ATL Standard

The Atlanta Falcons are facing a challenging end to their season, having lost their last four games and relinquished the NFC South lead. To regain momentum and aim for a playoff spot, the team must address several concerning trends.

Tori McElhaney highlighted turnovers as a critical issue. "It's more than that," she said, noting that while the Falcons have been losing possession frequently, they have not been able to force turnovers in return. The team's turnover margin stands at 20-11 against them, which has proven costly in close games.

Raheem Morris addressed this concern: "No doubt that was a part of our game plan (Sunday): try to go for some turnovers, get the ball back." He emphasized missed opportunities by key players and stressed the importance of capitalizing on these chances.

Will McFadden pointed out another area needing improvement: fourth-quarter scoring. The Falcons rank last in the NFL in this category. McFadden noted that when Atlanta scores in the final quarter, they generally win; however, they have struggled to score late since Week 7.

Terrin Waack warned against allowing explosive plays on defense. In their recent loss to Minnesota, such plays proved detrimental. Waack emphasized limiting these occurrences to prevent one aspect of the game from dictating outcomes.

Amna Subhan focused on penalties as an area requiring attention. The Falcons committed 12 penalties for 127 yards against Minnesota—an NFL season-high—and head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged this as a persistent issue: "They crushed us."

Despite ranking low overall in penalties, these infractions have disrupted offensive momentum throughout the season. As Subhan noted, while penalties don't always indicate poor performance—as seen with teams like Baltimore—they have compounded other issues during Atlanta's current losing streak.

The Falcons aim to control what they can as they fight for playoff contention and hope to rectify these trends over their final four games.