The Atlanta Falcons did get a few strong performances in yesterday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bijan Robinson had a pretty solid line considering he was facing an elite run defense, Jessie Bates and Mike Hughes both saved touchdowns with excellent plays at the goal line, and Jahan Dotson pulled off a surprise 76-yard catch and run late in the game.
All that went to waste thanks to an atrocious performance at quarterback by Michael Penix Jr. and equally bad run defense from the Falcons. As Penix threw a career-high four interceptions, Atlanta allowed the Bucs to run for over 300 yards and average nearly six yards per carry.
As is appropriate, the Falcons have earned an awful grade for the week from John Breech at CBS Sports. He has them
a hair over a failing grade at D-.
"The Falcons better hope that they don't see any more rain this season, because it's pretty clear Michael Penix Jr. doesn't play well when it's wet outside. With a heavy downpour falling, the Falcons tried to get their passing game going, but that plan backfired on a day when Penix threw four interceptions... The Falcons' defense deserves some credit for holding the Bucs to just six points despite four interceptions, but it doesn't deserve credit for much else. The Falcons got steamrolled for 324 yards on the ground, which is the most they've ever given up in a single game in franchise history."
The elements definitely played a role in the loss, and perhaps the best thing to do coming out of this one is simply burn the tape and move on to the next game.
The problem there is that this was supposed to be a reprieve in the middle of a murderer's row of opponents on the Falcons' schedule. Next up are the Cincinnati Bengals, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Detroit Lions - all of whom can be considered Super Bowl contenders.
If the Falcons can't beat an inferior Buccaneers team that didn't complete a single pass, it's really difficult to imagine them beating any of those three teams.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons earn awful grade for shutout loss to Buccaneers
