Falcons report card: Bad marks for getting blown out

The Falcons have not played a full football game all season.

But they normally fight to the end.

Against the Seahawks, they only played a half and were blown out in the second half as they dropped to 4-9 on the season. The Seahawks improved to 10-3 and looked like an NFC powerhouse.

The Falcons were officially eliminated from the playoffs and posted the franchise’s eighth consecutive losing season, tying a record set from 1983-1990.

Now, they are regulated to playing for pride.

“We’re still fighting for our jobs, for each other’s families and all of that good stuff,” Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said.

The Falcons heard the boos from the fans.

“It’s frustrating,” Bates said. “They should be frustrated as well. We’ve got to figure it out.”

Here are the grades the Falcons earned in the loss to the Seahawks:

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, the highest paid backup in the league, completed 15 of 30 passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 38.5. “Difficult to stand here after a loss, disappointing to not have a better second half and be in the game there at the end,” Cousins said. “So, we find ourselves in a similar spot where we have to go back and talk about it, improve, correct and on a week where we don’t have much time, try to put a better product on the field this coming Thursday night. That’s where we find ourselves.” Grade: F

Running backs

Bijan Robinson had a costly fumble. He rushed 20 times for 86 yards and Tyler Allgeier rushed 11 times for 34 yards. The Falcons totaled 120 yards rushing against the No. 2-ranked rush defense in the league. The Seahawks were giving up 88.8 yards per game. Robinson became the third player in NFL history with over 3,500 rushing yards and 1,500 receiving yards through a player’s first three seasons, joining LaDainian Tomlinson and Falcons’ legend William Andrews. Grade: F

Wide receivers/Tight ends

There were several drops and bobbled passes. Tight end Kyle Pitts caught 6 of 10 targets for 90 yards. Darnell Mooney continued to struggle. He caught 1 of 4 targets for 6 yards. He had the controversial play where he stepped out of bounds to nullify a potential touchdown pass. Deven Thompkins, the former practice squad player, had an offensive holding penalty. Grade: F

Offensive line

The offensive line helped the running backs average 3.9 yards per carry. They unit allowed one sack and seven quarterback hits. Grade: D

Defensive line

The Falcons were without defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus. Ruke Orhorhoro started alongside of David Onyemata. They were backed up by Elijah Garcia, Kentavius Street and LaCale London. London and Street were active as they had six and three tackles, respectively. Street also had a sack. The Seahawks ripped off four runs of 10 yards or more. Grade: F

Linebackers

James Pearce Jr. had another sack. He became the first rookie in franchise history to record a sack in five consecutive games. Pearce also had two tackles. Pearce’s six sacks are tied for the second most by a Falcons rookie since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He joins Aundray Bruce (1988) and Takk McKinley (2017) in trailing only the seven from Mike Pitts in 1983. “It’s cool, it’s just numbers,” Pearce said. “All we care about is wins and taking care of each other, locker to locker. That’s all that matters.” Grade: D

Secondary