 What's up everybody and welcome to the week 8 edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast I'm Scott Bayer alongside Tori McElhaney and Ashton Edmonds following a weird wild crazy pick your colorful adjective and insert it before You get to a 37 to 34 overtime victory for the Falcons. That was a strange one Nonetheless the Falcons emerge from this game at four and four They are now sitting alone one game ahead atop the NFC south as we hit the pivot point in the 2022 season there is so much to unpack I'm betting that if you're listening to this podcast you probably watch the game and I bet that you would agree What the heck bruv as I'm reading directly from Tori McElhaney's notes. What the heck bruv? I'm just gonna I normally say what are your takeaways Tori? What the heck bruv? I know what the heck bruv I? Truly this was wild wacky chaotic, you know all of the adjectives. It was At times it was hard to watch at other times. It was exciting to watch It was it was what it was it wasn't pretty it wasn't great It was what it was and I think that's perfectly fine I mean in turn at the end of the day they did get the win But I will say something that I kind of took from this game was There's a lot to clean up and there's a lot like to me this game didn't have to go all the way to The end the way it did I thought the Falcons had ample amounts of opportunities to win this game in regulation However, that didn't happen. So what do you do you try and win in overtime? And I really the best quote of the night for me was I was talking to Jake Matthews in the locker room and I Kind of said, you know, it wasn't a pretty game, but you still won How do you kind of weigh that in your head and he said look this is what Arthur Smith talks about it Doesn't matter what it looks like the goal is to win no matter what it takes However, we got a score whether it's defense offense special teams We all got to work together to find ways to win sometimes It's not always the prettiest but this was a great team win and I think that can be true all of these things I think can be true and that was something that I wrote about post game It's like all these things can be true the Falcons can and should play better But they still won and there should be happy feelings about winning. I really think that win probability charts It's a it's a dumb thing to track I think it's doesn't tell you a whole lot about a game the final score does But go take a look at the win probability graphic for Falcons Panthers There was a point there was a point where the Falcons had a 99.2% chance of winning the game and then there was another point where the Panthers had a 95% chance of winning the game and then you see that graph drop straight off a cliff down the other way and the Falcons emerge Ashton Arthur Smith actually said you all probably had to delete some stories, right? Yeah, no doubt Yeah, you and I talked about a sidebar idea on the quote-unquote game-winning drive for sure, which which ended with Marcus Mariota to Demir bird. Yeah, that was not the game-winning drive It was a matter of fact quite a few things happened after you literally told me to just scrap it like just just Start over so from the point that you had to scrap that story What did you make of everything else that happened? Man, it was it was truly a roller coaster of a win I would say, but I think the Falcons never gave up. They stayed resilient The Panthers definitely had a couple chances to win this game I don't think we've ever seen Anything like this at all, you know a kicker missing two back-to-back game-winning field goals I just you know, we were all on the edge of our seats. We were all thinking like okay What's going on? You know the Falcons probably were like, you know the game was probably over But I think in that second drive and over Tom, you know mark I feel like Marcus knew that he had to make a play in you know when he exploded for 30 yards up the left side To put the Falcons in field goal range. I think that showed Just his maturity and I showed his growth and that showed his confidence in himself and you know I think that's why the Falcons came out with the win I was talking to Rashawn Evans after the game. Well, not just me. There was a group of people there We don't have to say to me or anything like that. There was a group of people there and Somebody asked him were you able to watch that that that over time field goal attempt by by Eddie Pinheiro of the Panthers that was ultimately no good And he said that he acted like he wasn't watching and he turned around his face away from the field But he found a screen inside of the luxury suites at the field level And watched it so he was acting like he he wasn't watching but he couldn't help himself He found a screen and watched it and he said that he that it was just one of those Elation moments that they will have another chance and we've talked a lot about this team and Jake Matthews Reference did as well talk a lot about this team being fighters guys who don't quit and there are there are a lot of Opportunities for them to have been like well, that's it. We finally blew it our win probabilities that Is it went probabilities at 95% that's over, but they still kept going they made mistakes. It was Definitely not pretty exactly what Tori said, but they found a way to win here and they that's how they're gonna have to do it Sometimes it's not always gonna be pretty They don't have a pristine roster full of playmakers and depth and all these other things that