#atlanta-falcons

#atlanta-falcons

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,

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.

The Falcons will soon be adding some depth to their secondary. According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the team designated for return from injured reserve today. Fuller suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that landed him on injured reserve. The veteran only required a minimum four-game stay on IR before returning to practice. The team now has 21 days to activate Fuller to the active roster.

With Ray-Ray McCloud inactive, Sills was the third receiver for much of the game, and did not receive a target while throwing some nice blocks. Casey Washington, who was targeted twice, also was a key blocking option. It's fair to suggest that if Darnell Mooney isn't going to be back, the Falcons have to figure out who they can throw the ball to in this receiving corps outside of Drake London, because neither Sills or Washington seems to be a consistent option in that regard.

Jeff Ulbrich's defense put on an exceptional performance tonight. In total, the team recorded four sacks, two interceptions, and held the Bills to 2-of-9 on third-down conversions. While the offenses flailed in the second half, his defense stood tall, delivering drive after drive and effectively neutralizing the best quarterback in the game. The defense was able to overcome the loss of Billy Bowman due to an outstanding bounce-back performance by Dee Alford,

There are no great post safeties in the NFL anymore. The days of Ed Reed and Earl Thomas are gone. With every passing year, the league trends away from one great center fielder and replaces him with two-deep coverages, those versatile and amorphous blobs of disguise. The honorable days -- the days in which one dauntless defender stood alone, Jon Snow-style, and dared the offense to get past him -- are behind us.

That's because as Robinson and company are preparing for a huge primetime matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Robinson fielded a question from Garrett Chapman at Falcons Sports Illustrated about whether he had been contacted by his alma mater, Oklahoma State, regarding their head coaching vacancy, something that has been rumored for a few weeks now. A simple no would have quelled any further inquiry, but Robinson's response made it seem like the answer is "yes."