As exciting as the Atlanta Falcons’ three-game winning streak was entering Week 7, Sunday was a reminder that it’s easy to be humbled in the NFL.
Atlanta (4-3) had won three in a row over NFC South foes before a lackluster showing in a 34-14 home defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Falcons’ offense, which was averaging 33.3 points over their longest win streak in five years, turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter, while being held scoreless the final 22:43 of the loss.
“We came out flat,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday. “When I say that, I’m talking about myself. I didn’t prepare them well enough to come out the right way.”
First-year quarterback Kirk Cousins had his worst game as a Falcon, as his two interceptions and fumble in the fourth quarter sealed Atlanta’s fate.
Still very much in the thick of the divisional race, the Falcons will look to put Sunday’s ugly game behind them. Ahead of Monday night’s Tampa Bay-Baltimore game, Atlanta trailed the Buccaneers by a half-game, while leading the New Orleans Saints by two games and the Carolina Panthers by three.
The Falcons, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker over all three NFC South teams, will face Tampa Bay for the second time in less than a month next Sunday, following their 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers on Oct. 3.
“With it being Tampa, you know each other so well,” Morris said. “I think it’s almost an advantage for them on a short week. But it’s the National Football League schedule. This is why we all love it. It’s fun, it’s enjoyable. I can’t wait to get back out and get a chance to play again. I know our guys can’t either.”
While the offense has carried the load for the Falcons for much of the year, the Atlanta defense has had a “bend but don’t break” mentality. On Sunday, however, the unit’s inefficiency showed, as it recorded just one sack.
It’s been a common theme for the franchise, whose six sacks rank last in the NFL. Atlanta also ranked last in 2021 and second-to-last in 2022 before seeing a bump last season.
A missing piece for the Atlanta defense the last three weeks has been linebacker Troy Andersen. The 2022 second-round pick had a career day on Sep. 29 against the Saints, recording a team-high 10 tackles while returning an interception for his first career touchdown.
Andersen has been out since that game with a knee injury, and Morris and the Falcons are hopeful to see his return this week.
“Troy is going to practice for us on Wednesday,” Morris said. “We’ll get him out there, get him moving a little bit, see where he is. Troy is a Ferrari, so to speak. His game is based off being able to move fast and vicious. What makes Troy special … is his ability to run and be as healthy as possible.”
