The Falcons walked out of Week 8 with a loss so ugly it colored everything else around it. In a 16-0 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta got buried by awful weather, a worse gameplan, and execution that never showed up.
Tampa Bay won without completing a pass, the first time that had happened since 1974, and did it while running the ball 56 times for more than 320 yards at 5.8 yards per carry. Baker Mayfield had only three pass attempts.
For Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions for the worst start of his career, and the offense never found a rhythm because the Falcons didn’t give Bijan Robinson enough work.
That mess makes evaluating the team’s upcoming free agents a little tricky, but not impossible. The Falcons are around the midpoint of the 206 season, and these pending free agents have already had a long runway to show what they can do.
Ian Cunningham’s first offseason as general manager was built around low-risk additions, cheap one-year deals, and reclamation projects. Some of those bets have worked.
Some haven’t. With the trade deadline approaching, the picture is getting clearer.
Jessie Bates III is making the strongest argument of the bunch. After a slow start, he’s been everywhere lately, forcing turnovers and changing games.
Against Tampa Bay, his punch-out of Bucky Irving at the one-yard line helped keep the damage from getting even worse. Bates has now forced a fumble in each of the last three games, becoming the first Falcon to do that since Jessie Tuggle in 1990.
Add in his toe-tap interception against the 49ers and his scoop-and-score against the Ravens, and his playmaking has become the defining feature of this defense.
The 29-year-old has also been outplaying Xavier Watts recently and has been the most steady presence on the roster. He’s delivered on the field and in the locker room, and that’s putting him in line for a payday.
At this point, there’s no real path to him being moved before the deadline unless someone makes a Godfather-esque offer Cunningham can’t refuse. More likely, he’s headed toward a contract extension, and the Falcons can’t afford to let him reach free agency.
Brian Robinson Jr. didn’t even need to suit up in Week 8 to remind Atlanta how much he matters. He’s missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, and the run game has felt his absence. His job behind Bijan Robinson isn’t glamorous, but it matters, especially when the offense needs help staying on schedule and handling short-yardage situations.
That was obvious in Tampa Bay. The Falcons would have had a better shot at running the ball in those conditions with Robinson Jr. available, and he also would have helped on third down and in fourth-and-short spots, where Atlanta went 0-for-12 and failed to execute.
Without him, the only real backup for Bijan is Khalil Herbert, who doesn’t bring the same power in that role. Robinson Jr. could be back in Week 9, and these last two games have only strengthened the case for keeping him around.
Jawaan Taylor is heading in the opposite direction. The Falcons gave him a $5 million prove-it deal after his struggles in Kansas City, and early on he did enough to justify the move while filling in for Kaleb McGary and protecting Penix’s blind side.
But the last few weeks have gone sideways. Taylor has been dealing with a chronic knee injury that has only worsened, and it showed against the Buccaneers.
According to Pro Football Focus, his 32.0 run blocking grade in Week 8 was the worst among all tackles and his second-worst mark of the season, behind only Week 1.
Both tackle spots need attention, but Atlanta only has one first-round pick to work with. Jake Matthews has improved over time, but Taylor has been getting beat off the blitz and overpowered in the run game, making it hard to see a path forward. The Falcons need a long-term answer at right tackle, and Taylor’s play is pushing him out the door.
Divine Deablo’s situation is a little more complicated. His absence in Week 8 should have helped clarify his standing, especially after rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. flashed against the 49ers a week earlier.
Instead, the Tampa Bay game exposed some growing pains. In the rain, against a run-heavy Buccaneers attack, the young linebackers missed a combined five tackles, and Tampa Bay ripped off 10 runs of 10-plus yards.
Whenever they were late to the spot, the Bucs turned it into chunk gains on the ground. Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell both had success against a run defense that entered the weekend ranked top five against the run.
Daniels and Perkins were put in a tough spot, and they deserve credit for being asked to do a lot. But the game also showed why another linebacker like Deablo in the rotation could make life easier for them.
In Other News...
Falcons Trade Deadline Will Reveal How This Regime Views The Season
With the trade deadline creeping closer, the Falcons are in an awkward spot at 3-5, good enough to keep the season from feeling lost, but not quite settled enough to make their next move obvious. They have not been a central part of the rumor mill, and so far there has been no sign of a confirmed deal on the way, which leaves the front office with a familiar midseason question: do you add help and push, or start thinking more carefully about what comes next?
One name worth watching is Jessie Bates, who is in a contract year and playing well enough to draw attention around the league. Atlanta is not expected to move him, but his situation still says plenty about how the regime is viewing the season, and whether it sees this roster as one worth reinforcing or one that needs a longer look beyond November. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Sparked A Debate Falcons Fans Will Feel
Bijan Robinson has been one of the few bright spots in a Falcons season that has not gone the way anyone in Atlanta wanted. Through eight games, the running back has piled up 780 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns and added 25 catches for 203 yards with a score through the air, production that would normally put him squarely in the conversation among the leagues top backs.
Still, Robinsons own view of where he stands has added a different layer to the discussion. For a player carrying so much of the offenses load, his comments underscore a bigger truth for the Falcons: individual success only goes so far when the team is still searching for wins and a more complete rhythm on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Is Chasing A Rare Falcons Mark This Week
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The Falcons will get a chance to keep that momentum going in a setting that is a little different from the usual Sunday routine, and Robinsons workload could put him on the doorstep of a franchise mark that has belonged to some familiar names in Atlanta history. It is the kind of opportunity that gives a midseason trip extra weight for the Falcons, especially with a record within reach and a chance to leave the week with something more than just another win. [Read more 🡒]