Since the Super Bowl meltdown, the Falcons have invented new ways to lose games. Most recently, the club lost to the Chargers in excruciating fashion.
Ta’Quon Graham recovered an Austin Ekeler fumble inside the red zone on a Los Angeles drive that would’ve ended with a game-winning field goal, then fumbled it right back to the Chargers without anyone even touching him.
There are many reasons why the Falcons have been the butt of jokes, courtesy of Charles McDonald:
there are more out there too. why do i still do this pic.twitter.com/BB8i1uzvOC
— charles (“you look good” – andy reid) mcdonald (@FourVerts) September 6, 2023
The Falcons are hoping to put those demons to bed; but honestly, for a franchise like this, we can only hope to suppress them. There is one looming, though. Bryce Young is looking to be the first quarterback drafted first overall to win his first career start in the last 20 years, the last being David Carr in 2002.
Among Bryce Young’s opening-day challenges: Quarterbacks drafted 1st overall are 0-13-1 in their first career start over the last 20 years. The last to win was David Carr in 2002, when the Texans beat the Cowboys in the first game in franchise history, per @ESPNStatsInfo
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) September 5, 2023
The Falcons are also battling themselves for one of the more embarrassing streaks. The club hasn’t been above .500 since the 2017 season and owns the longest losing streak in games to get above .500 — losing 13 in a row since 2018.
There’s no better scenario for the Falcons to end that streak than Sunday. The Panthers are starting a rookie quarterback with a porous offensive line and minimal offensive weapons. Nearly all of their receivers are dealing with some sort of ailment, paving the way for Atlanta’s revamped defense to showcase their new talent.
Moreover, the Falcons offense is one to watch out for. Desmond Ridder has everything at his disposal to be successful in 2023. The offensive line returns four of five starters, adding a second-round pick in Matthew Bergeron. Top draft pick Bijan Robinson joins two other top ten picks in Kyle Pitts and Drake London to go along with Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jonnu Smith.
There’s absolutely no reason for Bryce Young to end this streak. The Falcons should win this game by double digits.
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