The Atlanta Falcons have had an interesting start to the season showing flashes of great plays but equally questionable decisions. Week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers showed the Falcons had much to work on, especially on the offensive side of the ball with new offensive coordinator Zach Robinson learning the strengths and weaknesses of his players. The Falcons lost to the Steelers 10-18 with quarterback Kirk Cousins only completing 61% of his passes along with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Week two was a much better outing for Atlanta as they traveled to Philadelphia to take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Cousins and the offense showed flashes of competitiveness, especially on the final drive of the game where Atlanta went 70 yards and capped off the game-winning drive with a touchdown to wide receiver Drake London with the final score being 22-21.
Cousins commented on his play after the Eagles saying, “I am still not sharp enough. I didn’t feel like I was sharp enough today, accurate enough. I have to be better, but that last drive can hopefully give us a boost going into next week and we can build on that.”
Cousins finished the game with 241 yards and two touchdowns.
In week three, Atlanta hosted the Kansas City Chiefs and again showed flashes of competitiveness but lost 22-17 due to some controversial plays toward the end of the game, including a missed pass interference call against tight end Kyle Pitts and a questionable play call on 4th down to running back Bijan Robinson.
“I feel like we’ve left a lot of opportunities out there on the field,” Cousins said. “I look forward to getting better.”
In week four against the Saints, the offense had another rough outing putting up nine points, but again showed flashes of putting everything together. The real heroes of week four for Atlanta were the defense and special teams scoring both of the Falcons’ touchdowns. A pick-six by linebacker Troy Anderson and a fumble recovery in the end zone by wide receiver Khadarel Hodge. The Falcons capped off their 26-24 win with a career-long 58-yard field goal from kicker Younghoe Koo.
What can we expect from Atlanta now?
When asked about how he felt about the rest of the season, head coach Raheem Morris said “No. I don’t feel like Cinderella. I feel like you got to go out there and play every single game, and you’ve got to try to go out there and win. The more poised team usually wins. Right now, I’m trying to show my team poise and show them poise, what it looks and feels like, what it feels like to be resilient.”
The Falcons’ remaining schedule isn’t as easy compared to a season ago but is still within reach for Atlanta to make a push to win the division. Their toughest opponents left are the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Commanders. If Cousins finds the spark he had in Minnesota and Robinson finds his groove calling plays, then Atlanta can be the team they were hyped up to be during the offseason when many analysts were projecting them to win the NFC South.
