The Atlanta Falcons will be facing an uphill climb to get their running game back on track against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. They are down at least one starter on their offensive line, left guard
Matthew Bergeron, and may be down another with right guard Chris Lindstrom listed as questionable. Coupled with the continued reliance on backup right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, the Falcons’ offensive line will face their biggest challenge of the season in Germany on Sunday morning.
That challenge will center on the Falcons’ ability to reestablish their run game, which has gone sorely missing as the team works to end their three-game losing streak.
I’ve written about the Falcons’ need to be more physical in recent weeks—a goal the team failed to achieve—and it’s no coincidence that the team is on the verge of matching its longest losing streak under head coach Raheem Morris should they fail to rebound against the Colts. When the Falcons dropped four straight games in 2024, it was easy to blame it on quarterback Kirk Cousins’ excessive turnovers during that stretch. This time, it’s harder to pinpoint one obvious issue behind the Falcons’ recent slide, but their struggles to run the football should be at or near the top of the list.
Falcons’ passing game is still a work in progress
While the development of current quarterback Michael Penix is central to the Falcons’ long-term success, the immediate problem on offense stems from a lack of balance, as the run game has disappeared. As capable as the team’s pass-catchers are, they haven’t been good enough to drive the offense’s success as they did in 2024.
When healthy, wideout Drake London has showcased incredible play, including his three-touchdown performance in last week’s loss to the New England Patriots. London has been the engine of the team’s passing attack, coupled with tight end Kyle Pitts having his best season since his breakout 2021 rookie campaign. Last year, wide receiver Darnell Mooney only trailed Justin Jefferson as the NFL’s most explosive wide receiver. But in 2025, Mooney has been a non-factor, thanks to injuries that sidelined him for nearly all of training camp and a nagging hamstring injury that has plagued him during the regular season.
If London and Pitts can maintain their current level of play and the team can get Mooney back to his 2024 form, the Falcons have a chance to make things interesting in the back half of this season despite their slow 3-5 start. Yet, in the meantime, running back Bijan Robinson should remain the focus and foundation of their offense.
The Falcons owe wins to Bijan Robinson and the ground game
In the Falcons’ three wins this season, Robinson has averaged 129.3 yards rushing. However, in the team’s five losses, Robinson’s per-game total drops to 41.4. Stats like this can be misleading, given that teams tend to run the ball when they hold leads. However, even if you look only at Robinson’s rushing success in the first quarter, when the scoreboard is less likely to dictate play-calling, this stark split still exists. In the first quarter of wins, Robinson is averaging 44.3 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry. In the first quarter of losses this year, Robinson’s averages dropped to 7.6 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry.
Getting Robinson going early clearly is a huge factor in the Falcons’ success. Yet last week, the Falcons made a paltry attempt to get the run game going against the Patriots, with just three runs to nine passes in the first quarter. It was expected to be difficult to run against a stout Patriots run defense, but the Falcons didn’t even try.
If the Falcons can’t maintain more balance on offense, then their offense is essentially dead in the water until Penix reaches the next stage of his development. Penix showed significant growth last week in New England, where he had arguably his best career performance on the road. But it’s a step towards success rather than a great leap. Penix is still a ways away from carrying the Falcons offense with his arm, and frankly, asking him to do so at this stage in his career is a bad strategy.
Can the Falcons overcome injuries along the offensive line?
Instead, the Falcons will need potential backups along the offensive line to step up if they are going to restore their run game. Kyle Hinton will likely step in for Bergeron at left guard and was functional last week in New England. If Lindstrom can’t go, the team will likely roll with either newly signed Andrew Stueber or backup center Jovaughn Gwyn. Lindstrom’s possible absence could be devastating given he’s by far the Falcons’ best run blocker, especially with right tackle Kaleb McGary sidelined for the season. And the Falcons are going to need Wilkinson to play better, after prominent struggles in each of the team’s last three losses. The hope was that Storm Norton could take over this week at that spot, but he suffered a setback in his recovery from injury last week, and he may become the second Falcons offensive tackle to go down for the year.
Few would expect the Falcons to be dominant on the ground given these injuries; however, they need to be better. If they can’t, the offense will continue to stagnate, as it has far too often this year, and any hope the Falcons have of finishing this season strong will go away.
