— 2025 —
The Falcons have lost four consecutive games to reach a 3-6 record as Sunday's Week 11 rematch with the Panthers approaches.
Atlanta's last two losses were against the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, who share the league's best record of 8-2 at the moment. The Falcons lost to the Patriots, 24-23, in regulation and to the Colts, 31-25, in overtime. That's a combined seven points short.
"The NFL, unfortunately, if you're close in every game, it doesn't count for anything," Cousins said. "But when you are close in every game and you've got eight left, it gives you a lot of hope that in those eight anything can happen."
Especially if the Falcons' pull from lessons Cousins and Robinson learned in 2012 and 2023, respectively.
And they kind of already are. They just need to dig in.
The candor Shanahan displayed in Washington? Morris has shown it.
"He calls it 'ripping Band-Aids off' in team meetings," Cousins said. "We got to rip Band-Aids off sometimes. I think that's what coaches need to do, is coach hard and do it in a way that's respectful but also clear and gets things resolved. I think Raheem's done a good job of that from where he's sitting of letting guys know where they stand."
The mix of stress and freedom the Rams felt in Los Angeles? The Falcons have been balancing both, too.
"It's as close of a team as I've ever been around," Robinson said. "Whether it's players to players, coaches to coaches, coaches to players, it is an ultra tight-knit group. …
"Have no doubt: We've got to get this thing fixed. We've got to get it fixed in a hurry."
The Falcons' 2025 playoff hopes are still alive. But they need to beat the Panthers to keep it that way. If not, Atlanta's odds are less than 1% as trends stand.
The time for a turnaround is now. And remember:
"It's been done before," Cousins said.