MADRID - The Falcons left Spain with plenty to sort through after a 34-17 loss to the Bengals, and the biggest problems were impossible to miss. Atlanta was outclassed by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, the offense never found enough rhythm, and the team dropped its fourth game in the last five.
One of the more glaring missed chances came at tight end. Cincinnati entered the game having allowed the second-most receptions per game to tight ends at 7, along with 88.7 receiving yards per game, 9.3 yards per target, and the league’s highest explosive play rate at 22.4%.
That should have pointed Atlanta toward Kyle Pitts, but he barely made an impact, finishing with three catches for 23 yards. He did have an explosive play wiped out by a holding penalty, yet the bigger issue is that Pitts still hasn’t been featured enough.
His 23 yards per game this season is nowhere near what the Falcons need from a player on an $18 million contract.
The ground game had a few better moments. The running back reached 100 yards from scrimmage early in the third quarter and finally got back into the end zone for the first time since Oct. 5 against the Saints, ending a four-game drought without a score.
But Atlanta still felt the absence of Brian Robinson. The Falcons chose to keep two backs on the roster this season, and Robinson was supposed to handle the tough yards and lighten the load on Bijan.
He hurt his hamstring against Chicago, and in the three games he missed, Atlanta failed to crack 100 rushing yards. On Sunday, the Falcons got back over that mark, helped by Michael Penix scrambles and Bijan’s production, but Khalil Herbert had only one carry, and Robinson’s missing presence was obvious in a game where Atlanta needed to hold the ball.
The penalties were another self-inflicted mess. Atlanta was flagged 11 times for 83 yards, and too many of those came at the worst possible moments - on conversion chances and other critical snaps.
Drives stalled, first downs vanished, and scoring opportunities disappeared. Against an offense as dangerous as Cincinnati’s, that kind of sloppiness is a fast track to getting buried.
The defense had no answer early. Atlanta didn’t record a stop in the first half, and Cincinnati scored on all four of its first-half possessions.
Burrow and Chase carved up the secondary, with Chase posting 8 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown before halftime while repeatedly attacking A.J. Terrell Jr.
The pass rush didn’t help much either. The Falcons couldn’t generate enough heat with four rushers, and when they blitzed, they got burned over the top.
LaCale London did deliver a key third-down sack in the fourth quarter, but by then Burrow had already taken control. The Bengals finished with more than 30 points for the fourth straight game.
Special teams added another headache. Nick Folk missed three field goals over his last three seasons, but his miss in Madrid was his fifth in the first half of this year, leaving him 13-for-18.
It was also his first miss from inside 40 yards since 2017, ending a run of 109 straight makes from that range. Kevin Stefanski and Craig Aukerman backed the veteran this week, but Atlanta can’t keep living with missed kicks.
The Falcons already cycled through three kickers in 2025, and Folk was supposed to stabilize the spot. Instead, the situation is becoming hard to ignore.
Penix had moments, but not enough of them. Dexter Lawrence was a problem for the interior line, driving Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron back into Penix’s lap and disrupting plays.
Penix used his legs to create, rushing for 50 yards, but pressure kept knocking him off his spot and too many throws missed the mark. He flashed at times, yet he wasn’t steady enough to keep Atlanta in range against a Bengals defense that was there to be attacked.
His fourth-quarter interception - his fifth in the last two games - ended whatever hope the Falcons had left.
Atlanta’s playoff picture is looking rough, too. The Falcons have the NFL’s second-longest playoff drought, and the odds of ending it this season are getting thinner.
They’re 3-6 now, and the road ahead is brutal: the Chiefs, at the Vikings, the Lions, at the Browns, and at the Commanders before the season ends against division rivals. To reach their first winning season since 2017, they need six wins in those final eight games, though five might be enough to sneak into the playoffs.
Either way, it’s a steep climb.
In Other News...
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Bates is a pending free agent and a 2023 Pro Bowler, which naturally makes him a player rival clubs would ask about, but a deal still looks like a long shot. His salary is a hurdle, and Atlanta does not appear eager to absorb money just to make a trade easier, especially with Bates still operating as a full-time starter next to rookie Xavier Watts. [Read more 🡒]
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Bijan Robinson opened the 2026 season looking every bit like the engine of Atlantas offense, stacking multiple games with more than 100 scrimmage yards and giving the Falcons the kind of backfield production that can tilt a game plan. Over the last four weeks, though, the rhythm has changed. The touches are still there, but the same explosive finish has been harder to find, and Robinson has already acknowledged to reporters that his recent play has not matched his standard.
The timing matters because Atlanta heads into Week 9 against Cincinnati with a matchup that should be there for the taking on the ground. The Bengals have been vulnerable enough in run defense to give Robinson a path back toward the kind of impact the Falcons need from him, especially as they try to steady an offense that has leaned on him all season. For Atlanta, the question is less whether the opportunity will be there and more whether Robinson can turn it into the kind of statement outing that resets the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Gave Falcons Fans A Perfect Spain Game Moment
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For Atlanta, it is a reminder that Robinsons appeal stretches well beyond the usual NFL audience. A player who can draw attention in a soccer-mad city like Madrid gives the Falcons a rare chance to connect with new fans in a setting built for that kind of exposure. The league wanted a showcase in Spain, and Robinson gave it one before the first snap even mattered. [Read more 🡒]