BERLIN — The Atlanta Falcons dropped their fourth game in a row, losing 31-25 in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. Every game is its own entity. As Raheem Morris said postgame, it takes something different to win every week.
A consistent theme in these last four losses, however, has been the offense's third-down conversion rate.
This is a look at Atlanta's third-down performance by distance remaining through the team's four-game losing streak.
Overall third-down conversion rate: 8-of-40 (20%)
Third and < 5 yards: 17 chances, 7 converted
Third and 6-10 yards: 18 chances, 0 converted
Third and 11-plus yards: 5 chances, 1 converted
The team went 0-of-8 on third down against the Colts, contributing to the offense not putting points on the board when the defense gave them the ball back — be it through a turnover on downs or an outright turnover.
"We have to execute when we need it the most," Michael Penix Jr. said, and that very much includes on third down.
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Indianapolis Colts at Olympiastadion in Berlin during Week 10, presented by Grady.
The Falcons' inability to convert a third down with 6-10 yards remaining during this stretch may be an indicator that the pass game, particularly the quick passing game, is struggling to produce.
On third down from this distance, it is a situation that often sees opposing defensive coordinators turn up the heat with their pressure. Whether it be protection not withstanding the rush, Penix not finding his open guy in time or receivers just not getting open/catching the ball when it hits them in the hands, it's all happening over the course of nearly 20 instances through four weeks where they needed to convert a third and medium-to-long.
"It's something that we have to figure out," Penix said. "… We gotta be better, and it starts with me."
Penix was downtrodden in his postgame press conference following the overtime loss to the Colts. As downtrodden as Falcons fans may have ever seen him.
He was frustrated with his own play. But these third-down numbers do not happen in a Penix-sized vacuum. It's a unit stat.
"You've got to get better," Morris said. "That was something that was a strength for us but has become a weakness the last two weeks. You have to find ways to convert those third downs. You have to get them shorter. You have to get them more manageable. When we do get in those third downs we have to get them. We can't have drops. We can't have any situational problems. Whatever the case may be, we have to figure out how to get those things done."
Third-and-long (beyond 7 yards) did bite the Falcons Sunday. The offense was in a third-and-long situation on six of their eight third-down opportunities. Again, those are all fairly obvious passing downs that — for some reason or another, heck, probably multiple reasons — are not connecting.
And in a league that comes down to inches and overtimes, stringing plays together matters. Third-down conversions matter.
One could absolutely argue they did matter against the Colts, Patriots, Dolphins and 49ers. All losses for the Falcons that could have — maybe should have — been different.
The Falcons have the potential to be a good offense. But far too often, they are getting beaten on third down. It's a stat line that you don't necessarily need to succeed in to win a game. But when losses mount, it's a stat one can often point to as a reason.
In this particular four-game losing streak, third downs loom large.
