Just when you thought the Falcons couldn’t find another unique way to lose a football game, Atlanta gave the NFL community more material for roasting.
It looked like Sunday’s Chargers-Falcons game was bound for overtime when Austin Ekeler fumbled right as Los Angeles reached the red zone with less than a minute to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham scooped up the football and raced it back 19 yards before he somehow, someway lost control of the pigskin himself. Los Angeles offensive lineman Matt Feiler ultimately regained possession for the Chargers at the Falcons’ 43-yard line, giving the visitors a new lease on life.
Justin Herbert and company didn’t waste their second chance, as they ran three plays before new kicker Cameron Dicker stepped up and drilled a game-winning 37-yard kick.
The timing of this late-game disaster was too on-brand for the Falcons, who entered Week 9 atop the NFC South standings. Following its wasted opportunity against the Bolts, Atlanta will lose control of the division if the 3-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
But fortunately for Arthur Smith’s team, it won’t have to wait long to put its latest wreck in the rearview mirror. The Falcons and the 2-7 Carolina Panthers will kick off Week 10 on Thursday night when the rivals collide in Charlotte.
