2. Allowing defenses to chase Kirk Cousins
The biggest gift the Atlanta Falcons gave anyone this season was allowing Cousins to stay in the lineup for so long. The quarterback couldn't move whatsoever and often when hit would drop the ball or throw it to the wrong team. Put pressure on the veteran and good things were bound to happen for the defense. While this is true of many quarterbacks it was an entirely different situation for Cousins.
The quarterback never left his spot in the pocket simply drifting back and standing like a statue until he was ready to let the ball go. At times even an open receiver wasn't safe with Cousins double-clutching until a defender would catch up to the play.
Not only was the quarterback turning the ball over at an incredible rate he was a standing target for pass rushers. There was zero fear of over running the pocket or getting too far behind the quarterback. Simply force Cousins to feel the pressure and he was going to either step into a sack or throw a pass he wanted back. An absolute gift for teams needing to find some life on the defensive side.