Broncos Big Win: Falcons Struggles in…

The Atlanta Falcons were present at today’s football game; that is a technical fact. Unfortunately, that’s about the peak in terms of team involvement. This game was all Denver from beginning to end.

The Falcons lose two in a row and hobble into the Week 12 bye. Here are the Week 11 snap reactions

Younghoe bounces back

Younghoe Koo went 2/2 from 41 and 51 yards. The kicker still has a more straight-on approach, but he did tweak his stance and moved further from the ball. It resembles his stance from 2023 when he first made the change, and it looks like the move worked.

While they didn’t need him today given the final margin, it’s good that Koo got a legitimate confidence boost before heading into the bye week. Atlanta is going to need to lean on the kicker down the road, and they’ll need his clutch field goal ability, especially as the team’s win-loss margin begins to tighten.

Injuries ravage the team

The Falcons came into the game with eight players listed as out and continued to sustain injuries throughout the day. It started with cornerback Kevin King, who sustained a concussion in the first quarter. Darnell Mooney sustained a hamstring injury in the third quarter. Zach Harrison left with a knee injury after a promising game, rookie Casey Washington left with a concussion on a routine deep ball, and Nate Landman injured his hamstring in the fourth quarter.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Atlanta has injuries at just about every position group, and they don’t have the depth to overcome them. Players will need to spend the next 14 days on ice and heal as much as possible.

The wheels fell off

The Falcons have been living life on the edge, but this rollercoaster’s safety record finally caught up to them. Atlanta heads into the bye week out of sorts and banged up. The team was outmatched on both sides of the ball today, and while injuries played a role, the Falcons once again got in their own way far too often.

Kirk Cousins had another ugly interception and, for the first time in his career, finished back-to-back games without a passing touchdown. The offense continues to accumulate untimely penalties whenever they can.

Bo Nix picked apart the defense, finishing the day with four touchdowns. Matthew Judon managed to get a sack, but the Falcons’ pass rush was once again a nonfactor for most of the afternoon. Atlanta’s front seven was no match against the run, and they got bulldozed off the turf.

Nothing went right for the Falcons today, and the team looked worse than they did in their Week 10 game against New Orleans. Zac Robinson had a disappointing game plan, and Raheem Morris and Jimmy Lake’s defense looks like a Ponzi scheme held up by Jessie Bate’s punchouts.

Michael Penix flashes

Penix got a real playing opportunity today when the Falcons elected to sub him with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Now, we’re only talking about four passes, but they sure were pretty. Penix started off his first drive with a 20-yard strike over the middle. On the very next play, he throws a beauty of a deep ball to a spot that only Casey Washington can get to; this is the play where Washington, unfortunately, gets hurt, but he nearly completes the catch.

Penix then rips the ball into the flat on fourth and short to keep the series alive. Penix did get sacked, but the difference in mobility was notable, as he was able to mitigate the loss of yardage. Falcons fans haven’t seen much of their 2024 first-round pick, but when they have, he’s shown promise.

The Falcons lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Atlanta is 6-5, but the vibes around the team are putrid as they head into the bye week. The team will need to get healthy, and the coaching staff needs to reflect before this season turns into yet another Atlanta sports punchline.