The Falcons lost 28-12 against the Vikings in what was an awful start to the season. They really need to clean up their mistakes moving forward, or this is going to be a very long year.
Here’s our winners and losers for this week.
Loser: Turnover differential
Atlanta had four turnovers against the Vikings’ tough defense and special teams units. Between a blocked punt, a fumble and two interceptions, the Falcons shot themselves in the foot with stupid mistakes. Minnesota capitalized on all of them with touchdowns.
Loser: Run Defense
On the Vikings’ first seven carries of the game, they gained 70 yards and scored a touchdown and it didn’t get better from there. On 38 Minnesota runs, Atlanta allowed 172 yards and three touchdowns.
Winner: TE Austin Hooper
Hooper was out there looking like Tony Gonzalez in Dirk Koetter’s offense. He looks to be the underneath route specialist, gaining 77 yards on his nine catches. Considering he was only targeted nine times, that’s an exceptional day for him. He also did well as a blocker in the run game.
Loser: RB Devonta Freeman
Freeman was effectively shut down as a rusher and he also fumbled the ball around the 20-yard line. It’s OK to be shut down, but it’s never OK to fumble in the red zone. The Vikings turned that into seven points, essentially wiping out what would have been a comeback attempt in the process.
Winner: DT Grady Jarrett
The only real bright spot on defense was Grady Jarrett. He had a sack and a forced fumble, a tackle behind the line and a ton of penetration against the run, leading to some third down stops for the Falcons. Jarrett didn’t get much help from the rest of the defensive line, but he had a great game.
Loser: QB Matt Ryan
Despite throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan’s two interceptions were part of what sealed the loss. Both of his interceptions turned into touchdowns, resulting in 14-point swings. Without those picks, Atlanta would have had a much better chance to win this one.
Ultimate Loser: Falcons offensive line
The offensive line as a whole just couldn’t put it together. Losing Chris Lindstrom to a foot injury halfway through the game didn’t help. As a team, they were only able to gain 49 yards on their 15 designed runs. They were also terrible in pass protection, allowing four sacks and seven QB hits.
