The Falcons’ latest slide showed up in The Athletic’s Week 9 power rankings, where Atlanta fell to No. 23 after another ugly outing in Tampa.
That drop comes after a stretch that has made the Falcons hard to pin down. One week they can knock off one of the league’s top teams.
The next, they look nothing like that group at all. This time, the result was a shutout loss in Tampa, with Michael Penix throwing four interceptions and, as the source put it, being lucky it wasn’t six or seven.
The Athletic’s writeup pointed to the whiplash around Atlanta’s season so far: “Twice now, the Falcons have gotten some national attention. First with surprising wins over Green Bay and New Orleans.
Then again with an upset of the previously unbeaten 49ers. Each time they get people’s hopes up, though, things go south.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is trying to prove he can be Atlanta’s quarterback of the future, threw a career-high four interceptions in a rainstorm Sunday.”
Penix took the brunt of the damage statistically, but the bigger issue was how the game was played. The Buccaneers leaned into the run, and Atlanta never matched that approach.
In a game shaped by the weather, the Falcons were asked to throw far too much, and that worked against them. The source also argued that Bijan Robinson should have been featured far more heavily, saying riding him 90% of the time might not have guaranteed a win, but it would have at least given Atlanta a chance in those conditions.
The blame, according to the source, doesn’t sit only with the quarterback. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was also singled out for the loss.
And the schedule doesn’t offer much relief. Atlanta now heads into a very early kickoff against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have won three straight behind a scorching Joe Burrow.
After that comes the Kansas City Chiefs, then the Detroit Lions. With that stretch ahead, the Falcons could be staring at a long losing run.
In Other News...
Falcons Head To Madrid With New Concerns And A Possible Boost
The Falcons are heading into their trip to Madrid still trying to shake off a strange 16-0 loss to Tampa Bay, one that stood out even by the standards of an off day. Atlanta did not allow a completed pass and still came away empty, a reminder that the defense did enough in one area but the offense never found a way to turn the game into anything manageable.
Kevin Stefanski said the injury picture is not getting cleaner before the matchup with Cincinnati, with Samson Ebukam and Zachariah Branch both unavailable because of hamstring issues. There is at least one potential lift on the horizon, though, as James Pearce Jr. is back in the conversation after completing an eight-game suspension, giving Atlanta a possible reinforcement as it tries to steady itself on an international stage. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got Outplayed In The Exact Way They Wanted To Win
Rainy conditions in Week 8 turned into a ground-game test, and it was Tampa Bay that controlled it. The Buccaneers leaned hard on the run and came away with a 16-0 win, while Atlanta never found the same kind of rhythm on the ground despite having Bijan Robinson in the backfield. It was the sort of game the Falcons usually want to make their own, only this time they were the ones getting pushed around in it.
The matchup carried a little extra edge because Zac Robinson was on the other sideline as Tampa Bays offensive coordinator, facing Atlanta for the first time since leaving. Instead of the Falcons dictating terms with their rushing attack, the Buccaneers were the more effective and more committed team in that phase, which only sharpened the frustration for Atlanta. For a club built to lean on the run, getting outplayed there is the kind of result that lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got A Huge Pass Rush Boost At The Right Time
The Falcons got a timely lift for a pass rush that could use it, reinstating edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and making him eligible to rejoin the mix for their Week 9 matchup against the Bengals. Pearce led Atlanta in sacks last season, and his return gives the defense a proven edge presence at a point in the schedule when pressure off the corner can change the tone of a game.
To clear the way, Atlanta moved on from defensive lineman Jared Ivey and defensive end Drake Jackson, a reminder that roster churn is part of the cost of getting healthier. The bigger question now is how quickly Pearce can slide back into the rotation and whether the Falcons can turn that added pressure into the kind of disruption they have been looking for all season. [Read more 🡒]