FLOWERY BRANCH — After two straight lopsided losses to opponents from the NFC North, known as the black-and-blue division, it’s the Falcons’ secondary that is bruised.
The Falcons opened this season with a 30-12 loss to Chicago on Sunday as Jay Cutler completed 22 of 32 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons ended last season with a 48-21 divisional playoff loss to Green Bay as Aaron Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons’ defensive backs have certainly taken their lumps.
“They lined up and they whupped us,” cornerback Dunta Robinson said of the latest loss. “We understood the things that they were going to do and we didn’t prevent them from happening.”
What especially hurt the Falcons against the Bears was their third-down play in the first half. Five times the Bears kept drives alive with pass plays of at least 11 yards.
They set the tone right away. On Chicago’s first drive they faced a third-and-6 after three plays. Cutler found a wide-open Roy Williams for a 23-yard gain.
“They converted on a flag route,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We were in a blitz zone and we had a miscommunication, so it was basically an uncovered guy.”
Three plays later, facing a third-and-10, Cutler found Matt Forte for another 23-yard gain. Smith called the play a “dropped coverage.” The Bears ended the possession with a field goal.
Chicago also converted a third-and-1 with an 11-yard pass to Kellen Davis in the second quarter. On another drive in the first half, the Bears completed an 18-yard pass to Johnny Knox on a third-and-9 and then a 15-yard pass to Williams on a third-and-6. Both drives resulted in field goals, and the Bears led 16-3 at halftime. Cutler attempted only 11 second-half passes.
Smith reiterated several times in Monday’s postgame news conference that the Falcons failed in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. It’s clear that the secondary had issues.
“We’ve got things that we have to correct,” Smith said. “We made mistakes. The coaching staff made mistakes. The players made mistakes. ... Not the way we wanted to start, plain and simple.
“I’m not going to sit here and go searching for all kinds of answers because I know what it is in terms of what you’ve got to do.”
Secondary help may soon be on the way in James Sanders and Kelvin Hayden. The two defensive backs have only a handful of practices since being acquired Sept. 1. Sanders, a safety who played with New England, saw only special-teams duty against the Bears. Hayden, a cornerback from Indianapolis, did not play.
“You have to talk to the coach about that,” Sanders said when asked how soon he will play defensively. “I’m just going to continue to grind and try to learn the playbook as fast as I can. When it’s time for me to be out there, I’ll be out there.”
Smith’s answer was soon.
“Let’s be perfectly clear, we want to get those guys out on there the field as quick as we can,” the coach said. “When we feel comfortable with that scenario, we’re going to put them out there.”
Safety Thomas DeCoud dropped two near interceptions in the first half, both on deflections by Brent Grimes, which could have stopped early drives as the Bears were building a big lead.
It won’t get easier for the Falcons as they host Philadelphia on Sunday night. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has plenty of targets in wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Steve Smith and Jason Avant and tight end Brent Celek.
“You just keep battling,” Robinson said. “One thing I know about all the guys in the secondary is they come to play every single Sunday. Keep battling and go out there and play your best. Correct our mistakes. At the end of the day we have to stick together.”
About the Author
