The Falcons are heading into Week 6 with one big question staring them in the face: who exactly will they be preparing for at quarterback when the Bears come to town?
Caleb Williams is working back from a hamstring injury, and Chicago’s quarterback situation remains unsettled after head coach Ben Johnson said Williams was “on track” following the loss to Green Bay. Even with that update, Johnson stopped short of guaranteeing Williams would be ready for Atlanta.
That leaves the Falcons trying to game-plan for multiple possibilities. They could see Williams, Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum, and each one would alter the way Jeff Ulbrich’s defense attacks the matchup. But the quarterback uncertainty doesn’t change the bigger issue for Atlanta: this Bears offense is built to run the football.
Through five games, Chicago has piled up 866 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry while leading the NFL in rushing yards per game. That gives Johnson a stable foundation no matter who is taking snaps.
The Bears already put that ground game on display in the opener against Carolina, when they rolled up 291 rushing yards and six rushing scores. D'Andre Swift accounted for 124 of those yards and three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai added 100 yards and a touchdown of his own.
That rushing production is the first thing Atlanta has to solve, but it’s not the only danger. If the Falcons lean too hard toward stopping the run, Chicago has enough pass-game weapons to make them pay, with Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden III all capable of causing problems through the air. Atlanta’s secondary, as the source notes, is vulnerable against the pass.
There is, at least, one encouraging sign for the Falcons. Chicago’s 31-7 loss to Green Bay also exposed what can happen when Williams is out, as Bagent and Keenum combined for four turnovers and the Bears struggled to move the ball against a Packers defense Atlanta handled.
Still, that game is not a blueprint Atlanta can count on. Johnson has a full week to sort through his quarterback options, study Baltimore’s approach and decide how to attack the Falcons.
Chicago will have time to adjust. Atlanta has to be ready for all of it.
The timing isn’t ideal for the Falcons, either. Michael Penix Jr.’s rib injury has added another layer of uncertainty as Atlanta tries to bounce back from its late collapse against Baltimore and turn around quickly for another game just six days later.
So while the Bears’ quarterback situation grabs the headlines, the real trouble for Atlanta could come from somewhere else entirely. If the Falcons get locked onto who starts under center, Johnson’s run game may be the piece that ends up causing the most damage.
In Other News...
Mike Hughes Is Forcing A Falcons Decision They Can't Delay
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Atlanta now has to weigh whether keeping Hughes in a prominent role is worth the risk when there are other options on the roster who have looked steadier. C.J. Henderson and rookie Avieon Terrell have both given the Falcons reasons to consider a change on the outside, and the longer Hughes remains vulnerable in coverage, the harder it gets to justify waiting. For a defense trying to settle into itself, this is the kind of decision that cant linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
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Falcons Overtime Meltdown Looks Even Worse After Ravens Revelation
The Falcons overtime loss in Baltimore already had the feel of one that would linger, but the postgame details have made it sting a little more. On The Marlon Humphrey Show, Humphrey revealed that Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton had a sharp hunch when Atlanta turned to backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in overtime, and it turned out to be the kind of sideline instinct that changes a game in a hurry.
Hamiltons read became a reality on the Falcons first possession of the extra period, when he picked off Tagovailoa and closed out Baltimores 30-23 win. For Atlanta, it was a brutal ending to a game that had stayed within reach, and for the Ravens it was one more reminder of how quickly a defense can seize control when it senses an opportunity. [Read more 🡒]