ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons can't afford to let Sunday's 33-30 overtime loss to the Chargers linger too long.
They can't change what happened on the fourth-and-1 play, no matter how much the decision to run Devonta Freeman on an outside zone rather than running up the middle or finding Julio Jones gets debated.
The defensive players can't take to heart coach Dan Quinn's decision not to give them a chance to stop the Chargers in overtime. The offensive linemen can't dwell on their numerous false starts and pressures allowed.
And quarterback Matt Ryan can't think about the key interception that looked more like a repeat of last season's Ryan.
What the Falcons need to do is refocus on cleaning up their mistakes so a 4-1 start to the season doesn't turn into a repeat of last year's debacle.
Quinn insisted his team is mentally tougher than last year, when the Falcons started 5-0, finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs thanks, in large part, to a six-game losing streak. This year's team is 4-3 and still atop the NFC South but has lost two in a row after dropping a two-point game at Seattle and now a three-point one to the Chargers.
How do the Falcons avoid falling into a deeper slump? For starters, Ryan and crew have to continue to step on the gas. The league's highest-scoring offense should never be held to just three points in a half, no matter the opponent. That is what happened in the second half and overtime against the Chargers. With Jones on the field -- he had nine catches for 174 yards Sunday, with 107 of those in the first half -- the Falcons always should have an advantage, no matter what type of coverage Jones draws.
They simply lost that offensive edge in the second half against the Chargers.
"I don't think we were conservative by any stretch of the imagination," Ryan said. "I just don't think we executed very well."
Even if the offense becomes stagnant at times moving forward, the defense has to do a better job of holding up its side of the equation. Nobody expects the Falcons to go out there and shut out opponents. However, they can't continue to give up explosive plays, particularly with Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers next on the schedule and quarterbacks such as Jameis Winston, Carson Palmer -- and even rookie Carson Wentz -- in the weeks to come.
"I really don't care who we're playing, honestly, because I know if we do what we're supposed to do, we can play with anybody," said Desmond Trufant, the Pro Bowl cornerback, of the defense. "But obviously, we've got some good competition coming in, so we've got to be on our A game. Regardless of who comes in here, we've got to do our job."
If the Falcons fail to clean up their mistakes, they'll find themselves scratching and clawing for the division title despite the struggles of defending champion Carolina. Tampa Bay's win over San Francisco on Sunday means the Buccaneers are 3-3 and right behind the Falcons, and the Bucs already won the first meeting between the teams in the season opener. If the Falcons falter against the Packers at home next Sunday, and the Buccaneers beat the Raiders at home, then it's a whole new ballgame going into a Thursday night NFC South showdown in Tampa on Nov. 3.
Well before the Falcons' loss to the Chargers, veteran defensive tackle Tyson Jackson said anything can happen on any given Sunday. His words proved to be prophetic in a game the Falcons held a 27-10 advantage and should have won.
"It's tough, man," Jackson said. "We stress all the time about finishing, and we didn't finish. Our ultimate goal, as a team, is to be a finishing team. If we don't start to do that, we're going to continue to have (bad) results."