FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson put it best.
"Each penalty kind of has its own story," he said.
And the point of this story is to summarize the stories behind Atlanta's penalties, specifically the ones that have directly affected the offense's success so far this season. There are 13 penalties that have done just that.
Five of these 13 penalties occurred on first down, six happened on second down, and there was one penalty apiece on third and fourth downs. This shows that more times than not, the Falcons are putting themselves in long-distance situations.
In fact, 10 of the penalties left the Falcons needing to pick up at least 11 yards for a first down. The other three kept the chains within 10 yards.
"Definitely trying to eliminate those so we can eliminate those second-and-longs, first-and-longs, all those situations that are typically drive killers," Robinson said.
Speaking of, the 13 penalties were a part of 12 different drives. Six concluded in punts. Four got field goals. Two were turnovers: an interception and on downs. None resulted in a touchdown, further emphasizing the impact penalties can have on not only the offense's but the team's success as a whole.
"When you have penalties, that's always going to hurt you," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said.
The 13 penalties backtracked the Falcons for 110 yards and nullified 68 yards of their progress. That's a negative net of 42 yards. So, even if Atlanta kept all the yards it picked up on plays with penalties, it'd still be heading in the wrong direction.
With the yards nullified, there were five first downs lost in the process, too.
"Penalties hurt every offense," Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said. "Because you're going on track, you're getting positive momentum, but then, having those penalties take you back."
The negated touchdown stands as the most glaring repercussion of a penalty at the moment. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Robinson against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, but left tackle Jake Matthews was called for offensive holding. The penalty resulted in no play. That drive ended in a field goal instead, leaving three, four or possibly five points on the field.
"You hate to see those," Zac Robinson said. "But we're just going to continue to try to clean it up."
These 13 penalties broke down into three offensive holdings, three false starts, three illegal use of hands, an offensive pass interference, an unnecessary roughness, a face mask and an illegal kick/kicking loose ball.
The offense is responsible for more than half of the Falcons' overall 23 penalties. Their total, though, is tied for 11th fewest in the NFL. It certainly could be worse. It also, of course, could be better.
"We're doing as much as we can to limit those penalties," Bijan Robinson said. "Obviously, you can't control everyone. You're trying to make a good play, and then that happens. But if you minimize those — I think we had like 70 yards of penalties last week; just cut that even in half or less than that — then we're doing something really good on offense. "
