Atlanta Falcons need to get healthy, fix some issues in mini bye week
One of the benefits of playing on Thursday Night Football is the extra time you get to prepare for the following game. The mini bye week comes at a perfect time for the Atlanta Falcons, who need to get healthy.
Julio Jones has been dealing with a hamstring issue since the Week 1 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, and the extra time off should give him plenty of rest ahead of the next three-game stretch before the bye.
He’s not the only player dealing with an injury. Justin Durant and Mike Person missed Thursday’s game, and Leonard Hankerson and Devonta Freeman have been playing through injuries. By the time the Week 7 game with the Titans rolls around, the hope is most of the ailing players are at full health.
But it’s not just the injury list that needs to improve, but also the sloppy errors we witnessed all too often inside the Superdome. Ball protection, punt protection and even fundamentals as simple as making catches weren’t good enough.
"“There were some of those mistakes that we have executed (properly) before,” head coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “Why did they come up tonight? There was one that came up for us, and I was like, ‘That hasn’t come up for us.’ We have played that technique. We have executed that call. For us to have that come up tonight was hard.”"
One of the most costly mistakes was made by rookie running back Tevin Coleman. With the offense moving the football downfield with ease looking to tie the game up before the half, Coleman broke out a run of 17 yards to the New Orleans 9-yard line.
But he fumbled.
The Falcons’ promising drive ended with nothing, and it was one of many occasions where the offense left points on the field when they should have taken at least three.
"“It’s real tough the way we lost tonight. And the turnovers didn’t help,” Coleman said. “Now that we have a little time before our next game, we can look at film and get better. We have to clean up all of the mistakes we made out there and come out next week rolling.”"
Rolling is exactly what fellow running back Devonta Freeman has been doing. Since taking over the starting job in Week 3, Freeman has totaled 695 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. Getting the ball in his hands often will be a key for the upcoming games.
The fumble aside, Coleman was impressive too. He only had four carries in New Orleans, but he piled on 40 yards, with his speed looking like an excellent complement to Freeman’s power. As the season moves on, the rookie will become a key piece to the offensive puzzle.
One loss in six games by no means spells panic. The Falcons are a good football team, but they are not one without flaws. They have required four fourth quarter comebacks this season, and the Saints exposed some glaring issues Quinn and his team must fix.
The Falcons welcome this mini bye week as a chance to catch their breath, get healthy and get the season back on track next week in Tennessee.