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ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons find themselves still clinging to first place in the NFC South.
However, that is about the only silver lining as they head into their bye week.
With a record of 6-5, the Falcons are experiencing frustration after suffering two consecutive losses, including a particularly painful 38-6 defeat against the Denver Broncos.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris expressed his sentiments on Monday, saying, “You can take a grenade and just throw it on the whole game. You’ve got to kind of reset and start over from the beginning.”
Despite their recent downturn, the Falcons are the only NFC South team maintaining a winning record, which keeps their playoff hopes alive for the first time since 2017, even in light of their current skid.
To overcome the negativity stemming from these losses, the team needs to ensure that the time off allows them to shake off the disappointments.
“You always want to go into the bye off a win because it just makes the bye that much sweeter. We didn’t get that done,” linebacker Kaden Elliss noted. “So you learn from it, you grow from it and then you flush it. We’ll get away for a little bit and come back rejuvenated and ready to roll.”
In terms of what’s working for the Falcons, Younghoe Koo made two field goals, one of which was from 51 yards, alleviating some worries about his recent performance.
Bradley Pinion also performed well, averaging 50 yards per punt during the game.
Unfortunately, those positives are few and far between.
On the offensive front, there are significant areas needing improvement.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has not thrown a touchdown pass in consecutive games, a troubling trend for him as a starter.
Moreover, the running game only managed a meager 50 yards, which is the team’s lowest this season.
The defense also struggled remarkably against the Broncos, allowing 400 yards and failing to contain rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who went 28 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdown passes.
Atlanta’s defense ranks last in the league for quarterback pressure, with only 10 sacks through 11 games.
On a positive note, safety Jessie Bates III performed well, forcing a fumble for the fourth time this season, placing him in a tie for the NFL lead.
Conversely, the stock for Cousins has fallen sharply, as he has faced two interceptions, no touchdown passes, and six sacks over the past two games.
Running back Bijan Robinson managed just 35 yards on a dozen carries, while the defense allowed a whopping 199 yards after catch, marking the highest of the season for them.
Injuries have compounded the Falcons’ challenges this season.
The bye week comes at a crucial moment as the team is dealing with an extensive list of injuries, including cornerback Mike Hughes (neck), nickel back Dee Alford (hamstring), and several others.
Additionally, during the matchup with the Broncos, four more players were injured, escalating the team’s struggles.
A key statistic that stands out is 2.4 — the average yards per carry the Falcons managed against the Broncos, a season-low against what had been a fairly effective rushing attack.
Looking ahead, the Falcons have a challenging path awaiting them following their week off.
They will take on the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) on December 1 and then visit Minnesota to challenge the Vikings (8-2) on December 8.
Should Atlanta successfully navigate these tough matchups, the remainder of their schedule appears more manageable, with three of the final four contests against teams (Las Vegas, New York Giants, and Carolina) that collectively hold a record of 7-23.
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