Atlanta Falcons Make It Two Wins In A Row With Win Over Carolina

For the second week in a row, the Atlanta Falcons won against an NFC South opponent. Similar to last week, the Falcons won the game with their defense.

Who is this team and what has happened to them for the last two weeks? The Atlanta Falcons have, somehow, transformed into an all-time defense in the last two weeks. For the second week in a row, the Falcons defense held their opponents to no touchdowns in a game. Eight quarters of football and no touchdowns. It’s amazing and confounding all at the same time.

It’s hard to put into words how stout the Atlanta Falcons defense has been. The Falcons defense would fall short in their pursuit to match the sack total of last week, six, by coming up short to five, but still a very impressive showing for this defensive front. With the sacks, this week, the Falcons picked off Kyle Allen four times on Sunday. It was an all-around outstanding game from the defense, the unit that has led to these two wins in the last two weeks.

Matt Ryan and company did enough to run the score up, even though they didn’t have to work hard to outscore the Panthers 3. Ryan threw for over 300 yards with Calvin Ridley being his main target for the day. With Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman both missing, the Falcons did a good job spreading the ball around all day. The Falcons offense continues to look better and better with each passing week.

With Devonta Freeman missing, the Falcons needed one of their running backs to step up in this game. I predicted Brian Hill would have a big game. I was wrong. It was Kenjon Barner who would make the big play for the Falcons. Barner returned a punt for 78 yards and a touchdown. Barner also rushed the ball twice and even threw a pass. An impressive day for the versatile Barner.

Now, with the Falcons at 3-7 and with Tampa Bay coming to Atlanta, is it time to start thinking about these Falcons pulling themselves out of this massive hole? I’ve been a big part of calling this season a loss since the 1-7 start, but with the way this Falcons team has played the last two weeks, it’s easy to start to get excited again. Maybe, it’s unrealistic to expect this team to run the table, but it’s possible at this point. I’m not sure even the most optimistic Falcons fan thought this team could win on the road in back-to-back weeks in New Orleans and Carolina but here we are. It took the Falcons ten weeks to put it all together, but now that it’s together, let’s enjoy the ride.