A blown lead here, a blown lead there

The Falcons like to talk about their “Brotherhood.” The “Brotherhood” needs group therapy.

No team, let alone a very good team, should blow a 17-0 lead to one of the NFL’s worst teams (Miami).

Super Bowl hangover: Meet Game 5 hangover.

“Doghood” is in a significantly better place than “Brotherhood.” Georgia is unbeaten. Also “Buzzhood.” Georgia Tech blew a late-game lead at Miami for the second time this season and has lost two games by a total of two points. Sounds like prime time for Overreaction Monday.

Falcons (3-2)

What happened: They came off the bye week and lost to Miami 20-17 after leading 17-0 in the second quarter, a collapse that drew obvious comparisons to the Super Bowl.

What’s next: I believe they call this irony. The Falcons go to New England for a Sunday night game against the team they lost the title game to after leading 28-3.

Overreaction narrative: “They’re a bunch of choking dogs who don’t know how to put away an opponent.”

Reality check: “Chokers!” “No killer instinct!” The Falcons will be/should be subjected to all verbal bombs thrown at them right now. They did this to themselves. There’s zero excuse for what happened Sunday. The Falcons should have been motivated because they were coming off a bad loss to Buffalo, they had an extra week of rest, they played a weak opponent and they were at home. Are they still a little banged-up? Yes. So what? They should be twice the team the Dolphins are. But it turns out they’re not nearly as strong mentally as they like to think.

The defense also had late-game collapses in the wins over Chicago and Detroit. There have been staff changes but remember, defense is coach Dan Quinn’s area of expertise. The Dolphins entered the week’s as the NFL’s worst team in both total offense and scoring but they rang up 20 points in the second half. Safety Ricardo Allen said players were “flat.” How does that happen? He also told WSB’s Zach Klein that coaches prepared them for everything Miami showed but players weren’t “disciplined.” Sounds a lot like he might be calling out some guys.

The offensive issues are more on two guys: offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Matt Ryan. Sarkisian is clearly struggling when it comes to in-game adjustments and he’s also still getting to know his personnel. Some of that was to be expected, but not to the point of being shut out in the second half, even if against a pretty good Miami defense. Ryan also has made some poor decisions. He has six interceptions in the past three games. He had seven all of last year. Some of that is on Sarkisian. Some of it is on him.

Georgia (7-0 overall, 4-0 in SEC)

What happened: The Bulldogs slammed Missouri as expected 53-28 and moved up to No. 3 in the rankings behind Alabama and Penn State (Clemson was upset at Syracuse).

What’s next: Georgia is off this week, then moves into the season-defining part of its schedule: the Florida game in Jacksonville on Oct. 28, home against South Carolina, then at Auburn.

Overreaction narrative: “They can’t lose. They’ll never lose. Oh, wait, it’s Florida.”

Reality check: We’ll spend all of next week dissecting Georgia-Florida but I’ll touch on this subject now: Much like the Falcons have a “head” issue right now, so may Georgia, until it proves otherwise in Jacksonville.

The Dogs are a superior team to the Gators, who’ve lost consecutive games to LSU and Texas A&M and were fortunate to pull out wins over Tennessee and Kentucky. But Georgia has an ugly his- tory against its top SEC rival. The game will be another test for freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, who threw for a season-high 326 yards against Missouri. It’s logical to assume he won’t be that active against Florida, as the Dogs’ offense likely will be run-heavy. But Fromm will have to make some plays and can’t turn the ball over, a problem for past Georgia teams in Jacksonville.

Georgia Tech (3-2 overall, 2-1 in ACC)

What happened: They blew leads of 14-3 and 24-13 and lost to Miami 25-24 on a field goal in the final seconds (after a twice-deflected pass was completed).

What’s next: The Jackets play a home game against Wake Forest next week.

Overreaction narrative: “Ted Roof ’s defense can’t hold a lead.”

Reality check: I put the loss to Tennessee in the season opener more on Roof and the defense than this game. The Jackets had 655 yards in offense against the Volunteers and yet the defense faded in the game as if it had been on the field all night. This loss was more the result of: 1) Johnson’s offense going scoreless in its last four possessions and netting only 28 yards on those possessions, giving little rest to the defense). A leg injury to B-back KirVonte Benson contributed to the problems;

2) a crazy fourth-and-10 pass by Miami that was deflected and bounced off a receiver’s helmet before a catch that would set up the winning field goal; 3) a potential first-down catch that was dropped by a Tech receiver in the final minutes that might’ve clinched the game, forcing a punt; 4) Johnson’s second-quarter decision to bypass a 44-yard field goal try (on the advice of his kicking coach) and instead go for it on fourthand-six (a 4-yard pass turned the ball over on downs). So Tech is 3-2 and could be/should be 5-0. The Jackets aren’t dead in the ACC Coastal but they would need Miami to lose at least twice and they likely would need upsets over Clemson and Virginia Tech. So, yeah: Good luck with that.