What a sensational performance from the Atlanta Falcons, who might be the most entertaining product in the league right now. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, and my wife is sick of hearing about ‘them Falcons.’
We’re beginning to chart territory we last explored many moons ago. Kirktober, Hodgefest, and Rookiemania stole the show last night! Here’s this week’s three up and three down.
Three Up
Kirk Cousins
The Falcons quarterback has continued to trend in the right direction, but last night was Kirktober’s debut, and it did not disappoint.
Cousins set a new franchise record for passing yards with 509–on Matt Ryan night, no less. He did so by getting everyone involved. Kyle Pitts hauled in 7/8 targets for 88 yards, Drake London went OFF with 154 yards and a touchdown, and Darnell Mooney went over 100 yards and had two touchdowns of his own. On top of that, Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge combined for over 130 yards!
It was a great day for the entire passing offense. While everyone deserves credit, especially Zac Robinson, Cousins showed out and proved to everybody that the noise around him during the first quarter of the season was just that: noise.
KhaDarel Hodge
Hodge is what football is all about, the glue guys. Every winning team needs them, and they don’t have to be stars; in fact, they rarely are. These are the guys that come in and play like every rep is their last; they can’t afford to take any of them off. Hodge is that guy for this team.
After fending off preseason favorite Casey Washington, Hodge had a quiet first three games where his only action was on special teams. However, in the last two games, the ace has stepped up and been the spark the team needed. Drake London went out twice, and Hodge came up big in both scenarios, but the catch in overtime is something that both he and Falcons fans will remember for a long, long time. Seeing the emotion displayed by Hodge postgame and listening to him tell his story to all those who didn’t know was beautiful. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy.
Ruke Orhorhoro
The debut of the Falcons 2024 second-round pick did not disappoint. Orhorhoro was in for only 12 snaps, but he made all of them count, racking up three tackles, one of which was a no-gain on the goal line next to the legend Grady Jarrett. Pass rush ability is still a work in progress, but it’s clear the rookie can be a legitimate difference-maker in the run game.
The defensive lineman was overflowing with energy, and that might be the spark this veteran interior group needs. From here, I expect Orhorhoro’s workload to increase. He’s certainly earned that after his first outing.
JD Bertrand also had a valiant performance and delivered some serious pop. Could Brandon Dorlus hear his name called next?
Ruke Orhorhoro + Grady Jarrett side by side
Ruke really might be a Grady clone look at this one and try to tell me otherwise. the rookie is taking notes from the legend pic.twitter.com/8Y3ZOBIpDy
— Tre’Shon (@tre3shon) October 4, 2024
Three Down
Run Offense
It has been tough sledding on the ground for the offense. Last night, it didn’t matter if it was Bijan Robinson or Tyler Allgeier. Neither could get much going. Bijan’s vision is not as sharp as it can be, and the running back isn’t trusting himself. Part of that is due to the teams’ repeated desire to run the outside zone at all costs.
It just isn’t working, and teams have been able to sit on it and stop it because Atlanta hasn’t adjusted. The offensive line is getting blown up at the point of attack and can’t reach the second level. Taking a step back, I understand not wanting to run a bunch of inside zone at Vita Vea, but something has to change.
There are only 25 days left in Kirktober, and while it would be cool to watch him put up 2,500 passing yards in the month, counting on that to happen would be unwise.
Run Defense
The story is similar on the other side of the ball. The run defense didn’t have a chance, with Troy Andersen and Nate Landman both out. Kaden Elliss is not a full-time inside linebacker. We did see promising plays from JD Bertrand, but we also saw rookie moments, to be expected.
The defensive line is where things have been the most disappointing. It felt like if you could count on anything this year, it would be that group’s stoutness and reliability against the run, but that’s not what we’ve seen. The addition of Orhorhoro was a nice boost, but the Falcons will still need to adjust some of the snap counts for others.
Luckily, the team is hitting a mini bye, and Landman has the opportunity to be activated off of injured reserve, and Troy Andersen will likely be available, too. The duo will be a massive boost to the run defense, and we will finally get to see them play together again.
Situational awareness
Not taking that field goal before halftime was a huge head-scratcher, and I cannot rationalize the fear of a miss in that scenario. Koo did have a miss earlier in the game, so what? It’s not shocking to see kickers miss on a reset due to a penalty, and yes, he missed on the play where the penalty occurred; he also nailed a 50+ yard field goal afterward before you came to that fourth down. Not trusting him in that scenario was straight-up odd, and while it worked out, the Falcons had to get a few breaks in order for that decision not to come back and haunt them.
Later, on the Kirk Cousins interception drive, when there’s less than two minutes in the game, the Falcons open up with a run. It is another decision that makes no sense at all. There have been other moments this season where the situational play-calling and decision making isn’t up to par. This staff can learn from their mistakes; so far, they’ve delivered counter punches when needed.
Your Atlanta Falcons are 2-0 in the division and 3-0 in the conference. Forget victory Friday; have yourself a victory weekend.