3 Final thoughts on Atlanta Falcons battle against Tampa for NFC South

3. What are the defensive adjustments?

There is reason to have faith in Kirk Cousins and the offense to turn things around. Each week of struggles has been followed by clear adjustments and a leap forward. That should be the case yet again for Zac Robinson's group who has all of the needed pieces. The biggest question facing the Falcons is what can be done to fix the defense.

Atlanta has a lethal combination of being unable to rush the passer or stop the run. A group that was thought to be improved has taken a huge step back. It hasn't mattered who is under center you can count on at least one back-breaking quarterback run and a handful of key missed tackles.

What can Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris do to fix the issues? Will they consider adjusting a scheme that clearly isn't working or look to rotate depth pieces into the lineup looking for new life? The failures rushing the passer can only be fixed by bringing in new talent to the position. However, Atlanta should be more creative with their ability to blitz and get Baker Mayfield off balance early. How this unit comes out tells us a lot about where the season is headed.