The Atlanta Falcons’ star player changing nets raises more questions than answers for Arthur Smith’s offense.
What is the problem with the Atlanta Falcons offense? Spoiler alert: quarterback play may not be the most serious issue.
When a quarterback is changed, the hope is that something will be different, for better or worse, to provide clarity on the situation.
The Atlanta Falcons (4-5), who benched starting quarterback Desmond Ridder in favor of journeyman Taylor Heinicke midweek, were defeated 31-28 by the Minnesota Vikings (5-4) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
Many of the same problems that Atlanta’s offense had with Ridder, including more visible ones like turnovers and red zone execution, resurfaced with Heinicke at the helm.
Perhaps more troubling, the Falcons were defeated at home by a Vikings club that started rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall at quarterback and, when he left with a concussion, was replaced by a backup in Josh Dobbs, who was acquired in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday.
Atlanta scored 11 points in the first half and 28 points in the second half, but was forced to settle for four field goals from Younghoe Koo and a safety from the defense. The Falcons’ 370 yards of offense were their fifth-highest total this season, putting them in the middle of the pack.
Atlanta was unable to score after taking over at Minnesota’s one-yard line, and there were two turnovers, one an interception by Heinicke and the other a fumble by rookie running back Bijan Robinson.
In many respects, it felt like a regular offensive performance, which the Falcons did not want.
So, what’s the problem?
“We’re just not hitting our keys collectively,” tight end Jonnu Smith said. “We come in here and we take pride in the work we do, we come in and we work every day, we try to improve, we try to get better, but it just hasn’t been going our way.” We’re not doing enough as a team to get those keys, score in the red zone, and take care of the football, and I’m guilty of it.”
Smith contributed significantly on Sunday, setting team records for grabs (five) and receiving yards (100), as well as delivering Atlanta’s longest play from scrimmage this season, a 60-yard touchdown on a Heinicke screen pass.
In Ridder’s final three full starts before leaving a Week 8 loss to the Tennessee Titans at halftime due to concussion protocol, the Falcons’ offense eclipsed over 400 yards from scrimmage in each game but averaged just under 18 points per contest.
Moving the ball hasn’t been a problem of late. Finishing drives has. And it once again proved fatal Sunday, perhaps proving that quarterback isn’t the biggest issue in Atlanta.
“We’re moving the ball really well,” Heinicke said. “We just couldn’t punch it in, and it’s been a recurring theme throughout this year. We’ve been working really hard at it. We just have to work a little harder and try to find out what it is, but I felt like we moved the ball pretty well the whole game.”
Added Jonnu Smith: “I won’t point that to quarterback play. It’s 11 of us out there and kudos to Taylor coming in and leading us and giving us an opportunity to win a game. I think he did a great job, but we’re not perfect–all of us. We got to come in and look at those plays that weren’t perfect and see how we could try to improve and get better.”
Heinicke finished the afternoon 21 of 38 for 268 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His passing yards were Atlanta’s third-most this season, but his completion percentage was tied with Ridder’s worst.
Robinson agreed with Smith’s assessment that the Falcons’ struggles extend beyond quarterback and rather reverberate throughout the entire offense.
“It was tough,” Robinson said. “It was on all of us. Whether it was turnovers, that hurts the offense a lot. And then, some minimal mistakes that we made. We have to understand that, and we have to be ready for everything that comes for us, no matter what the other team brings.
“We have to keep the momentum and keep the fight going throughout the whole game. The less mistakes we make, the better we play. We have to keep on going.”
When both quarterbacks prove they can move the ball down the field before struggling in the red zone and ultimately coming up short, the picture becomes clearer that perhaps it’s not who’s under center that’s the biggest problem.
Instead, eyes turn to personnel groupings and the actual play calls, of which coach Arthur Smith has grown under heavy scrutiny for recently.
Some have pointed to Smith’s lack of usage of his best players in the red zone, perhaps no situation on Sunday more telling than running a jet sweep handoff to Jonnu Smith at the goal line rather than putting the ball in Robinson’s hands.
Most prominently, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner questioned the positions Smith was putting his quarterbacks in – but Atlanta’s third-year coach responded by saying he didn’t care what Warner thought.
It hasn’t all been bad for the Falcons’ offense, something second-year running back Tyler Allgeier noted after the game.
But it also hasn’t been good enough to win the last two weeks, and with as much as Atlanta’s invested on its offense – three consecutive top-10 picks on weapons and a starting offensive line making over $43 million combined this year alone – expectations were much higher than what the product has provided thus far.
So, what needs to change?
“I feel like we need to be accountable to each other as players and not just rely on coaches but be a player accountable team,” Robinson said. “If we see something slacking, we need to make sure we’re on it before anything else happens.
“When we are player-led and accountable for each other, that’s when the build starts happening, that’s when teams start winning a lot of games because we have trust in each other.”
This process starts at the beginning of the week, Robinson said, in practices and meetings.
Being player-led is something Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot have said the Falcons embody, but it appears that mantra has slipped of late, if only just.
Matters have only been made worse with the loss of captain and team leader Grady Jarrett, who started 84 straight games at defensive tackle before suffering a torn ACL in the loss against Tennessee.
On the topic of Atlanta’s defense, coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s unit gave the Falcons the ball in plus field position twice after recovering fumbles.
Those two drives saw Atlanta lose four and six yards, respectively.
In the second half, when the Falcons’ offense broke through for 17 points, the defense faltered, allowing 21 points to Dobbs and the rest of Minnesota’s offense.
The biggest dagger came when Dobbs found former Falcon Brandon Powell in the endzone for a game-winning six-yard touchdown with 22 seconds to play.
Powell’s score capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive, right after the Falcons marched 79 yards on 13 plays to take the lead following an Allgeier rushing touchdown.
When one side of the ball starred, the other struggled. That was the theme Sunday and has taken place several times this year. For Smith, that’s the biggest area of improvement needed moving forward.
“We have to play in sync,” Smith said. “That’s the thing. You have your opportunities, and we didn’t take advantage of – the defense made some plays. We got some turnovers, and we had gotten held to three. So, then you get in a rhythm, and unfortunately, the turnovers. We just never played in sync.
“There have been some times it’s been good in one phase, and we obviously need to do that to get back in the win column.”
So, what does the future hold?
This season, which started with high hopes and the fire only further fueled by a 2-0 start, has suddenly reached do-or-die time. It may feel like the sky is falling, but Atlanta’s just now at the halfway point.
There are 10 teams in the NFL either at .500 or a game above or below it. The New Orleans Saints, who lead the NFC South by a game over the Falcons, are among those 10.
