Atlanta Falcons Stumble at San Francisco, 17-16
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons stumble into their bye, as their road loss to the San Francisco 49ers 17-16 gives the Dirty Birds a two-game skid into Week 10.
Worst loss of the year. Not just because it was to backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert or the previously 2-6 San Francisco 49ers, but the Atlanta Falcons have are now on a two-game losing streak heading into their Week 10 bye.
The bye is graciously here, as the pass rush is still non-existent, the secondary is not healthy, and the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t run the football against the 28th rated run defense. Atlanta needs a bye in the worst way and thankfully it’s here. This is not the same football team that started the year 5-0.
-= Related: Injuries Piling Up for Niners’ Game =-
Atlanta won the turnover battle, picking Gabbert off twice. The first one was a Phillip Adams grab off a dropped pass from WR Jerome Simpson. The other came when OLB Vic Beasley dropped back into coverage for some reason? I’ll take it, because the pass rush has been tepid at best.
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Matt Ryan had a strong day under center, completing 30 of 45 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown. He has thrown for over 250 yards in 16 straight games, one behind Dan Fouts, and two behind Drew Brees for the NFL record. While we all would have liked more touchdowns, he played a solid game for the Atlanta Falcons. No way is this loss on him.
What did the team in was two-fold: 1. The pass rush remains a hopeless enigma in Atlanta. It’s almost more of the same from last year. 2. Where was the running game? It looked more abandoned than in former OC Dirk Koetter’s offense last year. Because both areas of concern felt like continuations from last year, naturally the Atlanta Falcons came up short.
A lot will come about Dan Quinn deciding to settle for a field goal on the two-yard line inside of three minutes. Atlanta needed the points and the defense was playing well, so I get the decision there. However, the 49ers would have been in terrible field position had they come up with a 4th down stop.
I know that it came from not having faith in the rushing attack. When the running game is going, it’s easier to go for it on fourth down. Devonta Freeman had the lone touchdown for the Atlanta Falcons, but it was through the air. Though he had 8 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, the starting tailback can’t average a yard per carry on the ground and be successful (12 carries for 12 yards).
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Julio Jones broke the 1,000 yard threshold through the air in this game. He had 10 receptions for 137 yards, including an impressive 54-yarder to get the Atlanta Falcons back in it with a late second quarter drive. Freeman would get in the end zone on that drive to make it 17-13 at the half.
Expect the Atlanta Falcons to make some roster moves in their bye to hopefully get better. My guess is that if there is a tweak, it will come on the pass rush as it has been abysmal in 2015. Atlanta might sit at 6-3, but it feels much worse than that. The lone win for the Dirty Birds in a month came up in Nashville to the 2-6 Tennessee Titans, 10-7 two weeks ago.
Next: Atlanta Falcons Look to Bounce Back at 49ers
Entering the bye on a two-game losing streak is worst case scenario, so we’ll have to deal with it until the Atlanta Falcons host the Indianapolis Colts in two weeks. In the meantime, since we need a pick me up: New Orleans and Tampa Bay lost, Green Bay is on a two-game skid as well, and Denver is no longer undefeated. Misery loves company. Until next time, Rise Up!