luxuries that some other teams have So when it comes down to the end and you make a mistake you got to keep pushing and that's what they did here It's funny because Arthur Smith said after the game his direct quote It was it broke our way and sometimes you need that to happen. Yeah, I mean, that's so true I mean when you take we use you can take this game for what it was and no one's Excusing that the offense should have started off faster and started off hotter No one's excuse excusing the mini third and long explosives that this defense gave up No one is so many so many. No one is excusing that Carolina gave the Falcons every chance every opportunity to go and win this game And yeah, they did win but it came down to a break It came down to a breakthrough and at the end of the day like you take all of that for what it is And you move forward because you have to and I think when I look at this game Yes, there's so much to fix and I know some people were like tour You're being super hard on this team for like they came out and they played well and their fighters and their resilience Like yes, they are we know this about them. We also know that they are now competitive And I feel like this team is a team that when it comes down to it is going to get people talking in Many different ways and I'm and it's because of that that I feel like there is potential here I feel like there is potential in what Arthur Smith and this coaching staff is doing with this team in 2022 that is pieced together with guys on one-year contracts that are teeny tiny contracts in the grand scheme of contracts in the NFL plus a lot of rookies and a lot of guys on their rookie contract and on their rookie deal Because of all that I feel like yeah, sometimes you need a break and this was their break. Yeah, it absolutely was and Everything went back and forth. We've talked about how the Panthers kicker missed two Two field goal or two in an extra point that would have won it and then a field goal that would have won it in overtime Arthur Smith didn't even wait until fourth down to call on young Waco. Yeah, he did it and from 41 out Game on the line with as weird as that game was another miss would have just fallen Oh lord into the you know, absolutely Play-by-play But he it was a no doubter young way stuck it And Ashton you wrote about young way after this game what it is kind of coaches and teammates have to say about a guy Who's this is his fourth game winner? Yes. Yep, his fourth game where he just stuck it the guys got nervous of steel Yeah, for sure I mean every I would say every coach every player in the locker room have faith in young way to make that field goal for sure What was going through his head and I'm quoting young way He said I caught myself saying to myself you never know at the end of the day You got to be ready. There's no excuse to be like. Oh, I thought it was over. So I wasn't prepared. Nobody cares You just got to stay ready. It's not over into the whistles are blown So just stay ready locked in and be ready to go And I think we all know that young way is is a very calm and cool He has that calm and cool demeanor and we saw that displayed on the field You know in those last and that last two minutes stretching over time and you know He just wasn't fazed and he made the game when a field goal And I even have faith in young way that he was gonna make it I mean, he was efficient the whole game through all four quarters. He made three Three three went three for three on field goals and four for four extra kicks today. So You know, I think young way came a big when it mattered most Here's the thing about young way and I I love young way story and people who have followed the Falcons for years now No young way story. It's written on the back of their hand probably and he's become a fan favorite for what he's been able to Do and I think part of that is because of his story But you talk about feeling confident in what young way coup is able to do and that was something that Came up a multitude of times in post game press conferences and in open locker room It's like when you're in a game where the opposing kicker Misses not one but two kicks that would have sealed the win that would have given that team the win The value of young way coup I feel like should not be overlooked because of that in a game where you saw What happens when you don't have a kicker that can go out and win you the game now I'm not saying that it's just the kicker and all that kind of stuff, but We've seen because of the way the NFL is right now. We're seeing games being won on kicks left and right We're seeing games being won by one possession in the final minutes of the game This one just happened to go to overtime. So because of that, I feel like with young way coup You cannot overlook how important he is to this overall Operation I think he was even art. It was Marcus Mario to said after the game something along the lines of like I think young way coup is good for our team obviously, but he's also good for the sport that was like a Fantastic quote from Marcus. I think he said like also good for the league or something like that He said I can't explain how valuable he is not only to this team, but to really to football, right? Yeah Yeah, I loved that quote from Marcus and I think it does kind of showcase. I don't know. Yeah How important young way who is in multiple facets of not just the Falcons game But I think what Marcus was saying the league at large and okay So this game ended in a celebration young