Early Bird Report: What we learned from Falcons' loss in Saints rematch

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Proving resilient in the second half, the Falcons made Sunday's rematch against the Saints into a nail-biter. Atlanta ultimately couldn't get into the end zone one more time to complete its comeback, but it can't be said the Falcons went down without a fight.

Now, at 4-8 and with some pretty tough remaining games on the schedule, it doesn't appear likely the playoffs are in story for Atlanta. But, with a big offseason looming on the horizon, coaches and players will do everything they can to put their best feet forward. There are some key areas that need improvement, which Kevin Patra discussed in his takeaways for NFL.com, and how the Falcons perform in those areas could be revealing.

"The Falcons kept the game close despite another good game from the Saints' defense," Patra writes. "ATL struggled to get going early, with two three-and-outs to open the contest. New Orleans then forced a trio of field goals in the first half. The inability of Matt Ryan and Co. to turn FGs into TDs was the difference Sunday. A fourth-quarter touchdown broke a streak of 42 straight drives without allowing a TD by the Saints defense. Ryan did a better job getting the ball out against New Orleans than the previous loss, only being sacked three times -- five fewer than Week 11. Julio Jones (6/94) made some ridiculous catches and Calvin Ridley (5/108) added explosion as the Falcons stayed in the game into the fourth quarter despite going 5-of-13 on third downs. There are no moral victories in the NFC South rivalry, so having a shot late to pull the upset won't bring smiles to Atlanta. The Falcons going 1-of-4 in the red zone was the difference in the contest. The red area has been Atlanta's bugaboo all year, and it was no different against a good Saints D Sunday."

Falcons defense had no answer for Taysom Hill

One key storyline in the Falcons-Saints rematch was how Atlanta would adjust to New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill with two games of tape to study. Hill had his best day as a passer on Sunday, completing 73 percent of his passes for 232 yards and tossed the first two passing touchdowns of his career. Coming off of its best defensive performance of the season, Atlanta took a step back against New Orleans, something Harry Lyles Jr. noted in his postgame piece for ESPN.com.

"Atlanta's defense gave legitimacy to Hill being a candidate to be the Saints full-time starter of the future," Lyles Jr. writes. "That's not a dig on Hill or his talent -- he went out and performed well.

"But from a defense's perspective, the Falcons let a player with an NFL career that had mostly consisted of being a punt gunner and gadget player look like a good quarterback. That's a tough pill to swallow and will force the Falcons to take a closer look in the mirror as we enter the final month of the season."

Falcons offense sees poor results in rematch

While the Saints were able to move the ball during stretches of the game, the Falcons never really found their rhythm on offense. Much like the first meeting between these two teams, third downs and the red zone proved to be problem spots for Atlanta. In the fourth quarter, things began to turn around for Atlanta's offense, putting the team in position to win a game in which they mostly trailed, but time ultimately ran out. In his review of the action, Jason Butt noted the offense's play for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"If not for the Falcons' late surge, which actually put them in position to possibly win the game, the offensive output was almost a carbon copy of the game from two weeks ago," Butt writes. "Just like in the first meeting, the Falcons stalled on three offensive drives and settled for field goals from place-kicker Younghoe Koo, who netted a 53-yarder on one of his attempts. The third quarter resulted in two Falcons' punts."

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints with top photos from Week 13.

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