Can the offense save the season?
The defense can’t stay on the field too long. It will get worn out like the Colts showed in overtime.
The Falcons’ offense, meanwhile, averages 330.8 yards per game (16th in the league), with 119.3 yards rushing (15th), 211.4 yards passing (16th) and 18.8 points (27th). It’s not efficient on third down (33.6%, 29th) or fourth down (44.44%, 26th).
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., coming off the worst performance of his short career, says he’s “not perfect.”
But if the offense doesn’t get moving and find some consistency, an eighth consecutive losing season is on deck.
CHAT WITH THE CAPTAIN
We had to check in with Falcons captain Chris Lindstrom with the team struggling.
Losing four in a row qualifies.
He shared some thoughts on how the Falcons can get off the Struggle Bus. Here’s what he had to say:
🗣️ On the loss: “I think it’s just hard. Obviously, an emotional loss and a tough one that we fought very hard for against a great team. But in the same sense, it’s a great team. You can’t make mistakes. You can’t waste opportunities. You have to play pretty close to perfect to beat a team like that. Obviously, we have to be better.”
🗣️ On supporting a young quarterback who was pretty emotional after the game: “I just think he’s passionate. I think that’s why we love him because we’re the same way. Just guys express it differently. We love Mike. We have a great connection with each other. The other 10 guys and him. So, it hurts. I think it just speaks to how much we care throughout the season.”
🗣️ On how close this offense is: “I think we had great rhythm at times (against the Colts). I think we really showed a lot of good stuff. In the same sense though, we left a lot of meat on the bone, a lot of opportunities still. We need to improve on that.”
🗣️ On if there’s a common theme to the inconsistency: “I’m not sure. I think every game has had a different story. I don’t know right now what that story is. I just know obviously, it felt like on the field, a couple of possessions, we could have been better.”
🗣️ On the third down woes: “I think you just have got to own the looks. I think protection-wise, we’ve got to be great in protection. Then I know the skills guys are on their details. It’s just we know if we give Mike time, those guys are going to make plays. I think it’s just everybody focusing on the details of their play.”
🗣️ More on third downs: “You just have got to be efficient. The first two downs matter leading into third down. You can’t be in too many third-and-longs. Statically it’s going to be poor. I don’t know what the down and distance were on the (eight) we didn’t convert (against the Colts). You’ve got to get as close to third and manageable as possible to give yourself the best chance. Yeah, then you have to be on the details.”
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MR. ROBINSON’S NEIGHBORHOOD IS CROWDED
In the first five games, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson went over 100 scrimmage yards (124, 168, 111, 181 and 228). In the four-game losing streak, Robinson has been held under 100 (92, 48, 96 and 84).
Defenses are rushing to Robinson’s neighborhood and daring the other players to beat them. Other than Drake London, they have not been up to the task.
Here’s what a few Falcons had to say about the loss.
🤔 Robinson, Part I: “It was tough. That was one that we wanted. That’s one that I felt like we had. Obviously, it was just how things went in the game. They came back and got it to overtime. For us, we are all hurting after this one.”
🤔 Robinson, Part II: “It’s definitely frustrating. You try not to live in the should’ve, could’ve, would’ves because it comes out to nothing. It’s really not good enough. For us, I know we had two great opponents back to back, and it came down to the wire. We have to start finishing games so that we can have the outcome that we want. That one was definitely tough to swallow.”
🤔 Receiver Darnell Mooney: “It’s always pretty tough when you feel like you have the dub in your hand. But you’ve got to stay focused. Stay locked in. I felt like we did that. Just when a game is that close, a lot of things are minuscule (for), like, what you can do wrong.”
🤔 Defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus: “We have to win, that’s the main thing. … We just have to figure it out.”
WHERE TO WATCH (AND LISTEN)
Panthers QB Bryce Young is 3-1 vs. the Falcons. This will be the teams’ 62nd meeting. The Falcons lead the series, 37-24. The Panthers won the last meeting 30-0 on Sept. 21. No team has swept the regular-season series since the Falcons did back in 2019.
Kickoff arrives at 1 p.m. EST.
