Toonstruck 1 » Falcons vs. Saints: Hat Tips & Head-Scratchers

It’s near impossible to imagine that a team scoring 37 points and not turning the ball over would lose Atlanta Falcons Hats , but that’s exactly what happened on Sunday against the Saints. It was like hitting the jackpot in the loser’s lottery. We’re all still extremely bitter about how this one turned out, and will be until at least this Sunday when the Bengals head to town. For now, let’s take a glance at the commendations and condemnations from Atlanta’s loss to New Orleans. Hat TipsCalvin Ridley’s coming out party Calvin Ridley certainly has receiver-needy teams regretting passing on him in the 2018 NFL Draft, and the clinic he put on against the Saints was just a joy to behold. I could lob plaudits at a number of Ridley’s plays from Sunday; the nasty double move he put on P.J. Williams for his first touchdown, the body control he displayed to get both feet down in bounds for his third touchdown. The kid is simply unreal. He finished his day with seven receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and is proving a potent threat in the red zone, where the Falcons are now 8-8 over the past two games. Calvin Ridley is opening up the offense for Matt Ryan, and Sunday felt a bit like 2016 with Ryan getting eight different receivers involved. This offense is at its best when all of its weapons are employed in the game plan, and Ridley’s emergence has it churning and scoring points. Kudos, Calvin.Matt Ryan’s execution Matt Ryan has put together two sterling weeks at quarterback and silenced many a critic along the way. His game against the Saints was among his finest in the NFL, throwing for 374 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He was seeing the field exceptionally well, utilizing an array of his receiving options — even Logan Paulsen got in on the fun. Deep ball, short pass, throwing from the pocket or on the run, Ryan had it all working on Sunday. It’s unfortunate to see his stat line saddled next to a loss, but none of it had to do with his play. He was dialed in, and deserves multiple tips of the hat for his outstanding performance. Vic Beasley sighting With 10:36 remaining in the third quarter, Vic Beasley materialized from the alternate dimension where he’s presumably logging sacks and treated us to one here in right-side-up world. Beasley has been rightly maligned for his disappearing act and failure to impact the passing game, but he can still flash his speed and devastating first step. Beasley blasted past first-round left tackle Ryan Ramczyk and pummeled Drew Brees for the sack and loss of five yards. Beasley gets a suspicious, furrowed brow tip of the hat this week Atlanta Falcons Hoodie , because he needs to show up more consistently.Head-Scratchers Brian Poole’s missed tackle on Drew BreesBrian Poole had a couple of contenders for the head-scratchers portion of this column, but none loomed larger than his missed tackle on Drew Brees to allow the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Whiffs on tackles in key moments told the story in what was a poor defensive performance, and Poole’s inability to drag down Brees in a pivotal moment ultimately decided the game. With all of the injuries on defense — and now with Ricardo Allen out for the year — Brian Poole is being asked to do a lot. With that caveat in mind, his situational awareness on that tackle attempt deserves criticism. Looking to knock Drew Brees into next week, he instead knocked Robert Alford off of the play and allowed Brees to dive into the end zone. We all respect Brian Poole’s physicality, but his unfettered aggression in attempting to blow up Drew Brees instead of securing the tackle was the biggest head-scratcher of the day.Prevent Offense Steve Sarkisian has now gone consecutive games where the offense looks fluid, dangerous, and in-sync. He’s really done a great job at getting people to put the pitchforks away. But the final offensive possession in the first half? Godawful. Two quick runs and a short incomplete pass turned into a quick three-and-out, gifting promising field position to the Saints. They promptly took advantage, and Wil Lutz put a 45-yard field goal through the uprights to enter the locker room with the lead. This type of conservative playcalling in a situation where mashing the gas should be the modus operandi has doomed the Falcons before. With 1:36 left on the clock, Atlanta had the opportunity to put a scoring drive together. Instead, they surrendered three points and limped off the field. Blocked punt in the third quarter The Falcons have been flirting with disaster on punt protection the first couple of weeks, and it seemed the dam was destined to break sooner than later. It finally did at the most inopportune time (not that there’s any preferred time), as Alex Okafor got around Foyesade Oluokun and blocked the punt. Craig Robertson recovered the ball and ran it down to the Atlanta 16-yard line, giving the Saints excellent field position.They would cash in on the special teams play moments later, as Cameron Meredith secured a Drew Brees pass over the middle for the score. Keith Armstrong was definitely displeased, and we were all scratching our heads in disbelief. All games and no practice reps make Alex Smith a dull quarterback.Injuries to receivers Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson