Skidding Atlanta Falcons fall out of playoff contention with another close loss

The Falcons’ season has two games left, but in reality, it ended on Saturday when Atlanta was eliminated from playoff contention by losing another close game because its offense couldn’t complement a defense that gave it numerous chances to win.

“It’s the same thing, just a different game,” Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “I’m frustrated. I’m not ashamed to say it.”

The Falcons’ 17-9 loss to the Ravens, their fourth straight and sixth in the past seven games, mirrored Atlanta’s effort for the past two months. The defense played well against the playoff-bound Ravens (10-5), but Atlanta (5-10) was held to three Younghoe Koo field goals and went 0-for-4 in the red zone.

The Falcons went 5-for-14 on third down, 1-for-4 on fourth down.

While the offense was better than it was in last week’s loss to the Saints, it wasn’t nearly good enough against the Ravens, despite Atlanta’s holding the Ravens to just three second-half points.

Rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder went 22-for-33 passing for 218 yards a week after throwing for just 97 yards against the Saints.

“I thought Desmond took another step against a pretty good defense,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t win situational football. Baltimore did. That’s why they walked away with a win right there.”

Rookie Drake London had seven receptions for a season-high 96 yards.

“You could see it. I think they’ve got pretty good chemistry, that’s pretty obvious after two starts by him,” Smith said. “Credit to Drake, too, I mean there’s other guys that are working, getting open and there’s a trust factor there.”

But London had a key lost fumble after Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey knocked the ball loose following his fourth-down reception. Had London held onto the ball, he would have given the Falcons possession at the Ravens’ 26-yard line midway through the second quarter with the Falcons trailing 6-0.

“I thought I did everything I could possibly do to secure the catch,” London said. “That is one of the better cornerbacks in the league and he just punched it out and made a better play.”

Thirteen plays later, Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson before Huntley’s two-point conversion rush made it 14-0.

Atlanta never recovered.

“We wanted to come out and start fast every single game and then finish the entire game and play complementary football — both offense and defense — and that was something that we didn’t do off the start,” Ridder said.

The Falcons were eliminated from making the playoffs for the fifth straight year when Carolina defeated the Detroit Lions and the Saints knocked off the Browns, preventing Atlanta from having any chance to win the NFC South Division.

“Ultimately, it’s about winning,” Smith said. “I think you can look at a lot of the progress being made, but we have to be able to play with a lead. A lot of these (one-score games) have been comebacks. We are a resilient group, but we need to win.”

The Falcons have gone 4-8 in one-score games this year after going 7-2 last season.

“There has been a ton of progress. It’s different than last year when we were in some one-score games,” Smith said. “This is a different team, with different circumstances. We’ll go back and look at all of them, but we have to find a way to get over that hump.”

With Ridder unable to throw the ball downfield, the Ravens’ third-ranked rushing defense could focus on the Falcons’ third-ranked rushing offense. The Falcons, led by Tyler Allgeier’s 74 yards on 19 carries, rushed for 115 yards — nearly 50 yards below their average — on 33 carries.

The Falcons, who went 1-7 on the road this season, close the season at home against Arizona (4-11) on Sunday and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) on Jan. 8.

“We have to finish our schedule — that’s what’s most important right now,” Falcons safety Richie Grant said. “The loss is a disappointing thing, but like I said, we have more games on the schedule. It’s all about the finish.”