The Atlanta Falcons spent Sunday playing catch-up from the jump, and by the time the game got away from them, the damage in the secondary was impossible to ignore.
Atlanta fell behind the Bears 14-0 right out of the gate and was staring at a 31-7 hole by the fourth quarter. The Falcons made a wild late push, but it was never enough to erase the start they dug for themselves.
There was plenty to dislike about the performance, but the back end took the brunt of it. Mike Hughes, forced into the role of primary boundary corner because of injuries around him, had a rough afternoon and the numbers were brutal. He gave up 103 yards and a touchdown on six catches against seven targets, good for a QB rating of 158.3.
This wasn’t a one-off, either. Hughes has already allowed a league-high 394 yards in coverage this season and ranks third-worst in the NFL in coverage EPA at plus-21.4.
That’s the reality of the spot he’s in, too. Hughes is working outside of his normal role, and Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski backed him Monday while making clear the expectation level hasn’t changed.
“We'll work through all those things this week. Obviously, Mike's a vet that we're counting on,” Stefanski said Monday.
“These are tough matchups. We can always look at things that we can do better.
Certainly, as we design the defense and those types of things, we'll always look at what we can do better. But the bottom line is we expect a lot from our corner position.”
Still, the problems in the secondary go beyond one corner. Over six games, Atlanta has given up at least 270 passing yards four times. Even the one game that looks better on paper still came with late trouble: in Week 5 against Baltimore, the Falcons held the Ravens below 270 passing yards, but backup Tyler Huntley completed all 11 of his throws for 80 yards and scored on Baltimore’s final two drives as the comeback took shape.
The broader numbers reflect the slide. Atlanta has fallen to No. 20 in EPA per pass at minus-0.02 and No. 28 in passing yards allowed per game at 252.0.
There is at least a chance help is on the way. Stefanski said Monday that top cornerback A.J.
Terrell Jr. is “trending” toward an opened window to return from injured reserve, and backup C.J. Henderson could also be back this week after missing practice last week.
Both corners have been dealing with groin injuries, and Terrell has missed the last four weeks. Henderson had filled in well while Terrell was out, drawing praise from defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but the depth chart got even thinner when he couldn’t go on Sunday.
Terrell’s return would give the Falcons a badly needed lift. Henderson would add more depth at corner. But with the undefeated 49ers headed to Atlanta, the secondary needs answers fast.
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Rees said the fix starts with getting the ground game going early and keeping the attack balanced, which should help create cleaner chances for Michael Penix Jr. and the rest of the unit. For Atlanta, the formula is simple enough in theory, but it has to show up from the first series if the Falcons want to avoid another slow beginning. [Read more 🡒]