Two things can be true at the same time. The Atlanta Falcons are 6-4 and sitting atop the NFC
South. Kirk Cousins has played sound football the last few weeks, while Drake London, Darnell
Mooney, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson are all on pace to have career years. Through the first
ten weeks, the Falcons have shown resilience, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat several
times. They took advantage of an overaggressive Nick Sirianni and a Saquon Barkley drop to
upset the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Two weeks later, they managed to eke out a win
against their archrival New Orleans Saints without scoring an offensive touchdown. A week
later, they won an overtime thriller at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These three
wins have the Falcons in the best position they’ve been in this late into the season since their
last playoff appearance in 2017.
However, along with an anemic pass rush and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s questionable
game plans week in and week out, the team’s play in “trap games” against inferior opponents is
a concern. The Falcons’ play in New Orleans during this past week’s 20-17 loss to the worst
iteration of the Saints in 20 years only underscored this troubling trend. Ultimately, it falls on the
shoulders of head coach Raheem Morris and the rest of the coaching staff for not having the
team prepared.
Now, there is no doubt that the Falcons’ rivalry with the Saints is one of the oldest and most
competitive in the NFL, to the point where team records become irrelevant. Every matchup is
guaranteed to be hard-fought. Take, for example, the 2019 season. The Saints, still led by Drew
Brees and former head coach Sean Payton, were 7-1, riding a six-game win streak (most of
those without Brees) and coming off a 13-win season and NFC Championship appearance.
Meanwhile, the Falcons were struggling at 1-7, having lost six straight, with head coach Dan
Quinn’s firing seeming like a matter of when, not if. Yet, despite the glaring disparity, the Falcons
marched into the Superdome and dominated, defeating the Saints 26-9. Or look back to 2012,
when the Falcons entered New Orleans at 8-0, boasting what remains arguably the most
talented roster in franchise history. The Saints, still reeling from the “Bountygate” scandal and
Payton’s season-long suspension, pulled off an upset, handing Atlanta its first loss of the year.
However, this is bigger than just a tough loss to a bitter rival. Once again, it’s about trends.
For three quarters against the 3-7 Carolina Panthers, Andy Dalton (yes, that Andy Dalton)
seemingly had his way with the Falcons’ defense, including a play at the end of the first half
where Dalton escaped a Lorenzo Carter sack and scrambled for a first down. The Panthers
would score a touchdown shortly after. Atlanta, nonetheless, was able to put Carolina away in
the fourth quarter. Fast-forward a week later. The Seattle Seahawks have played lackluster
football since their 3-0 start to the season, posting a 1-5 record since. Their one win: a
convincing 34-14 victory against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In that game, Atlanta
committed nine penalties, gave up a 31-yard touchdown to DK Matcalf to end the first half, and
turned the ball over three times, including a strip sack on the Cousins in the fourth quarter that
was returned for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach.
After the game, Morris admitted to the team not being fully prepared for the game.
“We came out flat,” Morris stated. “I didn’t prepare them well enough to come out the right way.”
Well, if that was the case, then what exactly have Morris, Lake, or the rest of the coaching staff
learned from it? Anything?
To follow up the home loss to the Seahawks, the Falcons’ defense forced three turnovers and
came out with a win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, completing their first season sweep
of the Bucs since 2018. However, Atlanta’s defense surrendered 432 total yards to the Bucs’
offense, missing their all-pro wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Falcons now
just played subpar football against a three-win Saints team that had just fired their head coach,
features an aging roster with salary cap issues, traded away all-pro defensive back Marshon
Lattimore, and are dealing with a plethora of injuries on both sides of the ball. Falcons fans can
be frustrated with kicker Younghoe Koo’s performance not only from this game but this season.
Since starting the season a perfect 9-9, including a 58-yard game-winner against the Saints in
Atlanta, Koo has converted just eight of his last 15 field goal attempts, including two for his last
seven. This past Sunday, he was 1-4 with two misses with another attempt blocked.
However, it is also important to emphasize how Saints’ quarterback Derek Carr and wide
receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling, who just joined the team, were able to take advantage of
two costly defensive breakdowns, including a 40-yard touchdown pass where Valdes-Scantling
was able to get behind three of Atlanta’s all-pro defensive backs: Justin Simmons, Jessie Bates,
and AJ Terrell. Much like the Seahawks game, costly penalties stalled a nice-looking drive for
the Falcons, forcing them to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown in the third quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, usually consistent and reliable veterans in Cousins and longtime
tackle Jake Matthews made costly errors that sealed Atlanta’s fate. Right before the two-minute
warning, Cousins forced a pass over the middle to London and was intercepted by safety
Tyrann Mathieu. Nonetheless, an Alvin Kamara drop on the ensuing drive gave Atlanta one last
chance to salvage the game. With Atlanta approaching midfield with under a minute to play,
Matthews gave up a strip sack to defensive end Chase Young. The play cost Atlanta nearly 20
yards and forced them to burn their final timeout with just 34 seconds left, ending the team’s
hopes at a comeback.
Add all of the above together, and you have a team that simply looked unprepared for a game
against their arch rival and seemed to have overlooked another opponent. The team used a rare
“walk-through” practice on Wednesday, and prior to the game, Morris was reluctant to call it a
“trap game,” stating that “there is no trap game in the National Football League” and “every
game you have to be about your business.”
While Morris is right in regards to the amount of parity in the NFL and the concept that any team
can win or lose on “any given Sunday,” it’s simply the wrong approach to a game against your
arch rival. The Saints played with nothing to lose and played the game as if it were a home
game against their archrival, while it seemed as if the Falcons played as if it were just another
game. Once again, that lies on the shoulders of the coaching staff for approaching it as such,
and it simply cannot happen. Every game against the Saints is and will always be seen as a
“must win” for the Falcons’ fanbase, regardless of the circumstances. As mentioned earlier,
losing to THIS iteration of the Saints makes it even more disheartening.
Conclusively, Raheem Morris is working diligently to establish a winning culture surrounding a
Falcons’ franchise looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2017. His efforts at
doing so are evident in the team’s resilience thus far. The players seem to have bought into his
vision for the team, enthusiasm, and high energy, along with his ability to relate to them. Despite
Sunday’s loss, Atlanta has followed through on its offseason rallying cry to “outrun the South,”
posting a 4-1 record against NFC South opponents, securing a winning record in division play
for the first time since 2018. However, their approach to “trap games” remains a concern. If
Morris’ Falcons are to meet the expectations they’ve set for themselves, they must improve their
focus and performance against inferior competition. In the NFL, the ability to take care of
business against weaker teams is what separates good teams from great ones, and it’s up to
the coaching staff to ensure their team is consistently prepared. The Falcons will have a chance
to bounce back from their letdown in the Bayou when they travel to Empower Field at Mile High
Stadium to face a young, opportunistic Denver Broncos team, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix,
former Saints head coach Sean Payton, and a stout defense.