Falcons struggle on third down against Colts and slip to fourth straight loss

BERLIN (AP) — Big drops, third down deficiencies and four straight losses.

The Atlanta Falcons have plenty to think about on their plane ride home from Berlin, Germany, after a 31-25 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The Falcons went 0 for 8 on third down.

“You’ve got to find a way to convert those third downs. You’ve got to get them shorter, get them more manageable,” coach Raheem Morris said. “We can’t have any drops, can’t have any situation, protection problems, whatever the case may be. We’ve got to figure out how to get those things done.”

Michael Penix Jr. completed 12 of 28 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown pass to Drake London, who had six receptions for 104 yards.

“We just didn’t execute when we needed to. Our defense got a lot of big-time stops for us, and we didn’t put points on the board. That’s it,” Penix said.

“It’s something we’ve got to figure out,” he added of the third down woes. “We’ll figure out, watch film, figure it out. But, yeah, we’ve got to be better. And it starts with me.”

On their first drive, Kyle Pitts dropped a pass that would have been a big gain. Two plays later, Penix lost a fumble after being hit Camryn Bynum. That set up Jonathan Taylor’s first touchdown run and a 6-0 Colts lead.

Pitts finished with two receptions for 38 yards.

In the third quarter, Pitts beat cornerback Jaylon Jones but Penix’s pass to the end zone was short and struck Jones’ helmet for a missed opportunity.

Morris was asked about Penix’s accuracy and said “obviously gotta look at that.”

“They came out particularly on third down and hit us with some zero pressure, some fake zeros, couple different things,” Morris said. “We got some protection issues, made us run around a little bit. We had a couple of drops. Our guys came out, fought well, played hard. Michael always plays well, fights hard, along with all those guys. We’ve got to find a way to get better.”

The Falcons missed a chance to build on their 17-13 lead in the third quarter. Edge rusher James Pierce Jr. strip-sacked Daniel Jones and the Falcons recovered the ball on their 44 but went three-and-out.

What’s next?

The Falcons host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.

“We’ll be detailed. We’ll be sharp. We’ll practice. The guys do the right thing like they always do. They’ll respond. We’ll find a way to win this game next week,” Morris said.

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