Falcons’ Inconsistency Becoming Their Biggest Enemy After Another Ugly Loss

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons lost a second-straight game on Sunday, slipping below .500 for the first time since Week 3. The 24-point loss was another low for the Falcons, and the outside noise is beginning to swell. 

Bijan Robinson says this team cannot afford to listen to that noise. 

“We don’t listen to none of that. We can’t,” the running back said after the game on Sunday. “As soon as you start listening to external noise or outside stuff, whether it’s good, great, or bad, you start to feed into it, and that’s what divides a team.” 

The Falcons find themselves at a crossroads, sitting at 3-4 through the first eight weeks of the season. The NFC figures to be extremely competitive this season, and the 6-2 Buccaneers have shown no signs of slowing down. The season is still young, but time is quickly running out. 

Any reset that could come with a bye week has already come and gone. Whatever progress they make will have to come on a week-to-week basis from here on out. 

Head coach Raheem Morris has already confirmed that whatever reset happens will happen with the offensive staff currently in place.

“It’s not going to be great for us, and we understand it,” Robinson continued. “We can’t feed into it. I’m going to try my hardest, as a leader of the team, as a brother, as a teammate, to make sure that we’re not feeding into none of that noise because as soon as that creeps into your mind, then everything spirals.”

While the offense has been under fire for the last two weeks, the defense has also quietly started to slip. Divine Deablo was placed on the injured reserve ahead of Week 8, and the Falcons' defense did not look the same on Sunday without him.

The Dolphins hit the Falcons with a steady dose of De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle, knifing through them all afternoon. Too often, the Falcons were a step slow. The Dolphins dominated time of possession (37:58) and succeeded on 46% of their conversion opportunities, slowly sucking the life out of the defense. 

Atlanta would have their moments, but Miami would just keep chugging along. 

“There were so many TFLs, so many good rushes, so many good moments. But then it would drag on. The series would drag on,” linebacker Kaden Elliss said. “The next play would be theirs, instead of stacking one or two.” 

The only other experience where the Falcons let a score get away from them was against Carolina in Week 3. Elliss said this one was different because they did not have those positive moments in Carolina, but that does not make this any less irritating for this defense. 

“I feel frustrated because that's two times a score like that's been put on the board against us,” he explained. “It’s very interesting. It’ll be one where we have to go look at the film. But again, I'm saying it, ‘I’m thankful we’ve got ‘Rah’ [Raheem Morris] who will guide us,’ and we'll be good.”

Ups and downs are a part of any NFL season, but not to the level the Falcons have been going. In the big moments, the Falcons have often risen to the occasion, but the same cannot be said about the games they were overwhelming favorites.

Several Vegas sportsbooks had the Falcons favored by -4.5 points over Carolina and -7.5 over Miami. They lost those two games by a combined 54 points.

Morris called it the “up-and-down roller coaster,” but really, it is just inconsistency. At first glance, it appears that the players are overlooking teams they deem to be below average, but the head coach stated that this is not the case.

Regardless, the Falcons have to find their way off the ‘roller coaster’ of results. 

“This is my third year, and I don’t want to keep saying, ‘We played low on Sunday and high on another Sunday,’” Robinson said. “Consistency has been the biggest thing for us as a team, and that’s what needs to be preached. Just being persistent every single day.”

Right guard Chris Lindstrom called the connection between the staff and players “rock solid,” but that will be put to the test after what happened again on Sunday. 

The last time the Falcons experienced a brutal loss like this, it almost served as a galvanizing moment for them. With their backs against the wall after a 30-point beatdown in Carolina, they responded with two straight wins against viable playoff opponents (Buffalo, Washington). Now, they will have that opportunity again with a pair of streaking AFC opponents on tap (New England, Indianapolis). 

How they respond will likely determine the outcome of the rest of this season, but it may also shape the future of this franchise.