Falcons staying together through mentally tough season

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons have had a tumultuous start to the 2025 season.

Through the first seven games, they have experienced the agony of two really bad upset losses, three wins over playoff teams, an assistant coach getting fired and one of the top receivers being released.

The offense has underachieved, while the defense has been surprisingly respectable. With all that has transpired, the team has remained together.

“No doubt, for sure,” left tackle Jake Matthews told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Despite the ups and downs, the mental state of the team is fine.

“Everyone’s upset about the (Dolphins) game because you want to win,” Matthews said. “But just find ways to be consistent, continue on. You know, that Washington game, that Buffalo game, what we did in those games, just trying to find that.”

The Falcons beat the Commanders and Bills. The Commanders went to the NFC title game and the Bills to the AFC title game last season. Squaring those wins with a 30-0 loss to the then-winless Panthers on Sept. 21, coupled with another woeful 34-10 loss to the 1-6 Dolphins on Oct. 26 is nearly impossible.

“It takes all of us being on the same page and playing together,” Matthews said. “It’s tough to say this is exactly what it is; it’s such a broad scope of things. A lot of guys have a part in things. So, just finding that.”

Falcons coach Raheem Morris has been straightforward about the team’s erratic level of play.

“Very frustrated (Sunday) with the fact that we didn’t go out and execute what we wanted to get done,” Morris said. “That’s the level of frustration that I have. You can keep it right there at that moment because you’ve got an opportunity to fix it this week.”

If the good Falcons show up, they’ll have a chance against the Patriots. If the crew that played the Panthers and Dolphins travels to New England, they’ll get run out of Gillette Stadium.

“Mentally (we’re) great,” All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom said. “I think that’s the bedrock of our team, is our connection, especially on offense. I think personally, we are as tied in with each other as anybody.”

The offensive linemen have a weekly dinner to help maintain their connection.

“Our skill guys are as selfless as anybody,” Lindstrom said. “I think Drake (London), Bijan (Robinson), Tyler (Allgeier) and Mike (Penix Jr.), those are big names in the NFL. They come to (the offensive) line dinner. They hang out with us. There’s connection. There’s no finger-pointing.”

The players believe they can get things turned around and reach a level of consistency.

“So, we all want it to get right,” Lindstrom said. “So, we’re not wasting time on that stuff. So, that presents the best opportunity for us to eliminate those execution mistakes.”

Lindstrom believes the communication issues are on the players.

“One hundred percent, player to player,” Lindstrom said. “The staff’s preparation for us, there wasn’t a look that the Dolphins presented that we didn’t see, (that) we didn’t know and that I couldn’t draw out. So, we just need to communicate it for ourselves. We take ownership for that loss.”

There is a sense of urgency around the team, which hopes to end the streak of seven straight losing seasons and possibly even reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.

“Immense,” Lindstrom said of the sense of urgency. “I mean, obviously, (the media is) asking me questions about things that aren’t being identified and us not playing well. So, there’s urgency.”

The offensive line is fine with taking most of the heat.

“It’s deservedly so,” said Lindstrom, who played his college ball at Boston College. “We didn’t do our job. We can’t do that. We can’t give anybody opportunities. So, it starts up front. That has meaning. We just need to be better.”