With another thrilling victory over a division rival, the Falcons have taken complete control of the NFC South around the halfway mark of the season.
It wasn’t all pretty on Sunday in Tampa Bay, particularly defensively. Even with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sidelined, the Falcons managed to allow Baker Mayfield to rack up 330 yards passing and three touchdowns. They also gave up over 100 yards on the ground again on just 22 carries. However, a few key turnovers were the difference in the game, thanks in large part to Jessie Bates, who had an interception and forced a fumble, which he also recovered. The Falcons safety continues to look like the best free agent signing in franchise history, and with another huge game, he’s really thrown his hat into the ring for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Falcons did exactly what they had to do against a Bucs defense that might be the only unit playing as bad as Atlanta’s around the league right now. For the second time this season, Kirk Cousins carved up Tampa Bay’s defense for four touchdowns, with the first two belonging to Kyle Pitts. The former 4th overall pick now has four straight games with at least 65 yards receiving following a zero-catch performance in Week 4 against the Saints.
Kirk Cousins, Zac Robinson, and the rest of the Falcons offense are clearly starting to find a groove with each passing week. They are a threat to score 30+ points every Sunday, with their trio of top 10 picks beginning to realize their full potential.
Unfortunately, it’s also not difficult to pinpoint the deficiencies in Atlanta. The defense is bad, really bad, despite seemingly improving significantly personnel-wise from a year ago with the additions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons. It’s very reminiscent of the defenses Matt Ryan played with for the majority of his career, where the plan appears to be to score a bunch and hang on for dear life. Jimmy Lake’s bunch lacks aggression, and the defense as a whole lacks creativity. That’s not a recipe for sustained success, but for now, the Falcons sit on top of the NFC South and are starting to build a bit of a cushion, thanks to their perfect 4-0 record in the division.
Atlanta is one game up on Tampa Bay as we reach the midpoint of the season, but they really hold a two-game lead over the Bucs because they now own all of the tiebreakers within the division. Meanwhile, Carolina and New Orleans are in a total free fall, combining for 11 straight losses.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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