The Atlanta Falcons blew a chance to extend their division lead on Sunday, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 29-25, to fall to 6-7 on the season. Despite the outcome of the game, there were a couple of players who turned in quality performances.
Here are the studs and duds from the Falcons’ Week 14 loss to the Buccaneers.
Stud: Drake London
Drake London ended the afternoon with 10 catches for 172 yards. This easily became the best performance of his young career and was almost capped off with a game-winning touchdown. Desmond Ridder heaved the ball downfield as time expired and London pulled the ball in but was tackled a few yards short of the end zone. Overall, it was a great showing for London.
Dud: Arthur Smith
There is a level of dysfunction within this Falcons team and it starts at the top. It’s no secret that Smith is unpopular among the fans, but the third-year head coach has to do a better job managing the game. One suggestion could be to offload the play-calling duties to another assistant, but it seems unlikely that Smith would be willing to do this. Regardless of whether the players are failing to execute his system or he’s just failing as a play-caller, the offense has consistently done too little too late.
Stud: Kaden Elliss
The linebacker has been a consistent tackler for the Falcons since signing with the team over the offseason. Against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Elliss recorded seven tackles, three assists, and made some big plays to slow the Bucs for much of the game. Elliss and Jessie Bates have both proved to be net positives week in and week out for Atlanta.
Dud: Desmond Ridder
Don’t let the stats fool you, this was a very sloppy game from Ridder that started to shift late in the game. We have seen this multiple times this season where Ridder’s poor play to start the game puts the Falcons in a hole and forces them to come from behind the entire second half. Ridder is making quicker decisions, however, he’s still making the wrong decision too often. The second-year QB turned the ball over twice, and the Bucs scored nine points off of those two turnovers.
