The Falcons returned from their week off refreshed and relaxed.
They also had to face a stark new reality in the NFC South race because of their recent losses to Tampa Bay and San Francisco and the Carolina Panthers’ success at 9-0.
“We are behind the eight ball right now,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “Ol’ Cam (Newton) and (the Panthers) are out there still balling. They are finding ways to win games. We have to go out there and keep up with the pace.”
The Falcons (6-3) are three games behind the Panthers with seven to play. The Falcons face the Panthers twice, but already need some help if they plan on winning the NFC South title.
“When you are on the bye week and you watch football, see other teams and see how they are playing and when you watch Carolina, they just find ways to win,” White said. “They just find a way to put (themselves) in position to win football games. They are doing a good job of that week in and week out.”
The Panthers are going for a NFC South-three-peat. The Falcons last won the division in 2012. While the Saints (4-6) and the Bucs (4-5) are picking up the rear.
“They have put themselves in a great position in our division to be successful,” White said. “We are behind them, but we still have a great opportunity to catch those guys because we play them twice. They have seven more games and they can possibly get knocked off. We just have to continue to do our part. That’s just win. If we win, we can put the pressure on them.”
Getting safety William Moore back could help. He returned to practice after missing the two previous games with a groin injury. He’s not as pressed about the team’s plight.
“There’s no pressure on us as a football team,” Moore said. “You have to keep in mind that we are 6-3 as a football team. We are in a great position, where we are at to go down the stretch. We are still going to take it one game at a time. We’re not going to look too far down the road.”
The Falcons’ offense needs to pick up the pace down the stretch. White is ready to do his part if the offense wants to target him more.
“It’s just certain parts of the season and you need guys to lean on and this is one of those times where I just have to go out there and be a leader for this team and this organization,” said White, who had just 30 targets and 17 catches over the first nine games. “I have to settle everything down.”
Despite the dip in production, White still takes his leadership duties seriously.
“We had a couple of rough weeks leading up to this bye,” White said. “We have to turn it around and get focused. We have to get all of the details in and start playing good football. We have to get back to do that offensively, defensively and on special teams.”
The Falcons, despite having two of the top offensive weapons in the league in wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, have averaged 16.7 points over the past four games.
“We have to go out there and score more than 20 points,” White said. “That’s always been my goal around here, to score 25 or more. That’s good football and gives yourself a good chance to win, especially with our defense hasn’t allowed a lot of points the last couple of weeks, keeping people to 17 and 20 points and not getting wins.
“We have to find a way to score more points on offensive. We just have to be more creative and more productive. Stay ahead of the chains. I think we’ve been getting behind the chains a little bit.”
White doesn’t plan to press if the team elects to increased his role.
“I’m just going to go out there and do what I’ve always done,” White said. “Just be ready, be prepared to catch footballs.”
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