchdowns vs. Washington