Atlanta Falcons need to rebound from poor performances

The Atlanta Falcons have surprised many people this season with a great 5-1 start to the season, but recently their play has caused some concern.

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To start the 2015 season, the Falcons were able to pull off the home upset of the Philadelphia Eagles, as they won a close game while containing an offense that was supposed to score 30-plus points on them. In the second week of the season with some help from poor decisions by the New York Giants, the Falcons were able to win on the road which is something that has been difficult for them in recent years.

Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) runs past New Orleans Saints strong safety Kenny Vaccaro (32) for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Falcons 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons kept up their winning ways in Week 3 against a recently decimated Dallas Cowboys team that was playing their first game without Tony Romo as the starting quarterback. The Falcons didn’t get off to a good start against the Cowboys in Week 3, but they were able to rally and still win by 11 points on the road.

Week 4 against the Texans may have been the most impressive showing by the Falcons, as they manhandled Houston on their way to a 48-21 victory.

After the victory against the Texans that made them 4-0, the Falcons really began to turn some heads and created new expectations for the team. After a year of really poor football in the NFC South, the Falcons along with the Carolina Panthers were teams that all of a sudden looked like contenders in the NFC.

In Week 5, the Falcons certainly saw some regression, and that started with their quarterback Matt Ryan. In the overtime win at home, Ryan played very poorly, as he totaled 254 passing yards, two interceptions, and a completion percentage just over 50 percent. All players have a bad game now and then, but a poor performance by Ryan at home against the Redskins’ defense was very surprising.

After squeaking out a win in overtime against the Redskins, the Falcons had another easy game on the schedule against the New Orleans Saints. The game was on Thursday Night Football which doesn’t showcase the best football to watch, and it was also the first loss of the season for the Falcons.

Like against the Redskins, turnovers played a huge role in the Falcons not playing well. Ryan didn’t throw any interceptions, but he did fumble the ball three times, one of which was lost. As a team, the Falcons lost three fumbles in the loss to the Saints, and that lost quickly knocked the Falcons back a notch.

Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton meet at the end of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won, 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

With a little bit of extra rest from the Thursday Night Football loss to the Saints, the Falcons will have a great opportunity to once again prove to us that they are one of the better teams in the NFC.

This week, the Falcons will be on the road facing the Tennessee Titans who have a 1-4 record this season, and who will also be without Marcus Mariota in this game. Without Mariota under center, the Falcons should be able to win this game rather easily against the Titans, but there are certainly things the Falcons need to work on in Week 7.

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