3 Falcons to blame for handing control of NFC South to Bucs with loss to Commanders

The Atlanta Falcons no longer control their own destiny. Their Sunday Night Football defeat to the Washington Commanders put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in control of the NFC South division title.

The Falcons need the Bucs to lose to the Saints in Week 18 to have a chance to make the playoffs. Atlanta would also need to beat the Panthers. If they had beaten the Commanders, a win against Carolina alone would have clinched a playoff spot.

There is clear blame to go around, though some Falcons should be spared from having the finger pointed their way. Michael Penix was excellent in the end, making the clutch plays Atlanta needed. Drake London racked up 100 receiving yards. Bijan Robinson scored twice. The defensive front had a handful of sacks. Jessie Bates had 12 tackles and a sack.

Shockingly enough, Kyle Pitts isn't getting blamed! The tight end caught a game-tying touchdown in the final minutes. It's just a shame his impact play went to waste. That's because these Falcons dropped the ball.

DeAngelo Malone

The Commanders first drive of the second half resulted in a go-ahead touchdown. That's despite the defense sacking Jayden Daniels on third-and-22. That's all thanks to DeAngelo Malone.

The third-year linebacker committed a completely unnecessary illegal contact penalty, negating the sack and handing Washington a free first down.

At that point, the Falcons had scored 17 unanswered points. A stop there might have given them a chance to completely pull away by three scores. Instead, Malone's penalty allowed the Commanders to flip momentum. They scored the next 17 points to retake the lead.

Riley Patterson

It might be harsh to blame the kicker for missing a 56-yard field goal attempt at the death. I freely admit that. There's just no way around it: If not for Riley Patterson's miss, the Falcons would be celebrating a win.

Penix and Drake London drove down the field, then Kyle Pitts caught the touchdown Atlanta needed to tie the game. Then the Falcons defense got a quick three-and-out to create the opportunity for a game-winning field goal.

Patterson was filling in for Younghoe Koo, who went on injured reserve. It's not like Koo was having a good season. He, too, cost the Falcons in a loss to the Saints earlier this season. We can't say for certain that Koo would have made the kick. That's not really the point.

NFL kickers are employed to make the kicks, long and short, massive and inconsequential.

If the offense finds a way into range of a 56-yard field goal with just a few seconds left on the clock in a tie game, they should be able to send the kicker out there with at least some confidence he can nail it.

Raheem Morris

Why did the game come down to Patterson's kick? Well, head coach Raheem Morris had something to do with it.

Morris told reporters after the game that the kick was out of Peterson's range. I've got a question then: Why even kick it?!?!?!?

The Falcons could have trotted Penix out for a Hail Mary heave. The probability of completing it is low but certainly higher than a field goal attempt by a kicker who doesn't have that kind of range. Atlanta's got 6-foot-4 Drake London and 6-foot-6 Kyle Pitts. Give them a chance, not the kicker you signed out of desperation.

It gets worse, of course. Morris' game management in end-of-half situations was...lacking, to say the least.

Atlanta may have been in Patterson's range if Morris had called timeout in the final minute to preserve clock. Penix and company were making plays to get down the field. They just ran out of time.

Morris didn't learn from his mistake before the end of the half. He kept timeouts in his pocket as Penix attempted to drive the offense down the field for points before halftime arrived. They ran out of time then too, settling for a field goal when they could have punctuated the second quarter with a touchdown.