The Atlanta Falcons dropped to 3-4 on the season after losing 34-10 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. It is hard to remember as disheartening a loss in recent memory based on how poorly the Dolphins were playing coming into the game. It was a defense ranked at the bottom of the league in every major category, with only one win on the season. Dropping such a winnable game leaves zero reason to believe that this is a franchise with any level of seriousness or ability to end a postseason streak that dates back to the 2017 season.
With this in mind, it is understandable to look at who Falcons fans should be blaming for the loss. A list that could, in truth, include the entire roster and coaching staff just based on how poorly the Falcons played as a unit. Still, there were four names that managed to stand out above the rest, starting with a name not expected to make the list.
RB Bijan Robinson
It seemed that the moment the wheels fell off for the Falcons was when Bijan Robinson's knee kicked up into the ball and knocked it into the hands of a Miami defender in the third quarter. It ended what was Atlanta's best drive of the day and took the life out of the offense. There was a sense that even if your best player is going to make back-breaking mistakes, there wasn't a path back.
Robinson finished the day with only 25 rushing yards on 9 carries and 3 catches for 23 yards. It was as underwhelming a performance as you will see from the star back. As Atlanta's best player, there is a level of responsibility placed on Robinson, fair or not, the back failed to live up to this and helped set the tone for a complete Week 8 failure.
QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins had a chance to make a statement against what has previously been one of the league's worst defensive units. Put together a great Week 8, and there is a little bit of concern from the fan base about the quarterback situation. The quarterback could also potentially create a path to a trade ahead of November 4th's deadline. Instead, Cousins looked old and out of place in a vanilla offense that clearly missed its starting quarterback.
So much of the game it seemed as if the quarterback was still shell-shocked from last season's turnovers. Endless checkdowns and cautious throws that resulted in misses were a consistent piece of a slow start that opened the door for a blowout win for the Dolphins. Not a great moment for a veteran who is quickly running out of time to recapture his career.
OC Zac Robinson
Coming off a frustrating offensive performance against the San Francisco 49ers, one would hope that the offensive coordinator would be a step beyond focused. Even with Penix out of the lineup, you have an experienced starting quarterback and the same offensive core you've been working with previously. Instead, Zac Robinson simply attempted to lean on Bijan Robinson and fell apart when the back wasn't able to carry the load.
Zac Robinson still has no idea how to get the offense to consistently move the football when he cannot put everything on the shoulders of Bijan Robinson. Whether it is a lack of playmakers or a poor offensive strategy is up for debate.
GM Terry Fontenot
Leading to the next piece that deserves blame for the loss, and that is Fontenot, a GM who has done an incredibly poor job of stocking playmakers after their stars. When London is on the bench, the lack of answers is incredibly glaring. It isn't difficult to find answers at receiver either in free agency or in the trade market. If there is any chance of the Falcons' season turning around, it must start with the front office moves.
For Fotenot, it had been a hot start to the year with every defensive move appearing to work. All that excitement has quickly dissipated with a two-game losing streak, making it clear that this team simply cannot be trusted, and a level of blame must be on the shoulders of the top decision-maker.