Falcons didn’t have ‘mental stamina’ to close out Jets

The Jets had not been able to put together any sustained offense. Their only touchdowns were on a 2-yard run after a muffed punt by Jamal Agnew and a 52-yard touchdown when cornerback Mike Hughes got tripped up and fell down.

But veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor then led the Jets on a 15-play, 65-yard drive that took 6:53 off the clock. He converted on three third downs and one fourth down. The Falcons couldn’t get off the field and preserve the lead.

Taylor scored on a 10-yard scramble to tie the game.

“We knew it was going to be another game where we had to have more mental stamina,” Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus said. “These guys don’t stop ever balling. We had to keep digging, keep fighting. They got us at the end. That’s why it’s really frustrating.”

The Falcons held Hall to 68 yards rushing on 19 carries.

“At the end of the day, we have to be mentally stronger than them guys, playing (in) the rain,” Dorlus said. “We just have to do better overall.”

The defense couldn’t hold a 25-22 lead with 1:44 left against the Colts on Nov. 9 in Berlin and a 24-19 lead with 2:43 left against the Panthers on Nov. 16.

“We just have to finish,” Dorlus said. “That’s it.”

The Falcons were expecting a fight from the Jets.

“We knew it was going to be a gritty game,” Dorlus said. “Even if we stopped them, they were going to keep going. At the end of the day, you’ve got to have more mental fortitude and mental stamina to keep stopping the run. We did good in the first half, but you need four quarters of that.”

That would be the next step for the Falcons defense.

“We have the talent to be a great team,” Dorlus insisted. “At the end of the day, those little details are killing us right now. We have to do better. I’ve got to do better. I left a lot of plays out there on the field and that’s pretty much it.”

Falcons coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was formerly with the Jets for the past four seasons and ended his tenure as their interim head coach after Robert Saleh was fired last season.

“I don’t think Ulbrich really cared about the history,” Dorlus said. “He did his job. He prepared us for the game. It was a great game plan. We just didn’t execute it for four quarters.”

Linebackers Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo led the Falcons with eight tackles each. The defense finished with two sacks and six quarterback hits.

“Anybody who’s played sports has had a season that didn’t go the way you wanted,” Elliss said. “I believe we have five (games) left. Just have to go play for pride. Rattle off five in row. Crazier things have happened. Just see where you are at. Just have to go man, keep playing.”

The Falcons were ready to play.

“I didn’t feel like there was a lull,” Elliss said. “I felt like the energy was really great. I think … what today came down to was execution. Moments where a guy got beat. Or a guy missed up. Myself included. That’s really what it came down to in my mind. The energy was right. Rah (coach Raheem Morris) had us ready to go.”

The Jets had switched quarterbacks, but were playing better after starting the season 0-7 under first-year coach Aaron Glenn.

“That’s a team that played Baltimore to a really close one last week,” Elliss said. “They know how to fight. They’ve got a good defense. Good special teams. Tyrod came in and gave them a spark in some ways. It was a team that had life. A couple of mistakes (and we) let them hang around. Then they were able to capitalize at the end and we weren’t.”

The Falcons are not mathematically eliminated, but things are looking pretty bleak.

“In some ways yes and in some ways no,” Elliss said about this being a frustrating season. “I love this season. There have been some really awesome parts of it. There’s been growth. Relationships. Some awesome things, too. But then you lose these close ones and it just sucks.”