Five Bye Week Thoughts About the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons’ staff set a goal to establish its pass rush late last season during their Week 12 bye week. They responded with 21 sacks over their final six games (they had just 10 in the eleven games before that).

This season, they will have a similar goal, says Raheem Morris. 

“I think the pass rush, I don't know if it was a goal in last year's [bye week]. I think that was a theme of life around here,” Morris said. “You want to go find ways to finish some of those sacks.”

Atlanta has enjoyed a much-improved pass rush, but they have slipped a bit in recent weeks. After picking up 15 and 16 quarterback pressures in the first two games of the season, the Falcons have totaled just 17 total pressures in their last two games. A lot of that has to do with the type of teams they faced, with a pair of run-first teams in the Panthers and a Marcus Mariota-led Commanders. 

They have done well to maximize those opportunities, with a team sack rate of 8.1% (ninth in the NFL), but they can certainly improve on finishing. 

Offensively, Morris wants this team to continue striving to establish its identity. The deep passing attack, a major strength for this team in the final weeks of the 2024 season, has been lacking thus far in 2025. On Sunday, they appeared to rediscover some of that success. 

“I think our identity came out in a major way yesterday when it came to running the football and then being able to get some of those throws off in play action pass,” Morris said. “We got the long ball going, so to speak, yesterday.” 

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is fresh off his best performance of the 2025 season, in a game where he threw for a pair of touchdowns and a career-high 313 yards. The second-year quarterback flashed some of that tremendous potential that the staff saw in him in Weeks 16-18 last season. 

Now, he needs to learn how to do it consistently. 

BUILDING CONSISTENCY 

Speaking of consistency, the entire Falcons team can look to build on that. The 2025 season has been a roller coaster through four weeks, with ebbs and flows every week. If the Falcons want to reach their first postseason in seven years, then they need to find that gear. 

“We’ve got to find a way to be consistent and that, and that's the main thing,” left guard Matthew Bergeron said. “We’ve got to find a way to be consistent and be able to play at that level every weekend.”

Far too often, the Falcons have had strong performances that have been followed by lackluster ones. Consistency is often what separates the good teams from the great teams, and it is a lesson that the Falcons must learn if they want to reach the next level in this league. 

UPDATES ON INJURED FALCONS

The Falcons were slapped with several critical injuries since training camp closed at the end of August. Kaleb McGary was the most significant, with his leg injury costing him the 2025 season, but swing tackle Storm Norton was also lost for the early portions of the year. After being placed on injured reserve (IR) coming out of roster cuts, Norton can be designated to return as soon as next week. 

In his place, Elijah Wilkinson has stepped in and played at a high level. He has drawn a lot of praise from Morris for his performance. 

“You never want to say that you're not going to be competitive that way, but [Wilkinson’s] playing well right now,” the Falcons head coach said. “We've got to see when Storm is able to come back, how quickly he can get back involved, and get him into the mix. You know, it's a long season, man, and everybody's going to be a significant contributor at some point. I'm just glad I got him. I'm glad Elijah's been able to play well.”

Similarly, defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham was on the IR coming out of camp. The Falcons have six listed linemen, but only one other player who weighs 300 pounds or more. His physical presence could help elevate the interior defense. 

In the same vein, linebacker Troy Andersen has yet to make an appearance for the Falcons this season, on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or Flowery Branch. He was last seen in a Week 14 loss to the Vikings. Andersen missed all of training camp after being put on the PUP list in July, and subsequently on the PUP/reserve list to start the season. 

Divine Deablo has stepped into his role and played at an elite level, so the Falcons are unlikely to rush the former second-round pick back. 

The Falcons head coach did not provide much of an update on any of these players. 

As for those injured during the season, namely cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. and wide receiver Darnell Mooney, Morris has varying levels of confidence in when they will return. Both are suffering from hamstring injuries, but Morris specifically noted that Terrell should be back after the bye week. 

"I don't know anything about Mooney other than – we'll have to see from this week,” he said. “Obviously, he left [Sunday’s game against Washington] with the hamstring. So, we'll see. I don't know how bad it was, but I don't think it's something too bad. But we'll get a check. I'll get a feel for it later.”

SOLIDIFYING THE RUN DEFENSE

Atlanta’s uptick in defensive prowess has been notable this season. They are second in total defense and have done well to keep their opposition out of the end zone (their seven touchdowns allowed are tied for fourth in the NFL). 

In terms of rush defense, they are closer to the middle of the pack (15th, allowing 109.0 yards per game), but that has a lot to do with their explosive run rate (10 or more yards). 

Of the 436 yards they have allowed on the ground, nearly a third of that (143 yards) came on just seven plays. That includes three carries for 86 yards against the Commanders in Week 4.

Four of those explosive plays came from the quarterback, but it will be a critical aspect of their Week 6 game plan with reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills coming to town. Beside Allen is another weapon in James Cook, so they must find a way to shore up their run defense ahead of this matchup. 

FIGURING OUT THE KICKOFF 

The new kickoff rule has had a tremendous impact on the NFL this season, with more kickoffs being returned than at any point in league history. The seemingly minor tweak the league made during the offseason has players returning 78.3% of kicks. 

Since players have to wait for the ball to be touched or hit the ground, the league has seen a precipitous rise in the use of a “knuckleball” kick. 

“The kickoff rule has really affected everything,” Raheem Morris said. “Right now, the knuckleball is in play. We fielded them really good [against Washington], and didn't let them hit the ground. All those things are consistent across the league. When you go back and you study other people, you see the problems that it's given everybody. So, it's really been a big part of the game, which was the goal, right, of the kickoff rule coming back. It brought the play back into the game. It's created a lot of fan excitement, I think. It's given coaches a little anxiety, to be honest. But, it has definitely brought the fun part of the game back.”

The resulting hidden yardage won and lost in the return game has largely been unkind to the Falcons. The absence of Jamal Agnew certainly left them in a bad spot – he exited the Buccaneers game with an injury, and proceeded to miss the next two weeks. The Falcons missed his presence, but he made his return last Sunday against Washington.  

The specialist is averaging 25.2 yards per return compared to the team’s total of 20.6 yards per return without him. 

Atlanta was in a particularly bad spot against Carolina in Week 3, with their starting field position coming around their own 18-yard line. Unsurprisingly, they struggled in that game. 

Special teams coordinator Marquice Williams says they have been working on this type of kick throughout the summer, but it certainly will continue to be a point of emphasis for this team over the bye.