The Atlanta Falcons disappointed in primetime, but we still saw performances that give us hope the team can get back on track. We also saw some that will keep them off the track if they can’t adjust in time.
Here’s the Week 7 3 up and 3 down.
Jake Matthews
184 consecutive starts is a remarkable streak; we’ll likely never see another Falcon reach this achievement again. Matthews played through a high-ankle sprain to give his team the best opportunity to win. The Falcons had a shot, but unfortunately, the team couldn’t get their act together and failed to reach their goal.
Matthews was credited with a sack on a play where the entire line lost its rep. Outside of that, he only gave up two pressures. Atlanta is lucky to have an old-school vet like this walking the halls.
Kyle Pitts
When Pitts was allowed to run real routes instead of screens, he dominated. He’s also become one of the more reliable blockers on the team, consistently springing his fellow teammates for solid gains. Pitts isn’t putting up giga numbers, but this year no one’s putting that blame on him because the tape has shown he’s doing everything asked of him at full speed—and doing it well.
It’s hard to understand why Pitts hasn’t been more involved in the passing game. His hands look more reliable than ever, he’s back to outmuscling defenders in traffic, and coming into Week 7, Pitts lead the Falcons in EPA/target against man coverage. This could be the final year of Pitts’ Falcons career, and it would be nice for the offense to maximize it.
Zach Harrison
Harrison makes the up list for the second week in a row; he earned it. The third-year defensive lineman logged another sack and TFL with the game on the line. Harrison was an afterthought last year despite being the best performer any time he got on the field.
Fans often invoke Jimmy Lake’s name, but have forgotten about Jay Rodgers, the defensive line coach who was also fired last year, likely for his player mismanagement and lack of internal scouting. A year later, Harrison is on pace to sign an eye-popping deal and looks like a steal as a former 3rd-round pick.
JD Bertrand
Admittedly, getting called off the bench to tackle Christian McCaffery is no easy feat, but the second-year linebacker looked lost and outmatched on the field. Bertrand’s small stature makes him easier to wash out of run plays, so he has to be one step quicker mentally than his opponents, but he was consistently slow and behind with his first step.
With Troy Andersen traveling the world as an undercover agent, the Falcons’ options behind Devine Deablo are slim, and we will likely see Bertrand’s number called again. The team could explore playing Josh Woods or DeAngelo Malone; they might consider elevating safety to linebacker convert Ronnie Harrison. None of these options are as good as Andersen, which is why the team has been holding out hope he would come back before a situation like this arose.
Elijah Wilkinson
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the replacement tackle. Wilkinson has done well, considering he was primarily signed to be a backup guard, but he’s starting to negatively impact the offense too often. Michael Penix was taking big hits against the 49ers, and most of those came against a simple 4-man rush.
One of those hits caused an injury, and Wilkinson was the one who allowed it. The Falcons tried chipping and providing help when possible, but he was exposed in every 1-on-1 matchup against Bryce Huff and company. Here’s to hoping Storm Norton is healthy soon.
How do your players not know to step out of bounds when they’re on the sideline in a two-minute drill? How do your coaches not realize you have 12 men on the field and then later on the same drive have 10 men on the field during one of the most critical moments of the game? It is frustrating to see mental mistakes like these cost the Falcons time and again.
It is a part of their DNA or “culture,” if you will. This team’s volatility is its greatest weakness, and if they can’t curb their mental mistakes, then they’ll never get more than one game above .500.
The Falcons are 3-3 after a disappointing outing against the 49ers. Frustration is boiling amongst fans because they’ve witnessed Atlanta put together competent games this season, yet they’ve also put up an equal number of incompetent ones. Something’s gotta give.