Atlanta Falcons will ‘look at’ defensive changes after blowout loss at Broncos

The first touch came at the 5-yard line. Six seconds later, the Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons was on his back, planted in Empower Field at the Mile High grass, watching the Denver Broncos celebrate the running back Javonte Williams‘ 14-yard touchdown run.

Simmons met Williams with plenty of space between himself and the goal line. Then Denver rallied behind its fourth-year ball carrier and pushed him into the end zone as Simmons and the Falcons did their best to resist — but ultimately fell short.

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“I don’t think it’s a byproduct of exactly how the game went,” Simmons said after the game about the touchdown run. “I think it’s just a small sample size.”

Maybe it was just a side dish, but the main dish featured a season-worst 38 points allowed to go along with Denver producing 400 yards of offense. The Falcons flew home with a 38-6 defeat, their biggest since November 2021.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix went 27-for-33 passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He tied Denver’s rookie franchise record for passing touchdowns, didn’t turn the ball over and was sacked just once.

Atlanta’s defense had perhaps its worst performance of the season heading into a much-needed bye week — and Falcons head coach Raheem Morris didn’t rule out making changes.

“We’re always looking at it,” Morris said. “That’s what you always do — you go back, reflect, study. You get a little more time this week. You have two weeks to come back, get ready, get healthy, prepare to get better, prepare you to go out there and play your best football.”

Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who has over two decades of coaching experience across the college and pro levels, is in his first year calling a player in the NFL. Atlanta’s defense is enough No. 25 in yards allowed (357.1 per game)passing yards allowed (229.9 per game) and scoring (24.9 points allowed per game).

The pass rush, long a thorn in Atlanta’s side but less so in 2023, has returned to its place as a prominent topic.

The Falcons’ lone miss on Nix — when four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Matthew Judon recorded his first since Week 2 by bull-faxing right tackle Mike McGlinchey into Nix’s feet — was sack No. 10 this season. It took Atlanta 42 quarters of regulation to reach double-digit sacks. All but five teams has at least doubled the Falcons’ sack total.

Part of Atlanta’s struggles Sunday came because of injuries. The Falcons lost two defensive linemen — Ta’Quon Graham and James Smith-Williams — to injured reserve Saturday and entered Sunday with three cornerbacks and two linebackers.

Morris didn’t use injuries as an excuse, even though several players either just signed to the roster or promoted to the practice squad saw extended action Sunday, including cornerback Natrone Brooks, defensive back Dane Cruikshank and outside linebacker Khalid Kareem.

From a personnel perspective, the Falcons hardly looked like the defense they have been all season. Their worst result on the pitch followed – but in a way it just highlighted their biggest flaw.

Atlanta’s pass defense had several apparent miscommunications and coverage busts. Aside from the sack of Judon, the Falcons only hit Nix twice.

Simmons, who spent the first eight years of his pro career in Denver, credited the Broncos’ offense for making his storied homecoming “bittersweet” — though he added the Falcons didn’t execute well enough defensively to give themselves a chance to win.

“Surprised might not be the right word. I’m disappointed in our lack of execution,” Simmons said. “It felt like there were some things we did well, but a lot of it just wasn’t good. I wanted to tackle or the effort to tackle wasn’t there. We gave up a lot in the screen game.

“The way they operated and Bo evaluated, moved the ball, took checkdowns when he needed to, it just allowed them to get into a rhythm offensively that defensively we couldn’t break.”

Before being pulled on their eighth drive, the Broncos’ starting offense scored five touchdowns — each from different players — while adding a field goal. Four players caught at least four passes. Three eclipsed 50 receiving yards. Nix broke the 300-yard mark for the first time as a pro.

In addition to the Falcons’ struggles to stop Denver’s offense, Atlanta failed to generate a turnover for the fifth time this season and third time in as many games. The Falcons are 1-4 when they don’t cause a turnover, 2-1 when they get one and 3-0 when they force two or more.

Revenue margin is a pillar of success. Trainers often include it in their keys to winning. This is especially true on the road, when takeaways can help set up a team’s offense and make life easier in difficult environments.

The Falcons’ offense failed to score a touchdown Sunday. Although Simmons did not directly contribute to it, he partially felt that he did.

“You can’t play like that and expect to win,” Simmons said. “This team has to be able to win on the road, and that starts with defense and setting up our offense on a short field, and we just couldn’t do that today. It obviously showed on the field and in the game.”

So what changes? Maybe only time will tell.

“Ask me after the bye week,” linebacker Kaden Elliss said after the game.

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