Teams look to put mental mistakes behind
Thursday night games may not be all that popular among NFL players.
For the Falcons and Panthers, this week’s NFC South matchup can’t get here soon enough.
It’s a good chance for both to wash the taste of monumental mental mistakes out of their mouths and put Sunday’s losses behind them.
The Falcons ( 1- 6) allowed a potential win to slip away when running back Todd Gurley accidentally scored a touchdown with 1: 04 remaining and his team looking to set up for a short, winning field goal. That left the Lions enough time to drive 75 yards and score a touchdown and kick the extra point to win 23- 22.
Carolina’s (3-4) miscue came when Teddy Bridgewater took an 8-yard sack on third-and-11 at the Saints 39 with his team trailing 27-24 with 2 minutes left. Facing a fourth-and-19, coach Matt Rhule sent Joey Slye on the field to try an NFL- record 65yard field goal attempt, which fell a couple feet short. Rhule called the mistake a “fatal blow.”
“Playing on Thursday night makes you get out of the funk that you’re in after a tough loss,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “So, I think getting back into a game plan quickly, talking with coaches, starting to make plans for Thursday night kind of helps.”
Or, as Bridgewater said, it gives his team a chance to “flush” the last game and move on.
“You have to turn the page,” Bridgewater said.
The Panthers beat the Falcons 23-16 less than three weeks ago in Atlanta, with Bridgewater throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Mike Davis piling up 149 yards from scrimmage. The Falcons had a chance to tie the game late, but cornerback Rasul Douglas intercepted Ryan in the end zone. The loss dropped the Falcons to 0-5, and a few hours later the team fired coach Dan Quinn and replaced him with Raheem Morris.
“We’re playing a team that probably feels like they let one get away the last time they played us,” Bridgewater said.