5 things learned in Falcons’ 25-0 loss to Patriots

Published by
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — Falcons coach Arthur Smith should get the coach-of-the-year award for disguising his team’s weak offensive line for half of a season. Smith, a first-year head coach, called quick passes, moved around Cordarrelle Patterson like a Rook in a Chess match, generally kept quarterback Matt Ryan alive and covered up the fact that Falcons can’t run the football effectively. Without Patterson, combined with the Patriots sitting on the short routes and stifling rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, Ryan and the Falcons were stymied 25-0 on Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ryan was sacked four ti…