The Falcoholic
A one-sided defeat in Denver proved to be a harsh reality check for Raheem Morris and company . With a porous defense allowing opponents to impose their will, his team can't control games.
A purposeful response was expected after losing to their biggest rival in a very winnable game. No matter how many players were missing going into Denver, the Atlanta Falcons had to come out with extra fuel after falling short against the Saints. They allowed a team with no business beating them to prevail by starting slow and making several self-inflicted mistakes.
Facing a Broncos team that continues to exceed expectations by being well-organized and resolute should have brought the best out of them, at least from an effort standpoint. Yet the Falcons couldn’t have been more soundly defeated in a humiliating defeat.
Bo Nix had time in the pocket to start preparing food for a Sunday feast. The communication was disappointing across the defense, particularly between the linebackers and defensive backs. A part of it can be attributed to Troy Andersen, Mike Hughes, and Dee Alford being sidelined. Still, the many breakdowns were too glaring to attribute their defensive issues to a lack of healthy personnel. The Falcons were allowing explosive plays at will, making a limited offense led by their old nemesis look like the 2009 Saints.
It’s evident that several key starters and veterans are no longer playing at the level they were expected to perform at. The way the defense is being run must be questioned first.
Entering a crucial stretch facing three playoff-caliber teams, urgency from the beginning was required for them to fare well in these arduous matchups. Since Week 5 against Tampa Bay, the defense has allowed 17 or more first-half points in every game except against Dallas. That includes games against Carolina and New Orleans. The inability to start strong has left them either playing from behind early or requiring the offense to play a near-perfect game to stay in front. Repeatedly putting extensive pressure on your offense will lead to some games going awry, as it did against Seattle and Denver.
There are plenty of flaws in Jimmy Lake’s scheme. From playing with constant light boxes to lackadaisical pressure ideas to using almost exclusively nickel looks, the simplicity in his methods are making matters worse for the overall unit. Watching Nix throw the ball without resistance toward the intermediate to deep middle of the field under Sean Payton’s stewardship was reminiscent of Drew Brees doing whatever he wanted against some of Atlanta’s most overmatched defenses.
Unless it was Jessie Bates doing everything he could to make a play on the ball, the pass was bound to be completed. For any quarterback, let alone a rookie known for being hesitant to push the ball downfield, to be at ease completing uncontested vertical passes is an alarming sign for a defensive coordinator.
Hughes and Alford were missed against Denver, but the coaching staff’s plan to overcome...
