Concerning stat continues to haunt Atlanta ahead of key matchup with Dallas

The Atlanta Falcons are 5-3 on the season and sit in control of the NFC South. With reason to feel they should have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs and played the Steelers within a score the reasons to feel great about this team are many. The loss to Seattle is the lone stain on the season and only reasonable cause for concern. This appears to be the team finally ready to break a playoff drought that has been ongoing since the 2017 season.

If, however, there was one concern holding this team back it is an obvious and well-covered one. Atlanta is heading into Sunday dead last in sacks with only 6.0 on the season and it isn't close. Even the tanking Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots have managed to get the quarterback to the ground more often. It is a stat that speaks to why Atlanta's drafting decisions and offseason caught a level of heat.

Terry Fontenot and the Atlanta Falcons front office failed to fix the most obvious problem

Just as the Atlanta front office deserves credit for Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and adding key depth they must receive the same energy for failing to fix this pass rush. The entire tenure of GM Terry Fontenot has been defined by losing with the most consistent issues being quarterback play and a complete lack of a pass rush.

Yes, adding Kirk Cousins moved the ceiling of the team and fixed your biggest issue from the 2023 season. However, opting to let Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell walk while using your first-round pick on a backup quarterback was a clear mistake. One that could have been easily wiped away if Atlanta managed to add a top tier pass rusher in the free agent or trade markets.

Instead, the Falcons went into the season with Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, and Matthew Judon as their primary options and each player has regressed. As long as Atlanta continues to refuse to spend on an elite pass rusher this team's ceiling is going to be only as far as Kirk Cousins and the offense can drag them.