and running backs Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson have kept them from getting work in with Smith at practice and stunted the Washington Redskins' passing game so far this season. The NFC East-leading Redskins have run all over opponents with a banged-up Peterson, boasted a much-improved defense and is only missing the kind of effective passing game they'll see Sunday when they host Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons."I think the success for a lot of NFL teams is if you can stop the run, and you can run the ball and control the clock, you've got a chance to win some games. We've been able to do all three," Thompson said. "The passing game has been up and down. It's been slow. We've been without our full group of receivers for a little bit of time. ... We just have to find a way to do a better job."Smith and the Redskins (5-2) have averaged 212.7 yards in the air Customized Atlanta Falcons Jerseys , and only three teams have fewer passing touchdowns than their eight. They won't have Crowder again this week as he'll miss his fourth consecutive game with an ankle injury.Atlanta (3-4) has been battered by injuries to both starting guards and safeties, running back Devonta Freeman and linebacker Deion Jones and as a result hasn't lived up to preseason expectations. Ryan has held up his end of the bargain with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions and leads the NFL with 333.6 yards a game with the benefit of a receiving corps of Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and rookie Calvin Ridley."He's obviously done a tremendous job of reading defenses and putting a lot of different guys in advantageous situations," tight end Austin Hooper said. "That's just a credit to the work Matt's put in all year. If he keeps it going, good things will come."That's also the Redskins' message to Smith, who also has thrown only two picks and been solid at managing the ball even if the yards haven't piled up. Smith doesn't believe he has been too cautious, but acknowledges the passing game has to be far more effective in certain areas."The ones that stand out though are the situational stuff, the third downs that you don't convert because they would have given you a whole other rack of opportunities," Smith said. "The red zone, obviously because it's so vital. I think the situational stuff always tends to jump out when you don't execute, because of its magnitude."Washington is 22nd in the league on third down and 25th in the red zone. Those particular failings speak to Smith still needing to get in sync with tight end Jordan Reed, Crowder, Richardson and Josh Doctson in his first year with the Redskins.With so many missed opportunities at practice because of injuries, Smith said one of the biggest hurdles is he and receivers reading the same coverage from a defense and being on the same page."There is really a premium on both the receiver and quarterbacks seeing the same thing and reacting to it the same way, and I think that's the hard part," Smith said. "There are times when it is cut and dried, when it's pure zone and we're spacing the field and timing routes and there are times when it's purely man and you just beat him. But a lot of times, it's a blend of the two and I think you've got to see the same thing, react to it the same way."Some things to watch when the Falcons visit the Redskins:PETERSON TIMEBlips in the passing game have made it all the more valuable that Peterson is still running strong at 33. Peterson has rushed for 587 yards and four touchdowns through seven games and is the most important piece of Washington's offense."He's playing so well right now, when we call a running play, he better be out there www.authenticsatlantafalcons.com ," coach Jay Gruden said. "I expect him to be a major part of our offense moving forward. He has to be right now, the way we are throwing the ball."JULIO HISTORYJones needs 134 yards receiving in his 102nd career game to become the fastest to 10,000. He's averaging 116 yards a game as part of a deep group of Falcons receivers the Redskins are concerned about."They get open, they separate, they go up and get the ball," Washington linebacker Zach Brown said. "It's just hard to have corners to deal with that."CLINTON-DIX DEBUTWhile the Falcons stood pat at Tuesday's trade deadline, the Redskins acquired safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Green Bay for a fourth-round pick. The combination of Clinton-Dix and D.J. Swearinger, who had two interceptions last week against the Giants, gives Washington arguably the best duo of safeties in the league."I came here to play," Clinton-Dix said. "I came here to work. Even if that's on special teams, I'm just helping contribute to this team any way I can, because No. 20 is going to be suited up this weekend, and you can bet that."ROAD WOESPart of Atlanta's rough road so far this season has been an 0-2 record on the road with a close loss at Philadelphia and a blowout one at Pittsburgh. The same offense that has put up over 32 points a game at home has managed just over two touchdowns on the road."The biggest issue is cadence, or the lack thereof, in the ability to hear," Hooper said. "It's just in understanding the subtle, nonverbal signals that allow you to play fast."Associated Press Writer George Henry in Flowery Branch, Georgia, contributed.