Falcons rally derailed when the Chargers kick overtime field goal
Lambo’s OT field goal gives Falcons second straight loss
ATLANTA — Josh Lambo said kicking his game-winning field goal — his fourth of the game — was no more difficult than an extra point.
The hard work, the kicker said, was handled by Denzel Perryman and San Diego’s defense.
Lambo’s 42-yard field goal in overtime gave San Diego its first road victory of the year as the Chargers rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 33-30 Sunday.
Perryman, the linebacker still obviously affected by a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the Chargers’ Oct. 9 loss to Oakland, delivered two key plays late in the game. His interception of Matt Ryan’s pass for Julio Jones set up Lambo’s tying 33-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining in regulation.
Perryman’s fourth-and-1 stop of running back Devonta Freeman gave San Diego the ball at Atlanta’s 43 for the Chargers’ winning drive.
“Credit the defense,” Lambo said. “Everyone on the team is making my job easy.”
Perryman grabbed Freeman’s legs behind the line for the key tackle on the Falcons’ gamble.
“It was just instincts,” Perryman said. “On fourth-and-1, it was a no-brainer that they were going to run the ball. … I just got Freeman’s leg and hung on.”
Falcons coach Dan Quinn stood by the play call even though Freeman lost 2 yards on a run three plays earlier.
“Just a gut feeling I had,” Quinn said of the fourth-down decision. “Go be aggressive and get that halfyard that we needed, and when we didn’t get it that was (the loss).”
The Chargers (3-4) trailed 27-10 in the second quarter after the Falcons (4-3) scored three straight touchdowns.
“There was no panic,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. “There was nothing. It was just, ‘Hey, you’ve got to believe in what we’re doing.’ It’s just one play at a time.”
The Chargers had lost 10 of 11 road games. The stretch that began with the final road game in 2014 included losses in San Diego’s first three road games this season.
Melvin Gordon ran for 68 yards and two touchdowns and added a 5-yard scoring catch early in the fourth quarter, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 30-27.
Atlanta’s Matt Bryant missed his attempt for a 58-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.
The Falcons have lost two straight.
“It’s frustrating,” offensive tackle Jake Matthews said. “We were up big and let it get away.”
Ryan, who threw a 17-yard touchdown to tight end Jacob Tamme in the second quarter, passed for 273 yards for his NFL-record 46th consecutive game with more than 200 passing yards. Jones finished with nine catches for 174 yards.
Tevin Coleman led Atlanta with 64 rushing yards, including a 30-yard touchdown run, before leaving with a hamstring injury. Quinn said he had no immediate update on the severity of the injury.
The Falcons wore black jerseys in what they called a “modern interpretation” of their 1966 uniforms. They wore their normal black helmets, though they bore the original Falcons logo. Atlanta wore red helmets in 1966.
Before the game, five San Diego players raised their clenched right fists as their protest during the national anthem. Standing together on the San Diego sideline, offensive linemen D.J. Fluker, Chris Hairston and Joe Barksdale and linebacker Joshua Perry held up their fists as they stood. Offensive tackle Tyreek Burwell, inactive and not in uniform, also raised his fist as part of the protest.
There were no demonstrations from Falcons players.