‘We’re so close’: How Falcons’ offense can bridge the gap to its best self
FLOWERY BRANCH — There was a hint of frustration, not about the situation but the thought of unfilled potential, in Jake Matthews’ voice.
Fresh on the mind of the Falcons’ longtime left tackle was a practice Wednesday where he felt the offense was sharp, focused and efficient. He thought back to three days prior, reflecting on impressive touchdown drives against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Matthews knows there are flashes. And he’s positive talent isn’t a question. But that invisible gap between the offense the Falcons currently have and the offense they want to be is pesky, irritating and undeniable.
“We show these glimpses of things, and we’ve just got to consistently do that,” Matthews said. “We’re showing things, but we just need to capitalize and finish. Keep building a little bit more here and there, and I think we can stack some games here.”
The emphasis? “A little bit.”
The Falcons led the NFL in scoring in quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s first five starts this season, averaging 31 points per game. They’ve struggled the past two weeks, trudging through a scoreless afternoon in dismal weather conditions against the Buccaneers then fighting to find consistency in a 17-point effort against the Bengals.
That invisible gap? In Atlanta’s eyes, it doesn’t feel too big.
“We’re so close in a lot of areas, and I feel like in this organization, we use that (phrase) a lot,” Penix said. “We are so close. But I truly believe we have the team and the guys that’s going to rally and flip the script because we’ve got a lot of guys that care.
“Matchup-wise, I feel like our team is one of the top teams in the league. I feel like we’ve got guys that can make plays all over the field. We’ve just got to go out and do it. We’ve got to execute.”
Avoiding self-inflicted wounds is the primary focal point of the Falcons’ offensive evolution. Of the team’s 12 penalties against the Bengals, eight came on offense — including three in the red zone and two that negated would-be first downs.
In a league where, as Penix says, every possession matters, so does maximizing scoring opportunities. The Falcons haven’t done it enough. And avoiding penalties, Dotson said, is the most important aspect in turning the tide.
“You’re gonna play a lot of good football teams in this league,” Dotson said. “We’re a good football team. Can’t beat ourselves. That’s step No. 1.”
Bridging the gap requires attention to small details, Penix said. It’s how the Falcons come into meetings, how they attack walk-throughs, the attitude they adopt in the aftermath of a disappointing 3-6 start and a trade deadline that saw two leaders, safety Jessie Bates III and center Ryan Neuzil, get shipped elsewhere.
Dotson embraced the challenge.
After practice Wednesday, the fifth-year pro addressed all the receivers and encouraged them to be intentional with their work. His challenge: At every practice, pick something to get better at. “We’ll see the results at the end,” he says.
The same applies to the Falcons’ offense.
“Coming to work every day with an intention of getting better and making sure that we’re gonna be where we want to be at the end of the week,” Dotson said. “We have all the talent in the world. It’s about just coming out here and having good practices and that stuff — it reflects on game day.
“So, making sure that each and every day we come out and we have a plan to be intentional.”
The Falcons have flashed high-level balance this season. They eclipsed 200 rushing yards in back-to-back weeks earlier this year against the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, during which Penix threw for over 200 yards, too.
But Atlanta’s run game, the NFL’s second-best unit through four weeks, hit a midseason wall. The Falcons failed to rush for 100 yards three consecutive games from Weeks 6-8, snapping the spell with a 157-yard performance against the Bengals in Madrid. Their passing game hasn’t been much more consistent. Penix has failed to reach 200 passing yards in three of the last four games.
The Falcons (3-6), who face the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, are in the midst of a five-game stretch without reaching 400 yards of offense.
Tommy Rees, the Falcons’ first-year offensive coordinator, said he puts “a lot of the onus on myself.” But he acknowledged everybody needs to do a better job across the board, too.
Critical penalties. Mental errors. Play calls Rees wants back. It all adds up to a handful of missed opportunities that, ultimately, comprise the gap between the Falcons’ current and ideal selves offensively.
“The consistency part of it’s so important because you get in these high-leverage games, you get in these games where the margins are so thin that all those plays add up,” Rees said. “And you might say, ‘Hey, there’s six or seven of these you want back.’ Well, that’s the difference between scoring 17 and scoring 35.”
Rees felt the Falcons left plenty of plays on the field at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. In a meeting with the team this week, he challenged everybody — the staff, his players and himself — to fix their issues and move forward.
A successful response to Rees’ challenge? The Falcons’ offense reaching the level it’s capable of. Perhaps the unit finds it Sunday against Kansas City, bursting through the glass ceiling and soaring to new heights. Otherwise, a bye week full of frustration figures to follow.
“We are close,” Rees said, “but close in this league doesn’t quite get it to where you want to be. We’ve shown flashes of being a very top-level offense in the NFL and being able to score a lot of points and move the ball and be versatile in our attack. We’ve just got to find the consistency.”