Final takeaways from Falcons’ loss to Bengals as trade deadline nears
MADRID — For all the potential causes buried at the core of the Falcons’ 34-17 loss to the Bengals on Sunday at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, coach Kevin Stefanski is adamant that travel isn’t one of them.
“The experience was incredible,” Stefanski told reporters postgame. “I mean, how we’ve been treated by this country, this city, Real Madrid, you name it — we’re very, very lucky and blessed. I want to make sure that everyone knows how appreciative I am of this, of how we’ve been treated.”
Stefanski described the trip as “first class.” His team’s performance didn’t quite match the same description.
Here are five final thoughts from the Falcons’ loss to Cincinnati, their fourth defeat in the past five games.
Penalties a big issue
The Falcons committed 12 penalties for 88 yards, a stark contrast to the Bengals, who were flagged six times for 43 yards. The Falcons’ penalties were timely, too. Three came in the red zone and two negated would-be first downs.
“We were just beating ourselves,” quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said postgame. “Too many penalties.”
During team meetings, Stefanski shows his players how many penalties they committed during the previous practice. The number typically sits around one or two. Sometimes, it’s zero. That it didn’t translate to Sunday is a bitter disappointment to Stefanski.
“Just take the practice field to the game field,” he said. “You have to make sure that you’re on point like you are at practice. You’ve got to do it on Sundays. We didn’t today. Those self-inflicted ones, the ones that are presnap, those are inexcusable.”
Michael Penix Jr. has another rocky day
Penix came out sharp early, leading the Falcons to a touchdown on their first drive and a field goal on their second. Then, the wheels came off. Their three possessions in the second quarter: punt, punt, unsuccessful Hail Mary. They scored one touchdown in the second half and fell victim to a missed field goal.
One week removed from a four-interception performance in wet and windy conditions in Tampa, Penix went 20-for-31 passing 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Bengals.
“We felt that Mike was ready to play up to his standard this week,” Stefanski said. “Listen, can he play better? There are things we can get corrected, of course, but expected him to play well.”
Penix had his share of flashes, and he rushed for a career-high 50 yards in the first half. But the Falcons’ offense also struggled finding explosive plays through the air, as Penix completed only 2-of-5 attempts beyond 10 air yards.
When the Falcons got into a hole, they struggled digging out. Their margin for error offensively appeared thin, in large part because of the lack of explosion. Penix has a strong arm, but the Bengals forced him to get the ball out short and in a hurry.
Defense is struggling to find its strength
Entering the season, the Falcons’ secondary looked the part of a deep, talented group given the proverbial back-of-the-baseball-card scouting tactic. There certainly have been flashes of that unit. There have also been flashes — really, a four-game stretch from Weeks 1-4 — of high-level run defense.
But as Week 9 fades away and the Falcons sit at 3-6, it’s difficult to point at either aspect and confidently proclaim it a strength.
Their secondary struggled Sunday in Madrid, allowing 239 passing yards in the first half alone and, by game’s end, a 24-for-29 passing, 271-yard, three-touchdown performance from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. In Week 8, the Buccaneers set a franchise record in rushing yards against Atlanta’s defense.
The positive? The Falcons appear to have the ability to beat teams with both their front seven and their back end. The negative? They don’t show it consistently enough.
Is it time for a kicking change?
Falcons kicker Nick Folk pulled a 38-yarder wide left, his first miss from inside 40 yards since Oct. 5, 2017. He also made a 31-yard field goal and both his extra points, but none wash away the confusing struggles for the 42-year-old veteran who led the NFL in field goal percentage each of the past three years.
Folk is now 13-for-18 on field goals this season. He’s missed at least one field goal in four games, plus a missed extra point in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons have supported Folk throughout a turbulent start to the season, but Stefanski didn’t give his usual vote of confidence.
When asked if he’d consider making a change at kicker, he deflected.
“I’m very focused on this game,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks, but really just focused on this game.”
When asked if he’s concerned about Folk’s form, Stefanski once more deflected.
“He knows we’re counting on him, and that’s the nature of being a guy that you’re counting on,” Stefanski said. “But he’s a pro.”
Will this influence trade deadline plans?
Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham finds himself in an interesting position as his first trade deadline at the helm looms at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Yes, the Falcons are 3-6 and haven’t shown many reasons for optimism the past month. But given the vintage form of the NFC South — no teams are above .500, no teams have more than three wins — they’re still only a half-game back from the division-leading Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons shouldn’t be buyers by any means, but there’s a world where they sell, if only at a thrift store level. Cunningham’s affinity for draft picks and his team’s recent slide could make his phone ring a bit more often this week than he’d once hoped.
But he also said before the season the Falcons were “competing to make the playoffs,” and reaching such goals is why they play. The state of the division gives the Falcons a chance to accomplish that goal. Is it worth punting for additional draft capital? Perhaps. The answer comes soon.