The Falcons managed to blow a 17-point lead to the 49ers on Sunday, ultimately losing the NFC Championship 28-24 in heartbreaking fashion. Mike Smith won his first playoff game as head coach in Atlanta this season, but he knows his team was extremely close to making it to the biggest stage in football.
Falcons vs. 49ers: Mike Smith says ‘We just came up short’
Mike Smith spoke about the Falcons NFC Championship loss on Monday, acknowledging about how close they were to the Super Bowl. Here’s what he had to say.
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Smith spoke to the media on Monday, saying the Falcons just didn’t do enough to win.
“First thing I want to say is I’m very proud of the way our team played this afternoon. In a nutshell, we just didn’t make enough plays to win the ballgame. We played hard and had our chances for this to be a different outcome. We just came up short.”
Even though the defense had trouble stopping the 49ers down the stretch, there were still plenty of chances to come away with a victory. Matt Ryan threw one interception after Roddy White fell down running a route, and he also mishandled a snap late in the game, giving the ball back to San Francisco.
"When you don't win the turnover ratio in the playoffs, you're not going to win the football game," said Smith. The Falcons forced just one turnover, causing a fumble on Michael Crabtree right at the goal line.
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