way coup throwing his helmet into the air heads up and And and being hoisted on his teammate's shoulders and a win is a win is a win, right? But this is the Falcons final whistle and we look at things in three dimensions Yeah, and it wouldn't be prudent of us to ignore some things that we've brought up a couple times some glaring Issues that need to be fixed. Is it better to make a fix with a win instead of a loss? Every player will tell you that it's always easier on a Monday after you win 100% But this was a flawed game. Yeah It still counts as a W But this is a flawed game and if the goal is to stay atop the NFC south You better get right in certain areas to worry. What were your biggest issues? Not issues with how they play but what were some things that you think need to get cleaned up Yeah, first off is I feel like the Falcons have to start better offensively. Yeah, like they just have to I can't I don't I'm not looking at the the play breakdown right now right in front of me But I feel like there were just way too many Not even three and ounce, but you're getting like really quick drives where you are having to give the ball back to Carolina without any type of points at all That first off like that because I did feel like we got well into the second They had 33 yards in the first quarter. Thank you case in point I feel like the first drive that I actually felt like was one that I was kind of Pleased even pleased with I think was well into the second Quarter, yeah, there's a 10-play 74-yard touchdown. Yeah, they looked really good. That was the one that was the one Drive of I think the first half that I was like, okay, there they are there There's the there they go, but for me. I just think this offense for it to be at its best They have to start quicker. They just do and and I I asked her we asked Marcus Marriota About that post game too and he said he took the blame in that first half He said I've got to be better that slow start. I wasn't executing. I've got to be better I've got to be cleaner and I appreciate that by Marcus But I do think it's the overall scope of the offense as a whole too The overall scope of the offense has to be better as a unit in the first and second quarter I feel like that's been kind of a Not an issue well kind of an issue over the last few games too I feel like we can point to other moments in the first and second quarter where this team was not executing at the clip It needed to now that's the offense. I have to give some two cents on the defense This defense was giving up way too many explosive plays on third and long and second and long even sometimes third and medium and That to me is not who this defense is we saw last week how against the Bengals The explosive plays that this defense gave up That's felt like it kind of carried over into this game and that's not something that this defense is known for That's not something this defense. I feel like has been It's not something that this defense. I think Has been known for over the course of the last two years under Dean Pease And I feel like Dean Pease has even said that as well So that needs to be cleaned up making sure that they are getting off the field on third and long Situations and then of course like finally just taking Advantage of opportunities that opposing teams give them I think that was something we saw in the Bengals game when the Falcons get the ball coming out of halftime And they go three and out they have a defensive stop and then they go three and out again And it's like that sandwiched together was the one moment that they had to really make something happen in that game And it didn't happen. I feel like there were moments in this game where the Falcons should have could have would have one in regulation had they Executed in those moments where Carolina is not performing at the clip that they need to so I just went on a very long Rant, but we're here for it. Everybody was taking notes, right? Yeah, I hope so if not, there's a quiz at the end of this You're out of luck if you want. Yeah, I You don't want to make injuries an excuse for anything and the coaches don't but you also have to look at a plain reality The ideal secondary for the Falcons is AJ Turrell Casey Hayward, Isaiah Oliver Jalen Hawkins and Richie Grant Against Carolina and I made a bunch of fun of PJ Walker not fun of him But I pointed out the discrepancy between his performance and Joe Burroughs. Yeah, nonetheless This secondary was Isaiah Oliver Richie Grant Dean Marlowe Cornell Armstrong and Darren Hall No disrespect to anyone that I just mentioned, but there is a There is a significant difference between the ideal version of the secondary and what was available to the Falcons today They overcame Arthur Smith made up made a real point to say to praise Cornell Armstrong The fact he never quit he kept rolling out there and he kept trying to do his best and he did make some place But I think that that played a factor here and Rashawn Evans said after the game He said if we can heal up a little bit I think that we can take our play to the to the next level Casey Hayward's on injured reserve. Yeah, there's no telling when he's going to be back But I think if they can heal up, that's another one of those moments where I think this defense can get better I think the injuries hurt them this time and if we're gonna talk about young way coup one of those kind of trusted Automatic guys. Yeah, he misses a field goal every now and then AJ trell is in the same category He's he's a guy that you