The Atlanta Falcons fall to 1-2 on the year after coming up short on the road to the Indianapolis Colts. They have to figure it out if they want to contend.
After winning a big primetime game last week at home on Sunday Night Football to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Atlanta Falcons find themselves in the loss column yet again. Atlanta was down 20-3 at halftime to the Indianapolis Colts, falling to them by the score of 27-24 at the end of regulation.
This is the second time this season the Falcons have come out flat in the first half on the road. They lost Week 1 to the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis in a game that was never close. While the Falcons did make a game of this in Indianapolis, they’ve got to figure out how to play a complete game if they want to win the NFC South.
Atlanta is fortunate that two of their rival teams in the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints have injuries to their starting signal-callers. However, the 2016 NFL MVP quarterback Matt Ryan has to stop throwing picks like they are going out of style.
He had a terrible one in the first half that Colts safety Clayton Geathers came up with for an easy interception. Atlanta fell by three points in this game. That atrocious pick by Ryan was ultimately the difference.
Of course, there are other issues Atlanta has to rectify. It looks like they will be without starting strong safety Keanu Neal for some time. He tore his ACL in Week 1’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Neal looks to have suffered an Achilles’ injury on a non-contact play. If he’s out for the year, Atlanta will have to devise a creative way to offset his devastating loss.
Though the Falcons did better in the ground game, they were again without 100 yards rushing in the ball game. Atlanta brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter to be their new offensive coordinator after parting ways with Steve Sarkisian last offseason.
Koetter knows how to move the sticks aerially, but will quickly abandon the run if it isn’t working. With Devonta Freeman finally healthy, when will Atlanta start to be more balanced offensively? We don’t need the Falcons to get to 2016 level, but the offense will need to carry Dan Quinn’s defense while it continues to try to find itself.
And lastly, Quinn has to figure it out fast on his side of the ball. He is now the defensive play-caller after Marquand Manuel was let go this past offseason. He can no longer hide behind a disciple of his’ inefficiencies. This defense will be tied to Quinn this season. He can’t have middling starting quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett carve up his secondary for over 300 yards passing.
If there is a silver lining to Atlanta’s Week 3 loss in Indianapolis, the Falcons weren’t expected to win. They were a 1.5 to two-point underdog on the road to a Colts team that was seen as a Super Bowl contender before former starting quarterback Andrew Luck retired.
Atlanta has played three teams that many felt would make the playoffs at the start of the year in the Vikings, Eagles and Colts. The Falcons will face the 1-2 Tennessee Titans at home next weekend. This is a must-win for the Dirty Birds. If Atlanta can’t get it done, the seat will start to get very hot for Quinn.
There is no juggernaut in the NFC South this year. With Drew Brees and Cam Newton dealing with injuries, a 9-7 record could yield a division championship. Atlanta certainly has the talent to finish over .500 and win the division. The problem is that talent isn’t being used to its fullest.
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An NFL season has its ups and downs. This was a down for the Falcons, but there is a chance they could rise up and take care of business next week. They can’t let Marcus Mariota and the Titans come into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and push them around. Otherwise, ITP, OTP and the entire Peach State will start to turn on their professional football team the rest of the way. Figure it out.