FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — On Wednesday, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan admitted to forcing throws to receivers.
Ryan tossed three interceptions in the Falcons' blowout loss to Carolina last Sunday — on top of four picks the previous week against Arizona.
Upon reflection, Ryan says it's time to "clean up my decision-making a little bit."
Factors include the absence of wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White — who practiced on Wednesday and appears close to returning — and subsequent double-team coverage with tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Nonetheless, a closer look at Atlanta's offensive failures from Sunday reveals why Ryan might have forced so many throws.
The Falcons went three-and-out four times against the Panthers, and a fifth time, they gained 10 yards on first down and then went three-and-out.
It's something the Falcons must rectify if they want to end their two-game skid on Sunday at home, taking on the NFC-best Seahawks (8-1).
On Atlanta's first possession against Carolina, a 3rd-and-6 produced five yards and a punt. On a 3rd-and-1 in the third quarter, the Falcons came up just short again when running back Steven Jackson was stopped for no gain.
On a three-and-out in the second quarter, the Falcons faced 3rd-and-4 and Ryan threw incomplete for Harry Douglas. Prior to that play, an illegal-formation penalty on right tackle Lamar Holmes was actually Douglas' fault.
He didn't establish himself on the line of scrimmage, leaving Holmes uncovered.
On their two three-and-outs in the fourth quarter, the Falcons faced 3rd-and-long. The first chance, Ryan was forced to scramble and gained only three yards. For the second opportunity, the quarterback was sacked.
With Ryan watching his unit come up short in these situations — often committing unforced errors — it's somewhat understandable why he forced some ill-advised throws.
"It's one of those things, you keep going at it," Ryan said of getting out of a rut, just a few weeks removed from the highest-rated game of his career (against Tampa Bay). "There's peaks, there's valleys. Obviously, I haven’t played my best the last couple of weeks. You've got to keep plugging away. You’ve got to keep working at it ...
"(I) know that I'm capable of better and I have to go out there and play a little bit better."
Between Ryan's interceptions and the three-and-outs, the Falcons have not met their per-game expectations for offensive plays called.
Head coach Mike Smith said his goal resides the mid-60s. Against the Panthers, the Falcons ran 48 plays and only possessed the ball for 23-plus minutes.
While the Falcons have averaged 62 plays per game, they also ran only 44 three weeks ago against Tampa Bay, which, paradoxically, came in victory. They possessed the ball for only 22:11 on that day.
Wide receiver Drew Davis said the Falcons have to "start faster."
"We’re putting our defense in a bad position and we're also not getting anything going on offense," he said. "... We have to convert our third downs and continue to push the tempo."
On the season, the Falcons have converted 42 percent of their third downs, eighth-best in the NFL. That was slightly down against Carolina (40 percent) and far down against Tampa Bay (33 percent).
"The biggest thing is converting," Falcons left guard Justin Blalock said. "We’ve had a lot of three-and-outs in that time period, as well, so these are just things that will limit your opportunities to get those numbers up there.
"Obviously, the more plays you have, the bigger opportunity you have to score points, have explosive plays, all these things so we have to do a better job of knowing the situation we're in and giving ourselves a fighting chance."
Atlanta's running game, the lowest-ranked in the NFL, showed some signs of life last week. Jackson carried the ball 13 times for 57 yards and Jacquizz Rodgers had five rushes for 19 yards.
In advance of the clash with Seattle, the league's No. 2 defense, Atlanta might have something to build on with the running game. Surprisingly, the Seahawks could be vulnerable against the run, allowing 116.2 yards per game.
"It’s certainly something to build on," Blalock said. "It's far from what we want. Like you said, something to keep improving upon and hopefully continue to get better and better. It's the only way you're going to be able to be competitive in this league is being balanced."
Converting third downs and not throwing interceptions — it sounds so simple. Whether the Falcons can actually do it remains to be seen.
