The Atlanta Falcons just suffered one of the weirdest losses in NFL history, but it's also one of the most pathetic. In the 16-0 shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons became the first team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to lose a game despite not their defense not allowing a completion.
In his supposed "revenge game" against Kevin Stefanski, Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 passing as the Bucs' offense (as led by former Falcons offensive coordinator) Zac Robinson) ran the football 56 times for 324 yards (5.6 YPC) and a touchdown, and the conditions were a large part of that blueprint.
The game at Raymond James Stadium was hampered by heavy rainstorms, and unlike a matchup in Atlanta, there was no dome to protect the teams from the torrential weather. And that saw both offenses be affected by the weather, which was a reason for the slugfest, but the Falcons looked to be struggling to handle it much worse.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Stefanski revealed the Falcons knew rain was a possibility, but he didn't shy away from using that as an excuse about what went wrong on offense.
"The ball was wet," Stefanski said. "Of course that definitely played a factor (on this game)."
So while he credited the Buccaneers for being more prepared and doing a better job, he frustratingly admitted it played a factor in the result--which isn't what fans should want to hear. If anything, he should blame himself and this staff for not catering the gameplan to what was happening outside.
The Atlanta Falcons are blaming the weather for the loss to the Bucs
Here's where Stefanski's logic doesn't make sense. Weather is weather. Both teams were playing in the same conditions, and it's not like it let up much in-game. It's not like it's an advantage for one team and a disadvantage for the other when they both played through it--and the Bucs handled it better.
Besides, if you knew rain was a possibility, why didn't you prepare for it in practice? It's common to let players practice with wet footballs and get accustomed to the elements before games where it could be extreme like this, yet the Dirty Birds looked downright unprepared regardless of the weather--and that falls on Stefanski, our supposed supreme leader.
Just like their division rivals, the Falcons are known to like to pound the rock, yet they threw the football 24 times in this one compared to just three for the Bucs and abandoned their run-heavy identity when they went down early. They ran the ball just 28 times even though it was clear early on Michael Penix Jr. didn't have his best stuff.
In games where it rains and you know the ball will be wet, why use it as an excuse for the loss when your play-calling failed to adjust to the weather? Penix threw four interceptions and Bijan Robinson had solid momentum on the ground, so it's not like there was nothing to be excited about if they called it right.
We knew the elements would be a factor, but don't use that as a crutch for a lack of accountability. It's time to look in the mirror. Through eight weeks, the Falcons are 3-5 and the most unpredictable team in the NFL, so it's time to look in the mirror and acknowledge what the real issues with this team are.
Wet football or not, your job on Sundays is to execute, yet they got manhandled for 60 minutes. Your job is to get this team prepared, but coming off of their biggest win they suffered their ugliest loss. That falls on coaching, and Stefanski made some head-scratching choices on third and fourth down.
Frankly, the Atlanta Falcons couldn't do anything right in this one as evidenced by the history Tampa Bay made, so while it's good that Kevin Stefanski sounded frustrated, don't sugarcoat it and make excuses about the conditions: hold your team (and yourself) accountable and get it right ASAP.
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