Actually, Falcons’ loss to Pittsburgh was strangely encouraging

The following opinion might be the result of overexposure to a franchise that seems magnetically drawn to defeat, a team whose history is calamity with the regularity of a drumbeat.

After watching the Falcons lose to Pittsburgh on Sunday, my thought was that this season might not be as defeat-laden as many (including myself) expect.

This may be because of how low the bar is, much like enjoying a movie after everyone has told you how awful it is. But, still, when was the last time the Falcons exceeded anyone’s expectations?

Here’s how I arrived at my viewpoint.

No one would disagree that the offensive play in the Falcons’ 20-13 loss was brutal.

But that should have been expected. They played a third-string quarterback who was signed the day training camp started and barely practiced with the starting offense until three days before the game.

Unsurprisingly, Cooper Rush’s performance was as unconducive to winning as you might have expected it to be. (It also didn’t help that he was dealing with back issues.)

Further, the Falcons were on the road against a decent opponent. And kicker Nick Folk missed two field goals, including one from 45 yards.

And yet, despite those headwinds, with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons had a first-and-10 on the Pittsburgh 39-yard line trailing 20-13. A touchdown would tie the game.

Had coach Kevin Stefanski been offered that scenario on Sunday morning, how quickly would he (or any reasonable Falcons fan) have snapped that up?

It did not go well from there, of course. Rush, the offensive line and arguably offensive coordinator Tommy Rees botched a third-and-5 from the 34. A sack removed the possibility of going for it on fourth down or kicking a field goal. The Falcons punted and never got the ball back.

Still, given how poorly Rush was playing and Folk’s two misses, you could make the case that the Falcons came about as close to puling off the upset as anyone could have reasonably expected.

A shortcoming of former coach Raheem Morris was that it never seemed like he could help the Falcons win games that they weren’t supposed to. (Add to that “also helped find ways to lose games they were supposed to win,” and you have a summary of his two-plus seasons as head coach.)

Sunday, the Falcons did lose, but they kept it interesting for longer than most would have expected, particularly given what was going on at quarterback.

It speaks well of the work of the Falcons defense to limit Pittsburgh and Rees’ ability to get production out of running back Bijan Robinson (173 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown reception) when it shouldn’t have been difficult for the Steelers to figure out that he was about all the Falcons had going. (The Steelers played like they were auditioning for the NFC South.)

Rush’s play basically left the Falcons fighting with one hand tied behind their back, and yet they were still landing some punches.

With a Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers had four drives inside the Falcons’ 35-yard line, including just one in the second half.

With a quarterback who was riding the struggle bus, the Falcons were inside the Steelers’ 35 six times, including four times in the second half.

Had Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. been available at quarterback and had Folk not had his first two-miss game since 2022, surely the Falcons would have had a decent chance to leave Pittsburgh with a win.

It probably won’t make the first paragraph of the Stefanski Christmas card letter, but it’s something.