By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press Writer

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.(AP) -- Jason Elam felt worse than anyone in
the Falcons' locker room Tuesday.

A day after missing two field goals in New Orleans to contribute
to Atlanta's first two-game losing streak under coach Mike
Smith, Elam is still trying to figure out the source of his
problems.

"I've hit the upright twice now (this season) inside of 40,"
Elam said. "The long one - you know, obviously, you want to make
all your kicks - but the long one doesn't bother me as much as
the short ones. I've got to make those short ones."

The Falcons' 35-27 defeat at the Louisiana Superdome wasn't
surprising given Elam's performance and three interceptions by
Matt Ryan, the second-year quarterback who's thrown seven picks
over the past three games.

Atlanta's defense recovered each of the Saints' three fumbles
while holding the NFL's most potent offense to seven points in
the second half. Besides Elam, the special teams performed well
on coverages and kicks.

But with just two days of practice this week, the Falcons (4-3)
must correct their mistakes before Washington (2-5) visits the
Georgia Dome on Sunday. After facing the Redskins, Atlanta will
play its third and fourth road games in the past five with trips
to Carolina and to New York to face the Giants.

"We're not hitting on all cylinders for 60 minutes," Smith said.
"I think that's evident over the last two weeks. We're putting
together a great drive to start the game and a great drive to
start the second half, but we're not sustaining that level of
play."

Smith believes Ryan's problems over the past three weeks stem
from trying too hard too often.

"A lot of times it's from being competitive and wanting to make
plays," Smith said. "I think that's the thread that has run
through the interceptions that have occurred over the last three
games. Matt is very competitive and confident in himself and in
his receiving corps that we can make plays."

Smith was encouraged that Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner
had his best game this season with 151 yards and one touchdown.
Though offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey tweaked a couple of
formations to help create more space to run, Turner helped
himself more by spending extra time watching film of his success
last season as the league's No. 2 rusher.

"I think one of the biggest differences was that Michael was
running hard and downhill," Smith said. "He was very decisive in
his decision-making."

Cornerback Chris Houston, who gave up a 24-yard pass to Devery
Henderson and a 17-yarder to Jeremy Shockey that led to
touchdowns, believes the Falcons aren't playing too far under
the level that helped them earn a wild-card spot last season.

"The little things that we may have did - like some missed
tackles - can be the outcome of the game, but what I learned is
that this team has fight," Houston said. "When we was down,
everybody picked it up a step. We're learning that we got the
heart. We just need to eliminate a couple of mistakes that we
do, and we're right in there with everybody else."

Elam's difficulties in converting just six of 10 field-goal
attempts are harder to diagnose. Despite becoming the first NFL
player with 100 points in each of his first 16 seasons, Elam is
struggling.

He placed no blame on Mike Schneck's snap, Michael Koenen's hold
or the field-goal unit's blocking for hitting the left upright
from 34 yards and in coming up short on a 51-yarder.

"It was all on me," Elam said. "Sometimes when I hit balls like
that, mechanically I'm not getting a really solid plant foot.
I'm just rushing through it a little bit sometimes, so I have to
constantly slow down. I'm not sure. That's my gut feeling, but
it's frustrating."