The Falcons were not going to win this game in most universes, not without fluke or the favor of the gods on their side. The effort they put forward figured to tell you a lot about their progress, even so, and the hope was for a surprisingly great effort.
So here’s the skinny: Their progress is still very much a work in progress, and the effort was game but not close to being enough to win the game. They are clearly not good enough to beat the league’s elite teams, or even come all that close to doing so.