The Falcons failed their latest test, as the offense sputtered in a rainy, muddy mess of a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. Now sitting at 3-5, Atlanta’s season rests upon the edge of a knife. Four straight games against playoff contenders await, and if the Falcons can’t manage to scrape out a couple wins, their own playoff hopes will disappear.
The good news is that star pass rusher James Pearce Jr. returns from suspension this week and is expected to play. That’s a welcome boost to a pass rush that has
been good at generating pressure, but fairly average at sacking the quarterback. They’ll need that pass rush, and everything else they can muster, to slow down a lethal Bengals offense in Madrid on Sunday morning.
The Falcons are currently 3-point underdogs to the Bengals in Week 9, per FanDuel. While Atlanta is technically the home team, the international game makes this a “neutral” field situation. This will be the toughest passing game the Falcons have faced yet, so we’ll get a good look at the defense with Pearce back in the fold. This one is likely to come down to the play of Atlanta’s offense, however. Can Michael Penix Jr. bounce back from a career-worst performance to win a potential shootout?
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