Falcons vs. Giants: Why Mike Smith, Atlanta Should Be Mortified After Big Loss

Things are a little better for the Atlanta Falcons today than they were 51 weeks ago.

Back then, the Falcons played host to the Green Bay Packers in a game Atlanta had a decent chance to win, but the Packers steamrolled the Falcons 48-21 en route to a Super Bowl championship season.

This time around, at least, the Falcons were on the road. They didn’t force a full house at the Georgia Dome to watch as the Giants won 24-2.

Two points? Are you serious? Atlanta coach Mike Smith and his troops should be mortified at their terrible showing.

Losing to the Giants on the road is one thing. That’s understandable. Being non-competitive takes it to a different level, and it’s not a level the Falcons want to be at.

It’s a streak of three consecutive playoff losses under Smith and his quarterback, Matt Ryan, and you have to wonder if the Falcons are one of those rare teams that is built for a regular season grind but can bring nothing to the table in the playoffs.

Twice, the Falcons decided to go for it on fourth-and-one. Twice the Falcons came up short as Ryan couldn’t sneak the ball for a yard and Michael Turner, the top Atlanta ball-carrying threat, was stopped on third-and-inches.

Is it time to remake the Atlanta offense? After picking up just 64 yards on the ground (Turner had just 41 yards on 15 carries), and having to put the ball in the air 41 times without any positive results—you'd have to think so.

The thing is, the Falcons didn’t kill themselves with penalties (three) or turnovers (none).

But the fact remains that the Falcons' last playoff win came in 2005 against the Rams. The quarterback that day was Michael Vick.

On Sunday, Atlanta just got crushed. It may be time to start over.