📺 On TV: Fox
- Play-by-play: Jason Benetti
- Analyst: Brady Quinn
- Sideline: Sarah Kustok
📻 On local radio: 92.9 The Game
- Play-by-play: Wes Durham
- Analyst: Dave Archer
TALE OF THE TAPE
The key matchup is the Panthers’ eighth-ranked rushing offensive vs. the Falcons’ 29th-ranked run defense. Here’s a closer statistical look at the Falcons-Panthers matchup, with league rankings in parentheses.
Points per game
- Falcons: 18.7 (27th)
- Panthers: 17.7 (28th)
Total yards per game
- Falcons: 330.8 (16th)
- Panthers: 297.1 (27th)
Rushing yards per game
- Falcons: 119.3 (15th)
- Panthers: 133.1 (8th)
Passing yards per game
- Falcons: 211.4 (16th)
- Panthers: 164.0 (30th)
Time of possession
- Falcons: 29.2 (21st)
- Panthers: 31:04 (11th)
Opponents points per game
- Falcons: 23.2 (16th)
- Panthers: 22.2 (12th)
Opponents total yards per game
- Falcons: 308.8 (10th)
- Panthers: 323.7 (16th)
Opponents rush yards per game
- Falcons: 146.4 (29th)
- Panthers: 111.9 (17th)
Opponents pass yards per game
- Falcons: 162.3 (1st)
- Panthers: 211.8 (16th)
Turnover margin
- Falcons: +5 (8th)
- Panthers: -5 (26th)
PHOTO OF THE DAY
A mini flag football field in front of Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate. Because why not?
The Falcons-Colts clash finished as one of NFL Network’s most-viewed international games.
MAILBAG TIME
📬 Reader Bill Cranman: Hi D, Loved your coverage in Berlin! Great job over there. Can you PLEASE ask coach why he didn’t call time out late in the 2nd quarter when the Pats had 3rd and 11 and we had two timeouts? That was unacceptable and egregiously bad that he didn’t use a timeout there. The fans (customers) deserve an explanation. Thank you.
My response: He was asked about this Monday. Ken Sugiura addressed it in his follow-up article. Here’s what Sugiura wrote:
Morris said that he didn’t call a timeout to stop the clock late in the first half when linebacker Kaden Elliss sacked quarterback Daniel Jones to put the Colts in third-and-11 at their 39-yard line because he was concerned about Indianapolis’ potential to score.
“They were too close,” said Morris of the Colts’ being at their 39.
The sack occurred with about 57 seconds left in the half. The Falcons had two timeouts left.
The Colts did not view their scoring opportunity in the same way Morris did. They were content to let the clock run, snapping the ball with 20 seconds left, after which Jones threw an interception. The Falcons got the ball back with eight seconds left and took a knee to end the half.
It was the latest in a series of curious clock-management decisions Morris has made this season.
📬 Reader Rick Woodard: Orlando, I guess that you don’t write your own headlines, but that game was not a thriller. For longtime Falcon’s followers (I attended games in 1966 with my father), the result was utterly expected. Until the team gets a new owner, what was seen yesterday is what one should expect.
My response: Hello, Rick, I think I did write that headline. It was pretty thrilling to me. Had a lot of plot twists and a record-setting 244-yard rushing performance. That’s history. Of course, my editors can change the headline. Since they didn’t, I think they agreed that it was a thrilling game.
📬 Reader Hugh Glass: I think you should offer to take (Darnell) Mooney and Penix to lunch. Maybe introduce them to each other. My math says the Falcons have paid Mooney $450,000 per catch this year. It’s another reason Morris should be fired. By choosing not to play these guys in preseason is evidence the coach is not qualified. Morris is only a glorified cheerleader. Never been successful in a top leadership job. Penix either lacks the talent, acumen or coaching to be successful. I think he is 1-18 of the last third down conversions? The Falcons will not have a winning record. Arthur fired our last coach for a better record than Morris will have.
My response: We have a story on the Mooney and Penix connection. I’m a big proponent of practice. I don’t know how you get ready for games by not practicing in the name of mitigating injury.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Dirty Bird Dispatch. Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at dledbetter@ajc.com. Follow @DorlandoAJC on X, too.
See you next week.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
