ARLINGTON, Texas – They were celebrating last week, having shown their resolve and mettle in New Orleans. A week later, the Atlanta Falcons barely showed up.
Nothing went right Sunday for Atlanta -- not on offense, not on defense, not on special teams. While some of that could be attributed to the topsy-turvy ride that is life in the NFL, the swings usually aren’t this bad, like they were in a 43-3 defeat to Dallas that was the team’s worst loss since 2004.
“We were outcoached,” coach Arthur Smith said. “And outplayed.”
It’s fair to wonder if any of this came as a result of a hangover from the team’s dramatic win over New Orleans, where quarterback Matt Ryan had yet another last-minute comeback to beat the Falcons' biggest rival.