The Atlanta Falcons enter their Week 5 bye week feeling good about themselves after a big home win against a team they had struggled with in recent years, the Washington Commanders.
The young season has had its fair share of disappointment, headlined by Younghoe Koo's game-tying miss against the Buccaneers and the goose egg the team laid in Carolina.
On a smaller scale, there has been one disappointment that we cannot ignore on the offense: Darnell Mooney.
After a special year in 2024, the veteran receiver has struggled to stay on the field, and even when he has been out there, he has been a non-factor. It has been a brutal season for the No. 2 receiver.
Darnell Mooney's early struggles should concern the Falcons in a major way
Mooney's NFL career has been characterized by a lot of up and downs. He started with a solid 600-yard, four-touchdown rookie season for the Bears, followed by a breakout 1,000-yard season the following season.
However, things went downhill from there in Chicago, as he failed to break 500 yards in the final two years of his rookie deal due to quarterback instability.
The 27-year-old signed a three-year $39 million contract with the Falcons last offseason and quickly proved his worth with a near-1,000-yard, five-touchdown season. And he would have eclipsed 1,000 had he played in Week 18.
Entering the 2025 season, expectations were for him to reach the century mark while improving on his career-high five touchdowns.
But then came a shoulder injury in training camp that held him out for many weeks, including the season opener against the Buccaneers. He would end up returning in Week 2, and has played in every game since.
Unfortunately, he has not looked like the same player he was last year. His injury has lingered, he has had no chemistry with Penix , and he has struggled to catch the ball.
In three games, he has just 7 catches on 16 targets for 79 yards, no touchdowns, and two drops. That is a 40-catch, 448-yard season-long pace.
Those stats are brutal in every sense of the word... Hauling in just 43% of the balls headed your way is terrible, not to mention the high drop rate that has come with it.
Now, we have to worry about his hamstring after he tweaked it and didn't return against the Commanders. Fortunately, he will get extra rest with the bye week coming.
This is a player the Falcons have to get back because he is the vital to the offense. Without him, they lack a speedy, quick, downfield threat at the receiver position.
Hopefully, his hamstring injury won't prevent him from establishing chemistry with his new QB1 over the extended break.