trust deep ball to AJ side one-on-one. He's He's probably gonna knock it down, right? Maybe he doesn't every time But that's kind of what you feel and I think that having a player like that one of their top three players I think it hurt them in this game And I think that Falcons fans and the Falcons are obviously wishing him a speedy recovery, right? And it was interesting because Scott and I at one point turned to each other and I'm pretty sure it was when PJ Walker found DJ Moore it was in I think the beginning of the second quarter It was a 20-yard pickup down the sideline Cornell Armstrong was in coverage and it the he turned around and the ball went Through it felt like he was just like a centimeter Cornell was so close to making a meter away from an interception And instead it's a 20-yard pickup for Walker and more Scott turned and he was like it really feels like AJ if AJ is there Yeah, if it's AJ in that situation It's a different outcome and I think that is fair to say AJ has a few inches on Cornell Armstrong I also wonder how Carolina's Offensive play calling would have differed had a JTRL been out on the field like now. We're getting into like We're getting into the weeds of this, but I do wonder because I guarantee you I haven't looked at this I want to look at this tomorrow. I want to know how many times Cornell Armstrong was targeted Over the course of this game four quarters plus overtime. I want to know because it really felt like Live that it was happening Constantly and when you have a team that is constantly going after a guy like that I mean, it's it's almost a respect thing and we saw what like we saw last year There were quarterbacks and offensive coordinators actively choosing not to throw AJ Terrell's way that is that's just truth So because of all that it does make you wonder and I'm not in this again. This is not us saying You know anything is a second team all pro, right? Yeah, it's just it's just us Having conversations, right? Yeah, nonetheless, you know, when you look at Marcus Mariota, right? He's the NFC offensive player of the week one week the next week My mailbox full of people screaming for a Desmond the Ritter ruckus as I like to call it, right? And it goes back and forth and it probably will continue to because both Camps have very passionate followers, but as soon you look at Marcus Mariota's day Okay, 20 for 28 253 yards three touchdowns a pick 43 yards rushing including that huge 30 yarder, right? What did you take from Marcus Mariota's performance and his post-game press conference? Yeah, I think Marcus never gave up throughout the whole game I know he threw an interception early in the first quarter, but he bounced back He threw a touchdown to cow pits early in the second quarter Like I just think Marcus Marcus's mindset he he definitely has a resilient and never give up mentality And we've seen that through all four quarters. Yes He threw a crucial interception and overtime that the Panthers, you know, they could have won a game from that But you know the very next drive when the Falcons got the ball He did explode for 30 yards to the Panthers 24 yard line that set up coups field goals So I think Marcus, you know, it's like he doesn't dwell on his mistakes I would say and that maturity You know that comes from just experience of being in a league and I think, you know Marcus is starting to feel confident. I think you said that in this presser He's starting to feel like him like himself and he's starting to feel way more confident And I think that's gonna be very very crucial moving forward into the season Here's the thing and I want people to hear me when I say this I'm getting very heated in this in this podcast. I apologize, but I want people to hear this We were talking to Jake Matthews after the game. Jake Matthews was on fire. He had so many great things He was really appreciated it but He was asked about Marcus and what he said about Marcus I think is the reason why people calling for Desmond Ritter Maybe need to take a backseat for a little bit just a little bit He said Marcus has the personality that that where you really want to do well for him Just because of how well he takes care of us his attitude the way he comes to work every day I couldn't be happier that he's our quarterback. This is your veteran offensive that your veteran offensive line Captain captain this this is the guy who if you want to go to and get the real scoop on what the heck is going on with This offense, whatever you want to say, that's the guy you go to Jake Matthews has been in this league He he's played for a lot of different Falcons teams that have been at the top and been at the bottom For Jake Matthews to say that for Jake Matthews to be like this locker room has Marcus is back because of x y and z I Feel like everyone needs to take a heat check on that in that alone Yeah, like we talk about you know, oh when are we gonna see Desmond Ritter blah blah blah like I Feel like the Ritter Ruckus is always super loud in moments like this and I understand it I really do but you have to look at what this locker room Believes in mark they believe in Marcus this to me is really important And it's something that I feel like we haven't gotten a lot of clarity on until you have your captain Veteran offensive linemen saying I couldn't be happier that Marcus Mariota is our quarterback right now Yeah, and you have to listen to that and you have to listen to the locker room and listen to the fact that in good moments and bad Arthur Smith has stuck