Atlanta Falcons pay for Matt Ryan’s blunders

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is still testing out the offensive system installed by new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Ryan is clearly not comfortable with some of the fancy ball-handling requirements and the turnovers are starting to mount.

Ryan’s performance in the 23-20 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was a bit uneven and most be smoothed out before the Falcons face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif.

Ryan was able to move the ball at will against Tampa Bay. The Falcons didn’t have to punt. But all of that good work was put on the back burner because of four turnovers, three of which Ryan had a personal hand in.

He also had a fumble in overtime that was recovered by running back Devonta Freeman.

Ryan put up huge numbers and rallied the team late, but he couldn’t overcome the 20 points the Falcons gifted to the Bucs through four turnovers.

Ryan failed to fall on a botched shotgun smust get on the ballnap, threw an interception and botched a handoff.

“Three of our four turnovers were on the plus-side of the 50,” Ryan said. “That’s directly taking points off the board.”

The Falcons trailed 20-3, before they rallied with some help from Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith’s bizarre decision-making.

“I thought we battled,” Ryan said. “We did kind of everything we wanted to offensively, other than protect the football. I think we had a few too many penalties as well.”

Ryan completed 37-of-45 passes for 397 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He finished with a passer rating of 109.

“We dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Ryan said. “I expect nothing less than us to continue to compete for however long we need to play. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.

“I think we have the right guys in the right mindset that regardless of the situation, we’re going to battle.”

Ryan was seen on the sidelines irate at times.

“That happens,” Ryan said. “Guys are going to get upset, frustrated. That’s part of the game. We’re all so competitive that we want to do it right every time.”

The Falcons continued to struggle in the red zone.

“When it comes to the red zone, your execution has to be very, very precise,” Ryan said. “I don’t think we’ve been as precise as we’ve needed to be.”

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, who had two catches 24 yards, doesn’t believe the offense’s issues are major.

“When you have those opportunities, you have to cash in,” White said. “We didn’t do that until toward the end of the game. … In the second half, we did a whole lot better moving the ball, putting ourselves in position to win the game.

“We’ll learn from that and hopefully we’ll get better. We’ll hold onto the ball and not put our defense is bad situations and get some wins.”

Falcons coach Dan Quinn preaches about taking care of the ball, but his team is not following directions.

“The main thing for us is the ball,” Quinn said. “For us not to have that connection (against Tampa Bay) was hard on us. It was a hard lesson for us. Knowing we’re at our best when we’re taking care of the ball, and also creating takeaways too.”

Quinn has seen some of the frustration in Ryan’s play.

“The thing I want to make sure that we all know is what a top flight elite competitor he is,” Quinn said. “There were some great plays made out there by a number of guys.

“One of the cases is us not being able to move the ball. There were certainly opportunities for everybody. The mistakes cost us. The penalties and the turnovers were a real factor.”