3 Atlanta Falcons who let the team down in week two

1. Dean Pees

Let’s be fair here the Atlanta Falcons only had a chance to win this game due to Dean’s defense stepping up and getting two key late stops against the Rams. However, there is a reason Stafford was able to connect on his first eleven throws and give the Rams a 25-point lead they would ultimately hold onto.

Dean Pees had his defense flying to the football last week bringing blitzes early and often and putting his secondary in man coverage. This week we watched a lot of early zone play that left Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford plenty of room to pick the secondary apart.

His defensive play calling was far from the main reason Atlanta lost but it was a contributor. Win or lose the Falcons need to be willing to gamble on their young defense and give them a chance to go out and make plays. It is unlikely it will often work out in the Falcons’ favor, however, it isn’t as if playing conservative zone defense is stopping anyone. Jameis Winston picked this same defense apart late to give the Saints a week one win and Stafford carried that same momentum into week two.