The Falcoholic
With another season of no playoff football and major questions surrounding the future of the current regime, all the Falcons can do is maximize the remaining five games and identify who can be counted on going forward. Pride is usually emphasized when a team is searching for motivation after falling well short of expectations. That leaves the question of what can fans watch for during this grim period.
There are still things to accomplish and things to prove for players across the roster. Young players must continue establishing themselves. Veterans are playing for future contracts, whether it’s in Atlanta or likely elsewhere. There is plenty to play for within the locker room, especially with matchups against three playoff teams, with two of them on primetime. Here are things to watch for that can help shape the team going into 2026, while celebrating a potential major achievement and the final games of a true fan favorite.
When a team has only produced more than 50 sacks in a season once in franchise history, it means significantly more to earn that feat. When you have been the NFL’s poster child of not being able to pressure quarterbacks for most of the last ten years, it has to be extra gratifying for fans to see quarterback pockets collapse consistently. The last time the Falcons produced more than 50 sacks was in 1997, led by the great Chuck Smith. Surprisingly, the memorable 2004 defense missed it by two sacks, despite Patrick Kerney and Rod Coleman dismantling opposing offensive lines.
The Falcons are currently at 41 sacks, which puts them in striking distance of the total with five games remaining. It will be fascinating to see if someone ends up having a ten-sack season, whether it’s James Pearce Jr. continuing his impressive surge, or Jalon Walker picking things back up after a few quiet games, or Brandon Dorlus continuing to make timely plays. All three players are at the top of the team’s sack list, which is hugely encouraging for the unit’s progression. They are all ascending players who will be counted on to lead the defensive front.
Pearce Jr. is rapidly building up his pass-rushing arsenal, which has led to four consecutive games with at least one sack. Although Walker is still finding his niche as an edge rusher, he possesses the intangibles to be a force. Dorlus has overwhelmed guards with his blistering get-off and relentless effort. With Leonard Floyd playing his best football of the season and Arnold Ebiketie remaining a capable option, there is no reason why they can’t produce nine sacks in the final five games. Seeing the 50-sack total next to the Falcons would be eye-opening, considering how the defense has looked incapable in attempting to rush the passer during long periods over the last decade.
Given the lack of draft resources and personnel question marks elsewhere on the roster, it’s unlikely the franchise will significantly invest in...
