The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons suffered a thorough 0-30 beating at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, dropping Atlanta to the bottom half of the NFC South standings. Here’s the Week 3 snap reactions.
Michael Penix Jr. started the day with an off-target pass, and it didn’t get better from there. The quarterback would throw two brutal interceptions; one was a pick-six, and the other, where Ray-Ray McCloud fell, was telegraphed and had little hope of being caught by the receiver, regardless of their actions. The accuracy troubles aren’t going away, and today, the young gunslinger’s precision that typically saves him was missing. Yes, Penix’s playcaller has issues of his own, but accountability goes both ways, and Penix isn’t meeting the standard on his end. Bad performances happen in this league, especially from young quarterbacks. Penix will have to shake it off and move on.
The Falcons newest kicker shanked his first field goal wide right and responded by doing the same thing in the opposite direction on kick two. The Falcons cut Younghoe Koo, but their kicking troubles remain. Many criticized the Falcons for even holding onto the kicker as long as they did, but now they see why. Anyone signed off the streets after the start of the season comes with baggage. Will the team back Romo? Will Koo return? Is it Lenny Krieg time? Tune in next time on Dragon Ball Z.
The Falcons are now 0-2 in NFC South play. The team knew this opening stretch would be challenging, but of all the outcomes in it, this was one the team could least afford. It’s early in the season, but the team’s odds of making the playoffs have taken a hit. There is no room for error in the remaining division schedule, adding pressure to a situation that already had plenty.
It’s been three underwhelming performances in a row for an offense with sky-high expectations. Yes, they ran the ball last week, but the team also got away with its typical sloppy procedural habits. The entire receiving core has underwhelmed with uncharacteristic drops and an inability to get open. Zac Robinson’s offense lacks identity, and that is the biggest knock against him, not the individual calls. This team says it wants to attack every blade of grass, but shies away from the middle of the field in the passing attack. They want to be able to run the ball well, but are allergic to mixing up their run scheme and utilizing play action. This team’s ability to accumulate yardage provides a smokescreen for how hit-and-miss they genuinely are. This offense would be lost without Bijan Robinson, but that doesn’t mean much when you’re scoring 0 points with him.
Some would say this is a wake-up call, but if you aren’t wide awake in Week 3 of the NFL, you’ll never wake up. The Falcons can’t...
