An NFL game can look under control for long stretches and still slip away before the final whistle. The Atlanta Falcons experienced that frustration on Sunday night, watching a late lead disappear against the Baltimore Ravens before an overtime mistake ended their hopes of a home victory. For head coach Kevin Stefanski, the result came down to opportunities his team failed to make count.
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Stefanski did not hide his disappointment after Atlanta’s 30-23 overtime defeat on October 11.
“That’s credit to Baltimore; that’s a good football team. Obviously, we didn’t do enough to win that game. We had really missed opportunities. And when you’re playing a good football team, and these margins are razor-thin like we knew they would be, we gotta come through on some of those plays,” Stefanski said at the post-game conference.
“But that’s all of us, that’s coaches, that’s players. We can be better in those moments, and then you can put a good football team away late, which we did not do. And then again, give them credit, they came back and scored and did a nice job. So we’ll learn from it, disappointing, frustrating, all those things, but we’ll learn from it.”
Atlanta had made plays that should have put it in a strong position to win. Safety Jessie Bates III recovered a fumble by Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Later, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. connected with tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. for a five-yard touchdown, helping the Falcons take a 14-6 lead. Atlanta carried a five-point advantage into halftime and extended it to 17-9 in the third quarter with a Nick Folk field goal.
Baltimore, however, kept finding ways to stay in the game. With Lamar Jackson unavailable because of an ankle injury, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley took over and helped the Ravens chip away at Atlanta’s lead. Huntley threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to running back Derrick Henry, and Baltimore continued to pressure the Falcons as the fourth quarter progressed. Folk added two more field goals, including a 48-yarder with 2:31 remaining, giving Atlanta a 23-15 advantage.
That eight-point lead still was not enough to end the contest. With 40 seconds left, Huntley connected with Devontez Walker for a seven-yard touchdown. Henry then took a direct snap and ran in the two-point conversion, tying the score at 23. Atlanta could not answer before regulation ended, sending the game to overtime after holding the lead for much of the night.
The Falcons’ problems continued when the game went beyond regulation. Penix suffered a rib injury on Atlanta’s final drive of the fourth quarter and did not return. Penix told reporters after the game that he did not believe his rib injury would be long-term.
Tua Tagovailoa replaced him, making his first appearance of the season for Atlanta. The Ravens received the ball first in overtime and put together a six-play, 71-yard drive, with Huntley scoring on a one-yard run to give Baltimore its first lead since the opening minutes.
Tagovailoa had an opportunity to respond, but the drive ended abruptly. After completing his first two passes for 34 yards, he threw an interception to Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, sealing the defeat. The turnover ended Atlanta’s comeback hopes and handed Baltimore its fourth win of the season, while the Falcons fell to 2-3.
Atlanta had the lead, the home crowd behind it, and several chances to put Baltimore away. Instead, the Ravens found their way back. Stefanski’s “We’ll learn from it” may prove easier to say than to put into practice, especially when the lesson is how to finish a game that was there for the taking.