Weight of red zone inefficiencies continues to hold Falcons back in loss to Los Angeles Rams

This time, the Falcons were on the other end of a fourth quarter comeback, taking a 31-10 lead by the Rams and shrinking it to the – would be – final score of 31-27.

Again, the Falcons went 2-for-4 in the red zone. The Rams – on the other hand – were 4-for-5. The Falcons also had a 30 percent conversion rate on third down, not unlike their 38 percent conversion rate against the Saints. In a game that – once again – came down to a final, long-shot chance in the fourth quarter to win the game, it begs the question if these numbers are discouraging because they were the difference in yet another loss for the Falcons.

Smith is right: When the heat of the fourth quarter is on, it usually comes down to a play here or a play there that decides the victor. But the Falcons lost on Sunday not because they couldn’t connect on a Hail Mary throw. They lost because they didn’t score a touchdown until well into the third quarter.

After the game, offensive lineman Jake Matthews said the goal of football is to score touchdowns. It’s not kick field goals. It’s to get in the endzone.

“We’re not in the game to kick field goals. We’re in it to score touchdowns,” Matthews said. “We have to score more points to win, and that’s the bottom line.”

More so, there’s the issue of cleanliness in the red area, too. The Falcons knew going into Sunday’s game that they were going to get the reigning Super Bowl champions “best shot.” They knew their own best shot had to be one that was clean. There is no room for errors, particularly ones that play a part in taking away points.

Too often the Falcons shot themselves in the foot with an untimely penalty in the red zone. Take the first drive as an example:

The Falcons did a fine job moving the ball downfield, but on third and six inside the red zone, Chris Lindstrom is called for a false start. A play later, Marcus Mariota is sacked. Then, Younghoe Koo misses a 44-yard field goal. So, in essence, you have a productive opening drive that yields no points.

Two series later, another redzone penalty (this time holding on Drew Dalman) put Atlanta in a third and long situation already down by 14. They settled for a short field goal from Koo, but a 14-3 deficit feels very different than a 14-7 deficit. Just like a 31-27 loss feels different than a 32-31 win.