DENVER — The loss to the Saints wasn’t a one-off for the Falcons. They looked terrible in that game. They were just as bad at Denver on Sunday while losing for the third time in five games. The Falcons are still leading the lowly NFC South. That’s about the only good thing that can be said about them as they head into a bye week.
When the Falcons lost 20-17 at New Orleans, it could be pinned on the usually reliable Younghoe Koo missing two field goal tries and getting another blocked. There were no such excuses available after this 38-6 wipeout against the Broncos. The Falcons (6-5) faced a better opponent and responded with a non-competitive effort. The Falcons never had the lead and were behind by three touchdowns with 9:05 left in the third quarter.
Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix didn’t have to work very hard for his career-best game. He mostly tossed short passes to teammates who ran free through plentiful space. Everything was hard for the Falcons, who failed to score a touchdown. They suffered their most lopsided defeat since a 43-3 decision at the Cowboys during the 2021 season.
The Falcons (6-5) are still favored to win the NFC South. They own the tiebreaker over the second-place Buccaneers (4-6) by virtue of the season sweep. The Bucs will need to finish ahead of the Falcons to win the South. That scenario seemed implausible two weeks ago. It’s become more realistic with the Falcons now flailing.
Their three most recent losses were all ugly. The Saints ended a seven-game losing streak against the Falcons. The Seahawks and Broncos blew them out. The victories came against the Cowboys and Bucs. Both teams have lost four straight games. The one quality victory for the Falcons outside of the division was the Week 2 win at Philadelphia.
After the bye the Falcons will host the Chargers, who entered this weekend in position for one of four NFC wild cards. The Falcons play at Minnesota in Week 14. The Vikings are in second place in the NFC North, the NFL’s toughest division. Meanwhile, the Bucs are set to face last-place teams in three straight weeks: at Giants, at Panthers and vs. Raiders.
The standings say the Falcons are in control of the NFC South. Their performance over the last two weeks says the Falcons are at risk of blowing it.
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