Just two weeks ago, the Atlanta Falcons were 2-2 and riding high because of two consecutive dominant road wins on primetime. Now two weeks later, that looks like a distant memory, as the Falcons are 2-4 and cracks are starting to show following losses in two straight winnable games.
In Week 6, Atlanta continued to make mistakes that sunk their hopes of beating the Bears,. While the 31-23 final score indicates the Falcons kept it respectable, it feels like they lost by a lot more, and frankly, they got lucky Chicago took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter because this would've been an uglier defeat. Then again, a 21-7 halftime deficit typically makes it hard to come back.
Whatever way you slice it, this was not an ideal performance from a Falcons team trying to keep up with the Panthers in the NFC South race. Whether it was turnovers, a gruesome Kendal Daniels injury, or this secondary getting burnt to a crisp, nothing could go right for this team until garbage time.
And the best way to do so is to play the blame game. So let's dive into who deserves the most blame for the Falcons' Week 6 loss to a talented Bears team.
Who deserves the most blame for the Falcons' Week 6 loss to the Bears?
WR Zachariah Branch
I'm sure you saw this one coming from a mile away. Zachariah Branch was responsible for not one, but two turnovers on Sunday after coughing up the football twice on special teams. The first came on a muffed punt that set the Bears up inside the 10, and later on in the game he fumbled a kick return.
They scored a touchdown because of the first fumble, and came away with a field goal because of the other, so this was a 10-point swing because of his two fumbles. That is brutal for the confidence of a kid the Dirty Birds should have really high hopes for after taking him in the third round of April's draft.
Of everyone listed here, I want to give Branch the benefit of the doubt. He's a rookie, and rookies make rookie mistakes. But his lack of NFL experience doesn't mean he gets a free pass. He should still be held accountable for his culpability in swinging the momentum in this game.
OC Tommy Rees
Tommy Rees had been doing a really good job calling plays in the three games since Michael Penix Jr. had returned. He was catering to the offense to his QB's strengths, prioritizing the run game and using that to set up deep shots out of play-action, but in Week 6, he decided to stray away from this.
Rather than predominantly lining Penix up under center like he had been all year, Rees changed his tune. According to SumerSports, Penix took 74% of his snaps out of the shotgun to just 24% under center, and while I'm sure plans changed because of the early deficit, this is not an ideal development.
The play-calling has become extremely predictable, the passing concepts are a real concern, and Bijan Robinson's lack of usage these last two games has become wildly frustrating. The second-down screen calls are stalling drives, and right now, he needs to get more out of this elite personnel.
Outside of the Packers and Saints game, Rees hasn't been anything impressive.
CB Mike Hughes
By now, you all should know how I feel about Mike Hughes. This guy is absolutely horrible. There is no world in which Jeff Ulbrich actually believes this guy is a high-level cornerback, because he's awful. He's slow, unathletic, and horrendous in coverage. His only saving grace is being a decent tackler.
And with C.J. Henderson inactive in Week 6, it meant Hughes would step in as the top cornerback--and that went horribly. As I mentioned, Caleb Williams only had six incompletions against this Atlanta secondary, and a large reason as to why is because he kept picking on the former first-round pick.
Hughes (per PFF) was targeted seven times, in which he surrendered seven receptions for 92 yards, both of which marked his worst totals of the season. Thank god the Falcons are about to get A.J. Terrell back because it means they can finally move this guy to the bench where he belongs.
OT Jawaan Taylor
Frankly, I could've given this spot to the entire offensive line for their inability to pick up the blitz, but if we're singling people out, this one has to go to Jawaan Taylor. Entering this matchup he'd been solid for the most part this season, but for the first time all year, Week 6 saw him look like Chiefs Jawaan.
According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor surrendered six pressures and two sacks against the Bears, and he was the one responsible for Penix's game-sealing fumble. He put forth no effort to even try to protect his QB from Kyler Gordon, who logged the strip-sack, and was badly beat off the blitz.
The only two linemen in the NFL to give up more pressures in Week 6 were Tyler Guyton and Abraham Lucas, and not a single tackle recorded a pass-blocking grade worse than his (30.5) that should tell you how awful Jawaan Taylor was.
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