Crushed Wings?
The Falcons may have hit a roadblock early in the new season.
One of the most storied rivalries in NFL history has always been the Atlanta Falcons versus the New Orleans Saints. The two teams met on September 23, 2018 in a highly-anticipated matchup between the two teams that hadn’t met since December 24th, where the Saints were victorious. Many fans of both teams were expecting an all-out, drag-out brawl between the teams, where only one team would reign victorious after the dust had settled.
This game wasn’t met without its fair share of troubles, however. After battling through tooth and limb throughout the majority of the first half, the Falcons suffered injuries later in the game, losing rookie linebacker Foye Oluokun, though he was able to return to the game. Despite being down the majority of the game, the Falcons rallied back in the fourth quarter, completing two touchdowns as well as two successful two-point conversions to the game at the buzzer, sending it into overtime. During overtime, however, is where the game began to fall apart in favor of the Saints.
The Falcons were overwhelmed by the Saints outstanding offense, allowing seven successful passes down the field with eventually led to a game-ending touchdown. During the period, safety Ricardo Allen was also injured in the process, and his return is unknown at the moment. The Saints also suffered a loss, losing cornerback Patrick Robinson in the third quarter due to him injuring his left ankle.
Relative college students who were fans of the Falcons were interviewed for their opinions on the outcome of the game. One male in particular had a strong opinion on the team’s current status. “I feel like our team needs to get a grip with these injuries man,” a male student said. “We need more built folks. Folks that can actually take a hit or two.”
It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment, seeing as the Falcons have had a bad track record of injuries this season, stemming from starting linebacker Deion Jones and starting strong safety Keanu Neal all the way to defensive ends Takkarist McKinley and Derrick Shelby on Sunday, it seems the Falcons can’t catch a break this season.
Despite the injuries that plagued the Falcons, no one should take away from the Saints offensive possessions in the overtime period. For the remainder of their possessions in the game, the Saints gained approximately 534 yards against the Falcons, including a touchdown on every one of their possessions, one of them by Drew Brees in the final possession of the game. Drew Brees also broke Brett Favre’s record for most career completions, totaling over 6,300.
The Falcons should not this setback get to them, however. Despite the loss, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan set a record for himself. Out of his 35 passes, he completed 74 percent of them, a total of 26, along with 374 yards and five touchdowns, a career high. Another highlight includes Calvin Ridley recording a 75-yard dash to the end zone.
Only time will tell whether the Falcons will get their wings fixed after this tragedy or the Saints come up with another miracle against their longtime rivals.
Braylin Horton is a junior at Morehouse College. He is a CTEMs (Cinema, Television, Emerging Media Studies) major with a minor in Journalism. He strives to become a screenwriter.
