The Atlanta Falcons are 2-4, and it's getting harder to figure out what this team actually is… Atlanta started the season 0-2, responded with back to back blowout wins, then blew a late lead against the Baltimore Ravens before losing 31-23 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Through six games, the Falcons have looked both like a team capable of making a run in the NFC South and one that could be out of the playoff picture before Thanksgiving. Miles Garrett summed up the problem well, pointing to Atlanta's two bad losses, two convincing wins and two inconsistent performances affected by quarterback play. Nobody knows who this team is yet.
It's hard to argue with that assessment. The Falcons have shown they can beat good teams like the Packers and Saints, but they haven't figured out how to consistently find ways to win despite having the bones of a competitive team. With the 6-0 San Francisco 49ers coming to Atlanta next week, that's becoming a serious problem for Kevin Stefanski in his first season as head coach.
Sunday's loss was especially frustrating because Atlanta had a chance to get back on track after letting a win slip away against Baltimore. Instead, the Falcons fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and trailed 31-7 entering the fourth.
Kevin Stefanski is running out of time to help the Falcons find an identity
Atlanta also made life harder on itself with two costly special teams mistakes. Rookie Zachariah Branch muffed a punt that the Bears recovered at the Falcons' 10 yard line, setting up another touchdown. He also fumbled a kickoff return for his worst performance as a pro.
The Falcons didn't start mounting a comeback until the game was nearly out of reach as Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes in the second half. The rally was nice to see, but Atlanta shouldn't need to erase a 24 point deficit to have a chance against the Bears.
Michael Penix Jr. is a big part of the equation. But the Atlanta Falcons need more than a strong finish after spending most of the afternoon trying to recover from their own mistakes from him. And that's on coaching, as Stefanski, Tommy Rees, and Jeff Ulbrich were out-coached these last two games.
The biggest issue, though, is that Atlanta still doesn't seem to know which version of itself will show up each week. The team that dismantled Green Bay looks capable of competing with anybody. The team that fell behind 31-7 against Chicago looks nowhere close.
We've seen inconsistent or unpredictable Falcons teams in the past (I show you both Raheem Morris teams), but this is a whole new level. There are sequences where this team looks like it can be a real playoff contender, and then there's some where they look like a team picking in the top five of the 2027 NFL Draft--and that level of unpredictability is the last thing this new regime should want.
Right now, there isn't a clear answer for how good this team actually is. And with the 49ers coming to town, Atlanta doesn't have much time to find one.
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