The Atlanta Falcons have enough talent to keep themselves afloat. What they don’t have, after two straight losses, is much margin for error.
Sunday’s 31-23 defeat to the Chicago Bears at Mercedes-Benz Stadium pushed Atlanta to 2-4 and left the team staring at the same issues that have kept it from putting together a clean run. The Falcons can still get back on track, but only if they clean up the lapses that keep putting them behind before the game really settles in.
That slow-start problem showed up again against Chicago. Atlanta trailed 14-0 before it even picked up a first down, then watched the gap swell to 31-7 late in the third quarter before putting together a fourth-quarter rally that came up short.
Michael Penix Jr. finished 19 of 33 for 225 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those scoring throws going to Kyle Pitts Sr. But most of that damage came after the Falcons had already dug a deep hole. By the time Atlanta was down 31-7, Penix was 9 of 20 for 47 yards.
The bigger issue is not whether Atlanta can move the ball. Through six games, the Falcons have 2,066 total yards, including 897 on the ground. That works out to roughly 149.3 rushing yards per game, a strong base for an offense that is supposed to run the ball and then hit explosive plays off play-action.
The trouble is turning that yardage into points before the game gets away. Atlanta cannot keep chasing leads and expecting the same offense to work the way it does when the Falcons are playing from ahead or even.
Bijan Robinson needs to be part of the solution from the jump, and the Falcons have to use play action to create chances downfield without becoming one-dimensional when they fall behind. A more balanced attack would also take some of the pressure off Penix and keep defenses from locking in on the pass.
The other problem is self-inflicted damage. Atlanta is 31st in the NFL in turnover differential at -7, and that number tells the story of a team that keeps handing opponents extra chances.
Against Chicago, the Falcons had to climb out of a massive deficit while also dealing with their own mistakes. The Bears cashed in on their opportunities, and a late fumble by Penix Jr. helped shut the door on Atlanta’s comeback bid.
Penix needs to be sharper, but this isn’t only on the quarterback. The offense as a whole has to protect the football, and special teams cannot afford miscues that hand opponents favorable field position.
Discipline has to improve too. Penalties, missed assignments and turnovers can wipe out a good drive in an instant, and Atlanta can’t keep loading more pressure onto its defense.
That defense has shown real promise against the run. The Falcons entered the Chicago game allowing about 80.2 rushing yards per game, which ranked fourth in the NFL at the time. That kind of run defense gives them something to lean on.
But the secondary has to do more to slow down opposing quarterbacks. Caleb Williams came back from a hamstring injury and carved up Atlanta, completing 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. He opened by completing his first 12 throws for 142 yards and a touchdown, helping Chicago build that early 14-point cushion.
An opposing quarterback completing 83.3 percent of his passes is not a recipe Atlanta can live with.
The Falcons need more pressure, tighter coverage and more forced mistakes from opposing passers. Cam Thomas has given them something to work with, recording 11 quarterback hits and two sacks through the Bears game, but that pressure has to become more disruptive. It needs to lead to sacks, turnovers and stalled drives.
Help should be on the way. James Pearce Jr.'s impending return will boost the pass rush, and the secondary could get a lift from the returns of A.J. Terrell and CJ Henderson.
Atlanta’s season is not dead. The Falcons have already shown they can score, putting up 45 points against New Orleans and 35 against Green Bay, and the rushing production is there to build on. The issue now is consistency.
They need faster starts, fewer giveaways and a defense that can make quarterbacks uncomfortable earlier in games. The next chance to show that comes Sunday, October 25, against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, who enter at 6-0. It’s a big test for a team that badly needs a response after back-to-back losses.
In Other News...
Falcons May Have Started A Front Office Trend Fans Didn't Expect
The Colts decision to move on from Chris Ballard has opened an unusual front-office path, and it traces back to Atlanta. Indianapolis is reportedly looking at Peyton Manning for a possible executive role, a move shaped in part by the Falcons decision to bring Matt Ryan into the organization as president of football. For a franchise searching for its next direction, the idea is to lean on a face of the franchise who understands the building from the inside, even if he has never run a front office before.
Mannings name has become part of the early discussion as the Colts sort through what comes next, with the team also weighing how much responsibility such a role would actually carry. He could be asked to oversee the hunt for a new general manager and other key hires, in a structure that would look more like Ryans Falcons post than a traditional GM job. The question now is whether Manning would even want that kind of commitment, given his existing obligations and the fact that his executive rsum is still largely theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Make Another Urgent Edge Rush Move As Depth Crisis Grows
The Falcons kept digging for help off the edge, adding Charles Snowden from Washingtons practice squad and clearing room by releasing Bralen Trice from the 53-man roster. It was the latest sign that Atlanta is trying to stabilize a position group that has been stretched thin by injuries and suspensions, forcing the front office to keep turning over the bottom of the roster for usable bodies.
Snowden arrives with a chance to plug into a defense that needs immediate depth, even if the move comes with some obvious risk. Atlanta is operating in an urgent spot along the edge, and the roster shuffle reflects how quickly the team has had to react as absences continue to pile up at one of its most important spots. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Exposed A Falcons Problem They Can't Ignore
Bijan Robinsons day in the Falcons Week 6 loss to the Bears was a reminder that his role in the passing game goes beyond catching the ball and creating mismatches in space. With Atlantas offensive line already having issues handling Chicagos blitz looks, Robinson was asked to help in protection, and the snaps in that area became a real problem for a team that leans on him in so many ways.
What makes it tougher for Atlanta is that the Bears were not even at full strength up front, yet the pressure still found its way through. If Robinson is going to stay on the field for all the situations the Falcons want from him, the pass-blocking piece has to tighten up, because that part of his game can shape both his effectiveness and how often the staff trusts him in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]