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New Orleans — First, a spot of perspective. The Falcons are 8-1 and positioned to win their division. Just because they lost an excruciating game to the hated Saints doesn’t override all the good work that came before. That said …

The good work that came before didn’t include much in the way of short-yardage excellence. And when a team that couldn’t convert on fourth-and-1 on three infamous occasions last season loses its first game of another year due to the same failures, a flag gets hoisted. No, not a white one of surrender, but surely a bright red banner of warning.

“I don’t know what situation you’d rather be in,” said Michael Turner, the feature back who managed 15 yards on 13 rushes Sunday. “You’ve got one yard for the lead.”

“You’ve got to punch the ball in,” said Jacquizz Rodgers, the change-of-pace back whose 18-yard burst had pulled the Falcons within sight of that final yard.

“Of course you (think you’re going to get that yard),” said Harry Douglas, the receiver who barely missed scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a slant on first-and-goal from the 10. “That has to be your approach.”

That the Falcons’ first play from the 1 was a Matt Ryan pass for Tony Gonzalez tells us they weren’t convinced they could push the Saints backward even three feet. (Malcolm Jenkins knocked the ball down in the end zone.) That the third-and-goal call was a handoff to Turner that became yet another damp squib — of his 13 carries, seven either gained nothing or lost yardage — drove home the point:

An 8-0 NFL team could not line up and gain a precious yard against the league’s worst rushing defense.

Read more: The unbeaten Falcons fall in a distressingly familiar way | Mark Bradley

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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.