All season long, there has been no team that's been more difficult to predict than the Atlanta Falcons. Just when fans thought they knew what to expect from this team, Raheem Morris' group would perform in a way that made us reconsider everything we thought we knew about this Falcons' team.
When the Dirty Birds pulled off upsets over the Commanders and Bills in Weeks 4 and 6, they looked like a playoff contender but haven't since. Atlanta has lost six of their last seven games and are poised to miss the playoffs again because this team is fantastic at playing down to their competition.
This team has been inconsistent all season long, and one stat perfectly encapsulated just how bad things have been. In seven games where the Falcons have been outright favorites, they logged a measly 1-6 record which includes losses to the Dolphins, Jets, and a season sweep by the Panthers.
Falcons' struggles are mainly because of their inability to take down weaker competition
This team had playoff aspirations entering the season, yet would be picking in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft if the season ended today—and they don't even have a first-round pick. The Falcons are sitting at 4-8 due to inconsistency across the board, but Zac Robinson's offense is the main culprit.
Their Week 4 win against Washington was the only game in which they surpassed 30 points this season, yet only scored 24 or more points in six of their 12 games. For a unit that's led by offensive weapons like Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson, that level of ineptitude is inexcusable.
However, in the five games as underdogs, the Falcons are 3-2 with two of those victories coming in primetime against the Vikings and Bills. Both of those wins came while Jeff Ulbrich's defense was playing its best football of the year, which has resulted in another late-season implosion in Atlanta.
Since then, the Falcons have battled struggles on both sides of the ball, but that's more an indictment of the coaching staff rather than the roster. Yes, it's incredibly difficult to win games on Sunday, but if Morris and his staff can't even win the games they're expected to win, why are they still employed?
Losing to bottom-tier quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor and Bryce Young is bad enough, but it's incredibly confusing after Michael Penix Jr. out-played Josh Allen earlier this season. And whether it's Penix or Kirk Cousins starting, the most consistent part about the Falcons is their lack of consistency.