The Falcons hype train came to a screeching halt on Sunday, as Arthur Smith, Justin Fields, and the Steelers defense did just enough, cruising to what felt like an easy win in the Falcons home stadium without even scoring a touchdown. That’s how pitiful the Falcons offense was, mustering just a touchdown and a field goal, all of which came in the first half.
Pretty much every facet of Atlanta’s offense underwhelmed. The hyped-up wonder-boy Zac Robinson was completely outmatched in his first opportunity to call plays. He failed to find ways to slow down the Steelers pass rush, but perhaps more notably, Drake London and Kyle Pitts were non-factors. It felt all too similar to the previous two seasons under Arthur Smith, but this time, the Falcons actually have a competent signal caller under center, at least we thought.
By far the most disconcerting aspect of the Falcons Week 1 performance was Kirk Cousins, and it wasn’t just the way he played. There were a lot of questions about how he would look coming off a torn Achilles. Raheem Morris and the Falcons coaching staff suggested he had been a full go for weeks. We saw videos of Cousins taking off running in practice to prove the injury is no longer holding him back. Unfortunately, what we saw on Sunday, was something totally different.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a quarterback that moved less than Kirk Cousins on Sunday. The Falcons were clearly aware of the limitations, running strictly out of the shotgun and pistol formations. They never used play-action, and Cousins almost never moved more than a couple of feet on a single play, hoping that his offensive line could hold up against one of the best pass rushes in the league.
Interesting note from @ESPNStatsInfo:
The Falcons were in pistol or shotgun on 96% of their snaps today.
Of the 22 snaps out of shotgun, the Falcons had 0 designed runs.
Of the 26 snaps out of pistol, the Falcons ran the ball on 81% of their plays.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 9, 2024
The game plan was mind-boggling by itself, but it’s even worse when considering Zac Robinson may not have had much of a choice because of Cousins’ physical limitations.
Simply put, there is no chance the Falcons can beat good football teams if Cousins can’t move. There’s also no chance they win many games if Zac Robinson doesn’t make significant adjustments. Â They essentially let the Steelers know what they were doing every play before the ball was snapped. I never planned to be the guy to call for Michael Penix Jr. at any point this season. But if Cousins really can’t move, and this was more than just an egregious gameplan from Zac Robinson, they might have no choice but to eventually make a change.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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