ATLANTA (AP) — When the Atlanta Falcons last left Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they had just finished off an impressive 24-14 "Monday Night Football" win over the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 13.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was looking like an MVP candidate and at 3-2, there was legitimate hope Atlanta would end its seven-year playoff drought.
That hope was nowhere to be found Sunday after a 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins dropped Atlanta to 3-4.
Only a
late touchdown by Tyler Allgeier prevented the Falcons from a second 30-point loss this season, something that has not happened to the franchise since 2003.
The Falcons entered Sunday’s game with several key players injured, including quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee), and leading receiver Drake London (hip), and they struggled against the Dolphins, who had just one win prior to Sunday and a struggling quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa who had thrown six interceptions in the two previous weeks.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris wasn’t looking for silver linings after the loss.
“It was bad across the board and it starts with us,” he said. “It’s something that we’ve got to fix all together, and we’ve got to go get those things done this week.”
There was an expectation that Kirk Cousins could step in for Penix and produce for the offense. The 37-year-old made 14 starts for the Falcons in 2024. The four-time Pro Bowler said he felt comfortable in terms of being back on the field for the first time since December of last season, but acknowledged the results were not there. He was 21 for 31 for 173 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, but 76 yards came in the fourth quarter with the game essentially decided.
Cousins led the team on a nine-play scoring drive that resulted in a field goal on the team’s second possession. The Falcons did not score again until late in the fourth quarter when they went 65 yards in 11 plays with Cousins completing 6 of 9 passes.
Corrections are needed elsewhere too, but it was the run defense that really struggled against the Dolphins. Miami tried to take pressure off Tagovailoa with a run game that gained 141 yards, allowing Tagovailoa to use play-action passes.
“They ran the ball with a lot of different variety,” said linebacker Kaden Elliss, who led the Falcons with 12 tackles. “They hit us with gap scheme, inside zone, all the different runs, and marrying some good play-action shots.”
The Dolphins ran the ball on third or fourth down nine times and converted six of them into first downs, including a third-and-9 in the second half that went for a 12-yard run by De’Von Achane.
“(This game) is a tough one to swallow, but we have to swallow it as a group,” Elliss said. “Once we watch the film, we’re going to see a lot of things we don’t like.”
Tight end Kyle Pitts was one of the few bright spots, catching all nine targets for 54 yards, including a 24-yard reception that led to the Falcons’ early field goal. The nine catches were a season high and his 24-yarder was his second-longest reception of the season. He is averaging 49.1 yards per game this season and has one touchdown.
Robinson suffered through his least-productive game of the season, gaining just 25 yards on nine carries and finishing with a season-low 48 yards from scrimmage. He also lost a critical fumble at the Dolphins 19-yard line with Atlanta trailing 17-3 in the third quarter.
S Jessie Bates III injured an ankle in the third quarter and did not return. … London injured his hip during Friday’s practice and was inactive. … Penix will likely be questionable all week with the bone bruise in his knee. … The defense played without LB Divine Deablo (forearm), DE Zach Harrison (knee), nickel Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring) and rookie edge rusher Jalon Walker (groin). Diablo is on the reserve/injured list.
Since Robinson’s 82-yard touchdown run against the Bills, the Falcons have two touchdowns in their past 25 possessions, excluding kneel-downs.
The Falcons will face one of the hottest teams in the league next week when they travel to Foxborough, Mass., and take on the Patriots. New England is 6-2 and has won five straight under first-year coach Mike Vrabel.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
