Atlanta Falcons are already in a must win situation on Sunday

After an abysmal defensive effort, the Atlanta Falcons are already in dire need of a win.

The 0-1 Atlanta Falcons take on the 0-1 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a battle of teams looking to not start the season at 0-2. Neither team looked impressive in their week one games, with both teams struggling on one side of the ball while performing rather well on the other side.

For the Atlanta Falcons, to say the defensive effort last Sunday was bad would be an understatement. Let’s give credit to the Seattle Seahawks, and especially Russel Wilson. They played a near-flawless game, with Wilson picking apart the helpless Falcons secondary.

Atlanta Falcons Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris said he made it a point to try and stop the run, not Wilson, and that costs the team greatly. The defensive backs looked lost all game, specifically rookie A.J. Terrell and Isaiah Oliver. The pass rush was inconsistent but certainly looked better than it has in previous years.

The main key points of emphasis should be maintaining Ezekiel Elliott and keeping Dak Prescott in the pocket. Nobody wants a repeat of last week’s game. The defense needs to come out hot and continue to apply the pressure on Dallas’s offense. Offensively, the Atlanta Falcons need to be better in short-yardage situations.

There is no reason why Brian Hill should be in the game to convert a third and one when the team already has proven short-yardage back in Qadree Ollison. Stop making ignorant coaching decisions and utilize the players as they should be utilized.

The Atlanta Falcons will score points, but they shouldn’t have to score 35 plus points every game to try and win. The Falcons defense needs to step up because the Cowboys are coming off of a very mediocre offensive performance.

Dallas has a good defense, but their offense is mediocre and if the Cowboys come out and score 30 plus on Sunday, then changes need to already be made on defense, otherwise, Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff can say goodbye by the halfway point of the season.

The last thing any Atlanta Falcons player, coach, and fan wants to see is another dreadful start to a season. The Falcons play the Green Bay Packers in week three and it only gets harder from there, so it is not farfetched to say that Sunday is a must-win game for the Atlanta Falcons.