Atlanta players failed to foil a Cowboys onside kick because they didn’t know they could pick up the ball. It was a baffling collective failure
No one can say that the Atlanta Falcons haven’t established an identity for themselves, it’s just not an identity that they want. As far as all-time disasters go, Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t quite on par with capitulating to the New England Patriots after leading 28-3 in the Super Bowl, but it felt even more avoidable. Their most recent late-game loss came down to the Falcons’ special teamers simply forgetting (or not knowing in the first place) the rules of the NFL.
It all went down to two kicks. After scoring a touchdown to get within two points of the Falcons with 1:49 left on the clock, Dallas made the obvious move of going for an onside kick. What happened next was baffling. While the rules state that the Cowboys couldn’t recover their own onside kick until it went at least 10 yards, the Falcons’ receivers could have recovered the ball at any point. Yet, the Falcons stared at the ball as it trundled 10 yards and Dallas’s CJ Goodwin grabbed it.
Let’s now watch the video of the onside kick so we can all appreciate just how insanely bad this was by the Falcons. Cowboys recovered and won on a 46-yard field goal #Falcons #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/CMQ1VE8KaZ
Related: Things aren’t going well for Odell Beckham Jr in Cleveland
Nah the Eagles didn’t just play the boo track for Wentz pic.twitter.com/FRIyOO6lPM
Brutal
S. Barkley, ACL
N. Bosa, ACL
S. Thomas, ACL
M. Hooker, heel
R. Mostert, knee
P. Campbell, knee
B. Linder, knee
J. Garoppolo, ankle
B. Perriman, ankle
C. McCaffrey, ankle
D. Lock, shoulder
A. Barr, shoulder
S. Shepard, toe
C. Akers, rib
D. Adams, hamstring
B. Jones, groin
