ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are still in first place. That's about the only good news heading into their bye. The Falcons (6-5) have lost two in a row and are reeling from their worst defeat since 2021, a 38-6 shellacking at the hands of the Denver Broncos.
“You can take a grenade and just throw it on the whole game,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Monday. “You've got to kind of reset and start over from the beginning.” The main thing working in the Falcons' favor is geography.
They are the lone team in the NFC South with a winning record, putting them in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 even with the two-game skid. The key is not to let the sting of those defeats have a lingering effect after the week off. “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 said. “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.
” Younghoo Koo made a pair of field goals, including a 51-yarder, to ease some concerns about his recent struggles. Bradley Pinion averaged 50 yards a punt. That's about it.
Where to begin? On the offensive side, QB Kirk Cousins has failed to throw a touchdown pass in back-to-back games for the first time in his starting career, while the running game was held to a season-low 50 yards. The defense allowed 400 yards to the Broncos a.