Atlanta Falcons have to start fast out of the gate

The first time since last December, the Atlanta Falcons scored a touchdown on their opening drive of the game. However, they were unable to get anything going after that until the third quarter against the Cardinals.

This trend is something that the Atlanta Falcons need to fix in a hurry if they wanna salvage whatever chance they have to make the playoffs. The Atlanta Falcons have not scored a touchdown on their first two drives of the game since going to Seattle in November 2017.

During their first offensive drive of the game, Matt Ryan and company were able to move the ball down the field with relative ease and put some points on the board which is something they’ve struggled with so far this season.

After that drive, both the offensive and defense looked horrible. There was a play in the game where Kyler Murray found his check down and there was no one within 30 yards of him. Plays like that shouldn’t exist in the league.

Dan Quinn was once again out-coached by the opposition. It seemed as if he had no answer for the rookie quarterback until it was too late. The Cardinals scored on their first five possessions of the game against the Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons must find a way to start fast and keep it up for the whole game. Slow starts are a big reason why they lost their matchups with the Colts, Titans and Vikings, three teams that they have the talent to beat.

The Falcons have only taken the lead into halftime twice this season and have been outscored 107-40 in the first half this year.

If there was a silver lining in the loss against the Cardinals, it had to be Devonta Freeman. He showed up contributing 88-yards on the ground and 30 receiving yards to go with two touchdowns. It might not sound like much, but that type of balance works wonders for the offense.

On defense, they just simply have to play better. This includes tackling, not missing an assignment, blowing coverages, and just playing with outright aggression because the defense has more to prove than anyone else on the team.

All is not lost at 1-5 but it’s pretty close to it. The Falcons need to show up to their game against the Rams ready to play and execute.