Kevin Stefanski didn’t try to sugarcoat what happened Sunday night. The Falcons came away with a 30-23 overtime loss to the Ravens, and after a game full of turning points, he said plainly that Atlanta let too many chances slip away.
“We will learn from it…We didn't do enough to win that game. We had missed opportunities.”
That was the tone from Stefanski as he spoke with reporter Will McFadden after the defeat. The Falcons had a chance to settle things, but the night ended with Tua Tagovailoa throwing the game-ending interception in overtime.
The loss also sharpened the scrutiny around Stefanski, who is now 12 games under .500 over the course of his NFL coaching career with the Cleveland Browns and Falcons. That record has only added to the questions about whether he can guide Atlanta back to the Super Bowl.
The Falcons’ problems got more complicated when starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. left with a rib injury, opening the door for Tagovailoa’s Atlanta debut. Penix Jr.’s injury looked like the kind that could linger, which means Stefanski and his staff may again have to prepare for multiple possibilities heading into the October 18 matchup against Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears.
Atlanta also has little time to dwell on the loss. The Bears are coming off a blowout defeat to the Packers in Week 5 and figure to be angry when they meet the Falcons. Meanwhile, the NFC South race is tight, with the Carolina Panthers sitting at 2-2 and the Falcons a half-game back.
Stefanski acknowledged the missed chances, but that won’t make the result sting any less, especially against a Ravens team that was without its best player, Lamar Jackson. Around the team, fans are still hopeful, but the frustration is starting to build after a game that hardly went the way anyone expected.
In Other News...
Falcons Let A Winnable SNF Game Slip Away In Painful Fashion
Sunday night had the feel of a game Atlanta could and should have controlled, until Baltimore kept hanging around long enough to turn it into an overtime escape. Tyler Huntley, filling in at quarterback, guided the Ravens through a 30-23 win with a late rally that stunned the Falcons and wiped out what had been a winnable prime-time stage. Derrick Henry added 102 rushing yards, while Huntley was efficient throwing the ball, completing 24 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons offense was already trying to close out the night when Michael Penix Jr. exited late in the fourth quarter with a rib injury, a shift that changed the feel of the final minutes and left Atlanta searching for answers. Baltimore then finished the job after Tua Tagovailoa took over in overtime, and the game slipped away in the kind of painful fashion that makes a loss linger well beyond the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Injury Suddenly Looms Over Falcons After Crushing Loss
A rib injury turned a wild afternoon into a much bigger concern for Atlanta, with Michael Penix leaving against the Ravens and briefly trying to tough it out late in regulation before the discomfort sent him back to the sideline. The Falcons turned to Tua Tagovailoa in overtime, but his interception helped close the door on a game that already felt like it had slipped away, adding a painful finish to a loss that carried a lot more than one result in the standings.
Penix is set to get further testing, and even with the added uncertainty, the early sense is that Atlanta may not be bracing for a long absence. The quarterback said he expects to be ready for next weeks matchup with the Bears, which would be a welcome outcome for a team suddenly watching its most important position much more closely than it wanted to after a crushing defeat. [Read more 🡒]
Jessie Bates Gave Falcons Fans The Prime-Time Spark They Wanted
The Falcons got the kind of early defensive jolt that can change the feel of a prime-time game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Jeff Ulbrichs unit making its presence known against Baltimore on Sunday night. Atlantas defense had already shown it could make life uncomfortable for the Ravens, which were adjusting to life without Lamar Jackson and turning to Tyler Huntley at quarterback.
Jessie Bates then delivered the moment that really lit up the building, jumping on a Mark Andrews fumble and taking it back for a touchdown. It was the sort of splash play Falcons fans were hoping for under the lights, the kind that can swing momentum in an instant and give the home crowd something to hang onto as the night unfolded. [Read more 🡒]