#atlanta-falcons

#atlanta-falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are trying to rally from four straight losses, and they're back to facing just their third NFC South opponent of the season.

The Colts were 15-of-17 on 4th down heading into today's game. The Falcons made sure that was 15-of-18 to start the game. After the Colts drove down the field with relative ease, Dee Alford made a huge play to keep the ball out of the end zone and back into the hands of the Falcons offense. Jessie Bates also had two great plays on the opening drive: Causing a fumble that was recovered by a Colts offensive lineman.

The defense keeps stacking sacks - seven in this game - and everyone is getting in on the fun. Nate Ollie was touted in the offseason as a big addition, and I'd argue he's the most impactful hire they made. Not only has Ollie gotten instant results from his rookie edge rushes, but he's also getting the most out of the veterans and the crop of young defenders who were going to waste. Leave it to the Falcons to be second in the league in sacks and not any closer to a winning season.

The Atlanta Falcons will be facing an uphill climb to get their running game back on track against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. They are down at least one starter on their offensive line, left guard Matthew Bergeron, and may be down another with right guard Chris Lindstrom listed as questionable. Coupled with the continued reliance on backup right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, the Falcons' offensive line will face their biggest challenge of the season in Germany on Sunday morning.

The Atlanta Falcons are on their third kicker of the 2025 campaign. Per NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the team has brought on kicker Zane Gonzalez. The veteran spent part of 2024 with the Washington Commanders, hitting 5 of 7 field goal tries and all 19 extra point attempts, but had previously not kicked in an NFL game since 2021. The corresponding move is, inevitably, Atlanta cutting ties with Parker Romo.

Walker put it all together as an edge defender in this game. He was stout against the run and lived in the backfield all game (anything else that happened was woke, off-ball nonsense). The time out clearly did him good; his lower-body explosiveness was noticeable. Walker was considered a project on draft night; he's been learning and playing a more defined position and has improved every game.

The Atlanta Falcons should've won that game and made a gorgeous autumn day in New England that much more enjoyable. I know that, you know that, the Patriots know that. They have to be letting out of a sigh of relief in Massachusetts today, given how close the margin was, while the Falcons pick up the pieces of yet another loss.

Boy, the Falcons have really done it to themselves yet again. After a high energy win against the Buffalo Bills which reinvigorated the fanbase was followed with a disappointing defeat in San Francisco, Atlanta laid an absolute egg against a porous Dolphins team that had seemingly nothing going right for them. Now, the Birds sit at 3-4, in the middle of a highly competitive NFC, with their season in danger of slipping away right as the first winds of cold have arrived at our doorstep.

Penix might be the biggest winner from yesterday. That was the worst defense the Falcons have played by a long shot, and the offense couldn't get anything going. Moving forward, fans need to understand that grading Penix in this offense requires a curve. He definitely has bad plays where blame can't be shifted, but he's not anchoring this group. Based on what we saw yesterday, he's been keeping them afloat more times than not.

JD Bertrand looks like he doesn't belong out there, and given that the committee Jeff Ulbrich discussed hasn't materialized, that's been a major problem for the defense. The Falcons have talked up Bertrand's ability and effort in the past and clearly like the young linebacker, but if they're going to rely on him, they need better. What's causing this performance, and can he be salvaged?

In fact, the former second-round pick has been a trade target since the preseason, although the Falcons haven't shown any desire to trade him up to this point. Fowler notes that Atlanta's front office will listen to offers on any players, leading the reporter to believe Ebiketie could be had for the right price. Ebiketie appeared to be a foundational piece as recently as last season.

There's been a feeling of the Falcons hitting rock bottom continually since 2019. It started with a 1-7 start that season, followed by losing the first five games in 2020, leading to the firings of Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff. While 2021 was a rebuilding year, the season opener at home against Philadelphia ended in a 32-6 defeat. That's not how you want to start a new era with Arthur Smith.

This most consistent thing about this Falcons team is that you can count on them to always be inconsistent. Following one of the most impressive wins you can get on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, their mistake-riddled performance against the completely banged up San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football saw them drop a highly winnable game. In a vacuum, the 3-3 record doesn't look too bad,

Now he'll be looking for a new home. We still don't know what happened here, and I'm not going to speculate. Raheem Morris alluded to football-related issues rather than disciplinary ones, but we don't have any concrete information on what went on between McCloud and the team that had him parked and now released. I just hope, above all, that McCloud is okay.

The Atlanta Falcons knew they'd have to stop Christian McCaffrey, and they knew they'd need to attack a vulnerable San Francisco linebacker corps and secondary. While there were moments, and even long stretches where the defense held up despite the loss of Divine Deablo, they didn't do any of that on a consistent basis. They lost by failing to do what they knew must be done.