By Sean Wright

Before we get into it. Let’s all take a deep breath. The Atlanta Falcons roll into week 8 sitting atop the NFC South with a 4-3 record. The Falcons are 1 loss away from being .500 and being those ‘same ole Falcons’ but the feel this season is different. “Kirko Bangz” formerly known as Kirk Cousins, has been a welcomed addition in the city and on the field. The defense has many upgrades and some have been more present than others. Okay, let’s get into it. 

The Good 

1. Bijan Robinson has been the best offensive player for the Atlanta Falcons. He’s currently ranked 7th in rush yards, tied for 3rd in rushing touchdowns and tied for 8th in rushing first downs. Along with that, his ability to pick up blitzes and be an effective three down back has helped the offense as a whole. Additionally, he’s maybe the Falcons’ biggest threat as a receiver out of the backfield. 

2.  Cousins has been a revelation for the Falcons. The quarterback play for the Falcons has been below average to say the least over the past few years. Cousins has come in and played solid for the most part. Cousins is spreading the ball around and has gotten the best out of Drake London. Cousins is top 10 in yards and touchdowns. Most importantly, Cousins has three fourth quarter comebacks and three game winning drives. 

3. The Falcons pass defense has been a bright spot, ranking 13th against the pass. They’ve faced Patrick Mahomes and Geno Smith and fared well against both. Safety duo, Jesse Bates and Justin Simmons has been the best and most consistent part of the defense. Both have shown versatility and have been the best tacklers on the team along with cornerback Mike Hughes. Hughes has been the biggest surprise by far on the defense. He’s laced up against a host of number one and number two options and fared well against them all. 

The Bad

1. It’s 2024 and the Atlanta Falcons still can’t rush the passer. They’ve addressed it via free agency, trades and the draft, but nothing seems to work. The Falcons traded for star pass rusher Matthew Judon a few weeks before the season started and it hasn’t panned out, yet. Judon started the season strong with 1.5 sacks in the first two games but doesn’t have one since. To be fair, Judon has gotten pressure, just hasn’t cashed in on many sacks. It’s not all on Judon, though. Arnold Eniketie, Lorenzo Carter and others have given next to nothing to the pass rush. Through seven weeks the Falcons rank dead last with six sacks. 

2. The linebacking group was the best part of the Falcons defense in 2023 and the tables have turned. They’ve been underwhelming to say the least. In week 4, Troy Andersen played the best game of his young career before injuring his left knee late in the game. Nate Landman has been in and out of the lineup dealing with injuries. He was perhaps the best linebacker last year but seems to have lost a step this season (We can probably attribute that to injuries and being readjusted). Additionally, the Falcons run defense has been pretty bad. The ends aren’t setting the edge, the linebackers aren’t playing their gaps and at times straight up whiffing. The secondary and Grady Jarrett have been the only consistent tacklers along the defense. 

All in all the Falcons have been a solid team thus far. They’ll need to fix their run defense and pass rush to be a serious contender. The Falcons have Tampa, Dallas and New Orleans coming up. In a wide open NFC, the Falcons have an opportunity to snag three more NFC wins and make a play for the top seed. Additionally, beating New Orleans and Tampa again, could seal up the NFC South for them earlier than expected. We shall see. 

Week 8 Preview

This week the Falcons travel to Tampa Bay for a division showdown against the Bucs. The Falcons beat the Bucs earlier this season in a 36-30 shootout that ended in overtime. Fortunately for the Falcons, the Bucs will be without wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Cousins and the Falcons need to erase last weeks’ game against the Seahawks and focus on the task at hand. If they win this game, it’ll complete the season sweep on the Bucs and make them that much unreachable NFC South. We should expect the Falcons to give a heavy dose of Drake London and Kyle Pitts early and often. The Bucs have one of the worst pass defenses in the league and Cousins and the offense should look to exploit it. On the other hand, the Bucs offense has been throwing the ball all over the place and will be expected to do so even without their top two threats on the outside. The Falcons secondary better be ready.