The Washington Redskins missed a chance to end their five-match losing streak in the dying seconds of their contest against the Atlanta Falcons this evening, falling to a 27-26 defeat after an incomplete two-point conversion attempt.

The Falcons raced into a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, with Steven Jackson opening the scoring with a powerful run from three yards out, before Tony Gonzalez added a second touchdown by collecting Matt Ryan's 13-yard pass in the endzone.

The Redskins did get a score of their own before the opening quarter was out, however, as Fred Davis got on the end of a 23-yard pass from stand-in quarterback Kirk Cousins with less than a minute left.

Matt Bryant edged the Falcons further ahead with a field goal in the second quarter, but the Redskins soon launched their comeback through Pierre Garcon, who completed a 53-yard touchdown having caught Cousins's fine long pass.

Kai Forbath added a couple of field goals from 33 yards and 37 yards in the final minute of the first half to send the Redskins into the break with a 20-17 lead.

Atlanta soon regained their advantage, however, doing so midway through the third quarter when Jackson went over from two yards for his second touchdown of the match.

Bryant opened up a seven-point gap with just 3:31 left in the match with a 51-yard field goal, but that lead came under threat from the Redskins in the dying seconds.

Cousins threw his third touchdown pass of the match, this time finding Santana Moss at the front of the endzone with a three-yard pass.

The visitors opted to go for a two-point conversion in an attempt to win the game rather than forcing overtime, but Cousins's pass to Garcon was incomplete, allowing the Falcons to see out the narrow victory.