The Atlanta Falcons' 2026 Season Is Already Over

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The Atlanta Falcons' 2026 Season Is Already Over

Originally posted on TWSN | By Marissa Myers | Last updated Aug 15, 2026 9:30 AM ET

Calling a season over for a team based on just one week of preseason action and before Week 1 even takes place is typically an overreaction. For the Atlanta Falcons, though, the warning signs have become too great to ignore.

The Falcons' 27-7 preseason loss to the Denver Broncos didn't end their season, and the score will become irrelevant as soon as the season begins, but what the game exposed will come back to haunt them when it comes to their success in 2026.

The Atlanta Falcons Do Not Have Their Quarterback Spot Figured Out

The Falcons' biggest goal this offseason under head coach Kevin Stefanski was to find stability at the quarterback position. With Michael Penix Jr still recovering from his torn ACL injury he suffered last season, this led the Falcons to sign Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.

The hope was that in a new situation, Tagovailoa would be able to adjust and get his career back on track. The game against Denver provided doubt that this would be the case.

Tagovailoa completed only three of his five pass attempts against Denver for 22 yards across two drives, and they failed to score both times. Tagovailoa even had a botched snap which could've resulted in a Broncos recovery had he been a second later in recovering it.

Tua Tagovailoa:

3-of-5
22 passing yards
0 TD, 0 INT

Kyle Pitts was targeted on 4 of the 5 attempts. pic.twitter.com/9UA9sNBBmG
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 14, 2026

This got beyond just Tagovailoa, as even Cooper Rush struggled with completing just seven of his 19 pass attempts for 62 yards and two interceptions, one of which included a 97-yard pick-six. The Falcons finished with only 192 total yards and didn't even have 24 minutes of possession time.

Atlanta's Pass Rush Has Been Gutted

In addition to having no solution at the quarterback position, their pass rush is already a weakness entering the 2026 season.

James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker were envisioned to be the foundational players on the defensive line for the future. That won't be the case in 2026.

Walker suffered a torn ACL during training camp and will miss the entire season. Pearce, meanwhile, has been suspended for the first eight games of the season after violating the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.

This leaves Brandon Dorris, Azeez Ojulari, Cam Thomas, and Samson Ebukam as Atlanta's pass rushers who need to step up, which doesn't provide a great outlook heading into the season.

The Falcons have star players like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Jessie Bates, and AJ Terrell, but they have too many questions at key positions, plus a difficult schedule to start the season. Without having a complete team, it is hard to see Atlanta accomplishing much this year.

This article first appeared on TWSN and was syndicated with permission.

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