The Falcoholic
It’s hard to look ahead with anything but a tinge of dread. That kind of loss knocks a team for a loop, and their fanbase takes that particularly stomach-churning roller coaster ride with them. The Falcons aren’t getting an easy team to try to rebound against—Carolina was supposed to be their straightforward game before a gauntlet of contenders—even if injuries are hitting Dan Quinn’s team hard.
Here’s what you’ll need to know as we cross our fingers and hope the Falcons can turn up the intensity several thousand notches and emerge victorious against the Washington Commanders.
The Falcons have their best defense in years through three games, but the Commanders will provide a stiff challenge even with Terry McLaurin likely to miss this one and Jayden Daniels quite possibly absent, as well. That’s because they have a tough-to-contain scrambling quarterback in Marcus Mariota and a three-headed backfield with multiple home run threats, plus the always dangerous Deebo Samuel. Washington has been careful with the football and quite good at running, and that will be enough to test this defense.
The Commanders defense has a quality pass rush and a solid run defense, but they’ve struggled to get turnovers thus far and don’t have a terrific secondary, especially now that they’re down another starter in Will Harris. A heavy dose of Bijan is warranted in this one, but it’s not the worst week for the passing game to get back on track, if such a thing is possible.
Justifiably fancying themselves contenders after the 2024 season, the Commanders didn’t so much set out to transform the roster as supplement it.
On defense, they added former Saint Will Harris—they love those Saints defensive backs—and Javon Kinlaw to boost a talented interior and secondary. Unfortunately for them, they’re adding Darnell Savage after Harris hit injured reserve following Week 3.
They added ex-Falcon Eddie Goldman and ex-Bear Jacob Martin for depth up front, signed legendary pass rusher Von Miller in late July, and made some small signings for the offense. The bulk of their additions were re-signings and draft picks, however.
That includes Jacory “Bill” Croksy-Merritt, the team’s nominal starting running back, and rookie starting right tackle Josh Conerly, the latter of whom is struggling mightily early on. That also includes rookie cornerback Trey Amos, who has looked pretty good in coverage for long stretches, but has been a non-factor against the run.
The Commanders largely bet on running it back with a few key additions; the results have been inconsistent thus far but they are a cool 2-1.
So much hinges on whether the Falcons have to face Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota. Both quarterbacks pose a danger to this Falcons defense given that both are excellent runners, but Daniels is also a deadly, precision passer who can take advantage of the Falcons without A.J. Terrell. Without him, the matchup is certainly simpler.
Let’s start with the...
