There were many Atlanta Falcons who disappointed in Week 7's ugly loss. They were embarrassed on their home turf and will now travel south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A performance like they had last week cannot happen again.
There will be a lot of pressure on this entire organization to weather the adversity and prove to everyone they are for real.
For that to be done, these three Falcons have to show up and show out in a pivotal Week 8 NFC South clash.
3 Falcons who have the most on the line in Week 8
1. Raheem Morris, HC
Coaching had a lot to do with the Falcons' disappointing loss last week. Whether it was Jimmy Lake calling a Tampa-2 coverage with ten seconds left in the first half or Zac Robinson leading his offense to just 14 points, it was not pretty.
This is Raheem Morris' time to prove he has control of this team. Losses like last week's have derailed the Atlanta Falcons in years past. The new team must prove they have a new culture and it starts by winning on the road to secure the sweep of Tampa Bay.
2. Kirk Cousins, QB
We have heard Matt Ryan tell the story about former head coach Mike Smith telling Ryan, when he was a rookie, that wins and losses reflect directly on two people—the quarterback and head coach. Right or wrong, that is the nature of this sport.
Kirk Cousins watched his offense blow up in the fourth quarter last week starting with his mistake on the fumble. It is up to the franchise quarterback to bounce back and have another great performance against the Bucs.
While we aren't expecting another 500-yard game, we are expecting a clean, efficient game.
3. Matt Judon, OLB
Matt Judon's play has been underwhelming. The trade acquisition that was supposed to fix Atlanta's pass rush has yet to do so. Going into his eighth game with the Dirty Birds, Judon needs to start breaking out of his slump.
Expect the Bucs to run the ball frequently with no Mike Evans or Chris Godwin. Judon's responsibility is to set the edge and not allow Bucky Irving, Rashad White, and Sean Tucker to get outside.
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On passing downs, he needs to start showing some juice. He has to start racking up the pressures or Baker Mayfield will keep breaking the pocket to make plays.