The Atlanta Falcons went into Sunday night carrying the league’s top run defense. By the time Baltimore was done, that reputation had taken a hit.
The Ravens rolled up 208 rushing yards on 35 carries, and Derrick Henry did plenty of the damage with 102 yards on 24 attempts. That came against a Falcons defense that had been allowing only 48.3 rushing yards per game before the matchup, making the collapse even more striking.
After the loss, linebacker Divine Deablo didn’t dodge the issue. He said the unit has to clean up the run defense, and he put part of the blame on himself.
"Defensively, we just got to do better job of stopping the run. Clearly, they had 200.
I'll put that on me for real. For real.
We got to be better as a whole, but I definitely got to be better myself," Deablo said.
Atlanta’s early-season strength suddenly looked vulnerable against Baltimore’s physical rushing attack, and Deablo pointed to his own tendency to chase a play too aggressively as one area he needs to fix.
"Sometimes trying to make a play. Getting out of my gap. I got to stay in my gap, make sure I do my job plus one," Deablo said.
That kind of discipline matters even more when the opponent is built to punish mistakes. One missed fit can open a lane, and one linebacker drifting out of position can give blockers a clean angle to create extra yardage.
Deablo also explained how Atlanta’s scheme can make that job trickier. With the front moving at times, defenders have to read, react and still protect their lanes before trying to hunt the football.
"We got, you know, we do different things sometimes. Sometimes we have movement.
So, I'm imagining this guy is going to be here, but he might not make it over there. So, I just got to make sure I secure that gap before I make the move I want to make," Deablo said.
"You secure your gap first and then go make a play."
He added that the challenge grows when offensive linemen reach the second level and start working on linebackers.
"Oh yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Somebody's definitely climbing.
So we got to, you know, secure our gap off of that climb and then still try to get to the ball. So, a little more challenging," Deablo said.
Even with the big yardage total, Deablo said Atlanta did some things right against Henry, especially early in the play design.
"For the most part, we did a great job [forcing Derrick Henry back inside]. We had a few mishaps where he got to our corner. But overall pretty good," Deablo said.
Still, he came back to the same point: the Falcons had chances and didn’t finish them.
"We had plenty of opportunities to make a play and we just didn't. So, at the end of the day, we just got to do our job," Deablo said.
Now Atlanta has to answer quickly. The Falcons next face the Chicago Bears, who bring the NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing offense to Sunday’s game.
In Other News...
Falcons Fans Aren't Ready For Grady Jarrett's Atlanta Return
A familiar face is coming back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 6, and this one figures to hit a little differently for Falcons fans. Grady Jarrett spent his first 10 NFL seasons in Atlanta, became one of the defining players of that defense and now is set to line up on the other side as the Chicago Bears make their trip to town.
Jarrett has started every game for Chicago so far and has already been a steady presence up front, which only adds to the intrigue around this matchup. For Atlanta, the focus turns to how its offensive line handles a player who knows the building, the franchise and plenty of the same tendencies from his long run in red and black. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Is Giving Falcons Fans Real Reason To Believe
Michael Penix Jr. has started to look like the kind of quarterback the Falcons hoped they were getting when they drafted him in 2024. In his third NFL season, and with a new coaching staff building the offense around what he does best, Penix has looked noticeably more comfortable and more decisive, giving Atlanta a passing game that has flashed real life early in 2026.
The results have been encouraging enough to make the Falcons feel like they may finally have found a direction under center, even if it is still early. Penix has shown especially strong touch and confidence pushing the ball downfield, and that kind of growth is exactly why there is reason to believe in the bigger picture, even with parts of his game still waiting to be sharpened. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Early Identity Is Taking Shape But One Trend Looks Fragile
After an uneven opening to the 2026 season, the Falcons have given themselves some room to breathe by getting back to .500 and staying in the NFC South race. The start was rocky, but the two wins that followed showed why this roster still looks capable of hanging around, especially with quality depth at the skill spots and enough balance to survive stretches when the offense is not at its sharpest.
The bigger question now is whether Atlanta can keep leaning on a defense that had looked sturdy against the run before running into a tougher test. The early returns suggest the Falcons have some real identity forming, but the upcoming stretch will say a lot about how much of that foundation is built to last once opponents start pressing on the areas that have held up less securely. [Read more 🡒]