with Marcus Mariota, yeah, and Another thing is that they're in first place in the NFC South you're gonna make a quarterback change when you're Even though you're only four and four that you're on top of the division You want to shake things up now or do you want to try to find the consistency that has been elusive to this point in? Consistency with some gumption leads you to four and four That's what it does and ultimately as we push forward here. I wrote a whole column about this go ahead and read it Why don't you about the fact what it kind of means to be on top of the NFC South and week nine PS There are no gold stars being handed out and Kind of how they can stay there and talking to a bunch of different guys. It was all about okay great We're here now. How do we stay here? How's it possible because I'm sorry Tom Brady ain't gonna take three and five lying down He's just not and the and the Dennis Allen Whooped his former team the Raiders by a heavy margin this division while it's kind of become a bit of a punchline Because everybody was under 500 and it's an easy Kind of joke that you can make on Twitter. It's not gonna stay like that forever So how do you stay there? How do you find consistency? How do you? Borrow from Arthur Smith here continue to be objective and not just hey we won But man, we're lucky we won and we if we don't fix this stuff. We're not gonna keep winning Every time I bring up strength of schedule, Tori rolls her eyes at me And that's a true story and so I even said it in the column There's no such thing as an easy schedule because it's all about who you play when you play Playing the Bengals in week seven. That was a rough go nonetheless What I'm trying to get out of here is that they need to find some Consistency and there are opportunities to stack Wins as a majority. I'm not saying going on on a crazy winning streak Okay So you have one game of separation as Darren Hall put it you got to keep pushing you got to keep working and fixing or Being in first place in week nine Could lead you to third place in week 18. Yeah I mean who gives a crap if you're in first place right now Especially considering is better mean a fourth at 100% yeah, absolutely, but I think from overall like mentality You want to be in this position? Yes, but like I Completely agree with kind of what they're saying It's like you want to be in this position. It's all great and that's all all wonderful and sunshine rainbows, whatever But you have to you have to continue producing and you have to find consistency I think that's the difference between this Atlanta Falcons team as they move forward is finding consistency And I do believe that yes while you can go into Monday and look back on this game and be like, okay We have to fix x y and z because we're not gonna be able to get get away with x y and z against x y and z You know, there are so many variables that we're talking about However, I think that that's so important for the Falcons to font to be able to find Consistency and really be hard on themselves really be objective because I like going back to what I was saying I do think that there is potential there because of the way the NFC South is playing right now Not just right now, but the way that these teams are constructed I think the Falcons have a good chance and a good opportunity and like what Arthur Smith said during the week The best way to be a playoff team is to win your division. So Go win your division and I think like even with all even saying all of that Like I know Scott you're absolutely right that the NFC South is kind of the punchline right now where everybody's talking about like They're not very good like look at what look at what what is happening in the NFC South But at the end of the day Falcons win the division or if anybody wins the division There you go. It's a home playoff. It's a bird like so for all I say all of that to say this the Falcons have a lot of work to do and I completely agree that there's no There's no being content in where they are right now because we are one play away from Them losing this game and the narrative around where the Falcons are right now is very very different So I'm completely flipped completely flipped the feelings around this team if they were to have lost that game. I Don't even want to think about it. It would have made our jobs a lot harder. I can tell you that for sure But I they won so they won you have good opportunities coming up against some of the teams that you are playing Both home and away over the course of the next month of the season Go out get you some wins because if you can win keep winning you can keep putting good play together Who who's to say that when we get to December that this isn't a much much bigger conversation? Yeah, and they're gonna be in the thick of it, and I think that's gonna be fun moving forward But you all can move forward with your day at this point because we're wrapping up here on Falcons final whistle You know the drill rate review, please subscribe to the Falcons podcast network. That would be super awesome You can get other quality programming like the Falcons audible with Derek DJ and Dave Or you can get Falcons in focus where we dive deep into the personalities of the 53 man roster enough for that funny voice But I did want to leave you with a quote from Darren Hall that I think Was just pure poetry and only last one line after that 37 to 34 Over time when his reaction to it. He says and I quote after what just happened. We must be living right Like that