The Atlanta Falcons had a golden opportunity in this one, with the scuffling Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to town and a chance to truly take control of the NFC South. Injuries tarnished those chances, sure, but Tampa Bay is lousy enough that Atlanta figured to and ultimately did have a thousand chances to win this game.
Of course, they did not win this game. Undone by turnovers and drive-killing mistakes, unraveled late by defensive miscues after three-plus quarters of terrific play from that side of the ball, undercut by a safety, and most unbelievably, derailed by a pair of rare missed Younghoe Koo field goals, the Falcons lost by four on a day where it legitimately felt like they could’ve won by 10 by cutting down on the mistakes that have defined this season.