We know what the Atlanta Falcons have done well in 2025 thus far. They have run the ball very well three out of four weeks, their pressure has been pretty consistent and far better than at any time in recent
memory, and they’ve had timely turnovers and a handful of big plays to help them pilot their way to a pair of wins.
All of that matters, but I know we’re not alone in believing this team is far from a finished product. With that in mind, and with battles against motivated Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers teams on deck, it’s worth asking how the Falcons can better and fully realize their considerable potential.
Tre’Shon Diaz, Saivion Mixson, and I took a swing at naming three things the Falcons can fix that will help them get there. Let us know your three in the comments, and we’ll get in the swing of Bills week soon enough.
Tre’Shon Diaz
#1: Curb volatility
The team’s worst and best performances of the season occurred just a week apart. It may be October, but a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dynamic won’t lead to sustained winning. The Falcons have to continue to focus on details and execution. This team can stay in any game if they play smart and clean football. The splash plays and high-scoring affairs are fun, but those things don’t happen if the little things aren’t completed.
#2: Fix field position woes
Atlanta’s field position woes stem from a myriad of issues. Trouble fielding knuckle balls against the Panthers (kicker Ryan Fitzgerald is already prolific at this technique), missed field goals, bad coverage and lane discipline on punts and kickoffs, and an offense that has stalled out or turned the ball over. Some of these are bigger strains than others, but all need to be mitigated as much as possible. The team can’t keep putting its defense in tough spots while making it harder on themselves to score points.
#3: Improve play-action
While the offense did see a significant improvement in Week 4, the play-action offense is still leaving a lot to be desired. Outside of two positive plays, the rest were duds.
The volume is as low as the efficiency. The touchdown to Kyle Pitts was a step forward, but Zac Robinson needs to pick up the pace if he wants to see sustained success on offense. The Falcons current play-action playbook doesn’t mesh well with their run game. The play-action concepts they run don’t mirror the run-actions that are a staple of the offense, and that’s holding back the full potential of play-action. If Robinson doesn’t make this adjustment, these plays will continue to yield more busts than booms.
Saivion Mixson
#1: Continue Spreading the Ball Around
As much fun as it is to smash the Bijan button, if Sunday was any indication, this offense is at its best when everybody is involved. Sunday marked the first time that the trio of first-round picks, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts all had a touchdown. With that, it was the 10th-most efficient game played by any team, generating an impressive 0.25 EPA/play and a 12th-best 6.8 yards per play. Atlanta’s ability to move the ball and attack the Washington defense from so many different angles forced Washington out of their run-first plan and into the inconsistent arm of Marcus Mariota, leading to Defensive Rookie of the Month, Xavier Watts’ 2nd interception of his young career.
#2: Clean up Special Teams
It feels like overkill, but, seriously, the special teams have to improve. Atlanta is 8th-worst in the NFL with 1.81 points per drive. Part of that is because the Falcons have that uphill battle, giving up almost two yards on average on offense and allowing opposing offenses almost three yards before the drive even begins. It can’t continue. This is a talented football team that should be able to make a run at the playoffs. However, there are some key areas for improvement, including fielding kicks cleanly, improving punt coverage, and making field goals more consistently.
#3: Keep playing aggressively
The Falcons have a back-to-back primetime stretch after the bye week of maybe the best team in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills, and a San Francisco 49ers team that looks to be getting hot, even with Mac Jones instead of Brock Purdy at quarterback. But that can’t stop you from continuing to push the ball down the field, like you did against the Commanders. Atlanta needs to find a way to continue to dictate the pace, like they did against Washington, whether that means finding matchups with Bijan Robinson on an unsuspecting linebacker or Kyle Pitts and Drake London bodying a smaller defender in the intermediate parts of the field. This team has the talent to go toe-to-toe with virtually any defense in the NFL right now, but they have to plan and play like that.
Dave Choate
#1: Improve the run defense
Atlanta’s just 18th in rushing yards allowed, but 10th in yards per carry, and they’ve allowed over 100 yards in three of four weeks thus far. That’s not to say the run defense has been terrible, but we’ve seen poor tackling at the second level and not enough push up front, and that’s concerning with some great rushing attacks like Buffalo and San Francisco on deck. Yes, I know Christian McCaffrey has had a shaky year. No, I don’t trust that to continue against Atlanta.
The Falcons need to ensure they’re handling their gap assignments effectively and that they find the best early down combination up front to keep opposing rushing attacks in check, or teams will lean heavily on the ground game to avoid having to pass against a defense that has mostly done quite well. Getting Ta’Quon Graham back should help the Falcons further solidify their early down run defense, but they need a bit better from everyone to ensure they don’t get gashed in the coming weeks.
#2: Lean on the run on offense
Bijan Robinson is hurtling toward a career year, and Tyler Allgeier has been every bit the ill-tempered bowling ball this Falcons team needs late in games against dispirited defenses. While the Falcons have the talent to be a high-flying passing attack, they’re best when they don’t need to rely on it (and create pressure-packed situations) for that attack.
The proof is in the numbers. The Falcons are 6th in the league in rushing yards per game, Bijan is 10th in success rate and Allgeier is 22nd, and both are excelling at powering through first contact, with Robinson fourth in the NFL in yards after contact and Allgeier sitting at 18th out of 44 qualifiers.
Running is working, so the Falcons should continue to prioritize it until teams prove they can stop it, with the added benefit of increasing your chances of catching teams off guard when you do utilize play action.
#3: Clean up special teams issues
It would be much easier to score and prevent teams from scoring if the field position battle was not being lost so regularly. As Saivion noted on Twitter, the Falcons are the 7th worst team in opponent starting field position and the 4th worst in terms of their own starting field position, which makes life harder for the offense and the defense alike.
If Parker Romo can be consistent and the Falcons can start pinning teams deeper while getting 5-10 precious extra yards to help the offense out, the Falcons will be more dangerous than they are now. That’s a worthwhile goal, and one I trust Marquice Williams and company to figure out.
