Like most NFL analysts did following the Atlanta Falcon’s historical Super Bowl collapse Sunday, ex-49ers quarterbacks Steve Young and Trent Dilfer questioned the second half play calling of Falcon’s offensive coordinator, and presumptive 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

After taking a 28-3 lead with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, the Falcons ran the ball just four times afterwards, and were burned by their aggressive play calling on multiple occasions. The game was defined by two critical sacks of Matt Ryan by the Patriots defense, the first of which can midway through the third quarter, when Ryan was strip-sacked after a deep drop on 3rd-and-1 from his own 25 yard line. The Patriots scored two minutes later to close the gap to 28-20.

Young and Dilfer sounded off on ESPN’s postgame show. Quotes via the San Francisco Chronicle.

“This is inexcusable,” said Young. “Deep drop, third-and-1, you got the blitz. Everyone knew it. I saw it coming from five seconds before the snap. You cannot hold the football in that situation and allow that.”

“Third-and-1,” Dilfer added. “Don’t take a seven-step drop. You just don’t do it. That’s what leads to a strip sack.”

Another costly play-calling error took place with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Leading 28-20, and needing a field goal to seal the game, Ryan was sacked for a 12-yard loss on another slow developing pass play called by Shanahan. A holding penalty followed, knocking the Falcons out of field goal range, and setting the Patriots up for a game tying drive to send it into overtime.

“I can’t tell you how inexcusable that is,” Young said. “That cannot happen. The ball has got to come out. The play-calling cannot put it into a deep drop. Those are things that lose Super Bowls.”

The sequence spoiled an incredible catch by Julio Jones earlier in the drive.

“After the Julio catch: run, run, run,” Dilfer said. “A 39-yard field goal…You’re not going to lose an 11-point lead at that point.”

“It got tight,” Dilfer concluded. “Now they had to play the game they were a little uncomfortable with because (the Patriots) started to come back, and they relied on that mantra of ‘just stay aggressive, just stay aggressive.’ When actually wisdom, and discernment, and calmness and being conservative is what would have won them the game.”