The Atlanta Falcons came ready to play out of their bye week, and while the offense stumbled in the second half, the defense never faltered. It’s hard to pick one defender, but we all know who’s representing the offense this week.
Here’s the Week 6 3 up and 3 down.
The third-year player has come into form and is a force of nature. Harrison plays all over the defensive line and impacts the game in both the run and pass. Monday night, he applied pressure on both of Josh Allen’s interceptions. The game-clincher was a culture-defining effort: Harrison, after being knocked down, got up and closed the gap on Allen, which led to a deflection and turnover. Harrison has flashed in prior years, but he’s finally getting enough snaps to make a larger impact, and it is paying off. We’re seeing the same thing happen with the young lineman playing beside him.
The mastermind behind one of the best defenses in the NFL deserves all the praise he’s receiving. Ulbrich has gotten production from every level of depth on this roster and has taken Raheem Morris’ defense and molded it into his image. The Falcons zone-heavy coverage scheme has been paired with an aggressive blitzing front, and that formula is leading to one of the past passing defenses Falcons fans have seen in a long time.
The Falcons lead the league in blitz rate coming into the game, and many wondered if that trend would continue against Josh Allen, who teams really blitz. Not only did it continue, but it was the highest blitz rate Allen had seen since 2021. This staff is coaching like one of the best in the league, and their players are fully committed to the cause and leaving it all on the field.
He’s the best weapon in football, and the numbers back it up. The Falcons offense runs through Bijan, who has lived up to his generational hype all season and just posted a 238-yard performance on Monday Night Football. His 81-yard touchdown even had LeBron James gushing—Robinson has officially hit superstar status. It feels like history has repeated itself, and the Falcons have the perfect running back to pair with a developing quarterback.
But it’s not just Michael Penix; Bijan makes life easier for everyone. He creates opportunities for himself and rarely misses ones created for him by his line. He is on pace to be the best running back in the team’s history by the time his rookie contract ends. This is a once-in-a-lifetime player we are lucky to call a Falcon.
According to PFF’s grading system, Bijan Robinson was the 10th-best offensive player last night across both teams, and A.J. Terrell was the second-worst-performing cornerback in the game. Look, [PFF](https://www.pff.com/) offers legitimate advanced stats that help give more insight than volume stats ever could, but it’s time to stop sharing PFF grades as evidence of how good or bad a player was. The system is clearly flawed, and as consumers of the NFL, it’s time to stop legitimizing these in conversations. Players and coaches have talked about the flaws for years, but this talking point is finally coming to a head.
It’s never good to be a healthy scratch, especially when someone above you on the depth chart is already missing the game with an injury. Six weeks into the NFL season, McCloud has found himself as the odd man out. If this team is destined to be the run-first offense many believe it to be, then McCloud could find himself as the most expendable receiver in the room.
Raheem Morris said the decision to deactivate him was performance-based and that tracks. McCloud has had multiple errors in every game and lacks dependable blocking. Morris has said that McCloud will have the opportunity to continue competing for playing time, but it will be an uphill battle if the run game remains this team’s focus.
No one should be scared of a 30-yard field goal attempt, but that’s the world Falcons fans are living in. The Falcons gifted the Bills a blocked field goal that looked doomed from the start, and it’s another gaffe in a long list of mishaps for the unit. If the troubles continue, then this kicking game will cost the Falcons down the road. There aren’t many options available to the team; it’s doubtful they will change anything on a short week, so prepare to grit your teeth again when the kicking operation takes the field.
The Falcons are 3-2 and heading into another primetime bout against the 49ers. If the defense and Bijan Robinson can keep rolling, then nothing can stand in this team’s way.
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