FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — After a thrilling overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, the Atlanta Falcons enjoyed the rare weekend away from an NFL stadium.
They currently sit at 3-2 and atop the NFC South. Yes, it's obviously still early, but these early wins will count for something later in the year. With a weekend to enjoy their win, the Falcons now turn their attention to a matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the final game in a three-game stretch against division opponents.
So, I hope you all enjoyed the life of a winner this weekend, because it's time to get back to work!
A quick programming note for this week's Mailbox: Both editions will be handled by Will McFadden. Next week, we will resume the usual cadence of Tori McElhaney answering questions on Tuesday and Will answering questions on Friday. If you'd like to submit a question for Friday's mailbag, you can do so here.
Jakob B. from Hove, UK
Hey guys!
I just love this beautiful, nerve-wracking, amazing, frustrating Falcons team! Mind you, in the last years we would have only had two of those adjectives in there. So, progress!!! I love that you just can never count this team out, and everyone should just enjoy that incredible divisional win. (2-0 in Division baby!)
But are our phases working in shifts?! Just when the offense gets going, the defense starts not doing a thing for 2 halves. Just feels like when one thing is working, complacency sets in for another. How do you fix that (because sooner or later we'll have to)?
Hi Jakob, thanks for writing in from overseas! I continue to be blown away by the passion from the UK fan base — y'all are the best. You've touched on essentially the primary goal for any NFL team: Play complementary football at a high level on a consistent basis. That's no easy feat in this league. Take, for example, the Buffalo Bills these last three weeks. They looked unstoppable in Week 3, only to lose their next two games.
At this point in the season, every team is finding the right balance for this exact formula. How do they formulate a game plan that allows for sustained momentum with all three phases building off one another in additive fashion? The answer to that question also gets at the "team identity" notion reporters like me often ask about around this time. Are the Falcons led by their defense or led by their offense?
I think it's a good thing that the answer to that last question has been a bit of both. It's important that Atlanta has been able to win games in multiple ways. The offensive explosion on Thursday night was an important revelation that felt like a level-up moment for this team. We knew they could win a 22-21 game, but we now know they can win a 36-30 game. Perhaps the most important form of complementary football the Falcons have shown so far has been late in games. The defense has come through with game-changing plays, which the offense has capitalized on — and vice versa.
Every team is still working towards that balance you are describing, and we still haven't seen the Falcons firing on every cylinder in a game, but it's far better to be ironing out the details while collecting wins along the way.
Emanuel Williams from Kathleen, Ga.
When Matt was the quarterback, we used to wonder why we didn't run more of a hurry up offense. No huddle, under center Kirk seemed unstoppable. Any chance we'll see more of it?
Ah, yes, the no-huddle advocates. I remember those times well (and don't entirely disagree). This question got me interested in taking a closer look at what the numbers say about a Kirk Cousins-led hurry-up offense in Atlanta. Spoiler alert: You might be onto something.
According to TruMedia, the Falcons have run 51 plays defined as "no huddle." Of that total, 33 plays occurred on drives that either ended in a touchdown or a field goal attempt. That means 65% of no-huddle plays have taken place on a successful drive. The numbers are good, but without any real sense of the game plan or intention behind each time they've used no-huddle, I don't want to imply causation just yet.
You're completely, right, though. They do look comfortable and efficient when running a no-huddle operation, but part of its effectiveness can be choosing when and when not to deploy it. It's also just not a sustainable way to run an offense throughout an entire game. Teams game plan for a reason, and huddling allows for much better communication. The Falcons have fun the fifth-most no-huddle plays so far this season, per TruMedia, though, so I think it's safe to assume you'll continue to see a good bit of it.
Will Smith from Summerville, Ga.
Hi, Guys. First let me state that I hate Baker Mayfield and the Bucs and I'm elated that we won. But...deep down I hate the NFL's overtime rules and have since the Falcons lost an OT game without getting a possession. Just like the Bucs last night. It doesn't seem fair that the fate of two equally matched teams comes down to a coin toss. Why not give each team one possession, period. Your thoughts? And thanks for the hard work.
Thanks for the question, Will. You and I are in agreement on this one. I also think both teams should get a chance to possess the ball. The changes the NFL has made to its postseason overtime rules in recent years makes me optimistic that we will eventually reach a point where both teams get one possession and then we move to sudden death from there.
In the meantime, though. I'll happily take Thursday's victory and keep it moving.
Camereon Williams from Snellville, Ga..
TORI!!!!! WHAT A GAME!!!! I have been with this team for years and we have been down for a long time. Thursday's night game felt different. In my opinion, the Falcons lost that game in years past for multiple reasons. This time was a different story. The team found a way to win. Do you think this team is starting to take on Coach Raheem's personality?! He was fired up at the game and deservingly so!
I can tell you for a fact, Camereon, that Tori enjoyed that game immensely as well. Raheem Morris's personality is definitely felt in this organization, but I think the way it's felt the most is in how he allows everyone to really be themselves. He empowers, he doesn't impose. I think the best example of this was how Morris handled the questions about Atlanta's identity throughout training camp.
Without fail, he said the team would develop its identity on the field. He's letting the players lead in the most important areas, and it's why having guys like Jessie Bates, Grady Jarrett, Kirk Cousins and Jake Matthews in place is proving successful. It's important to remember that the Falcons' brass viewed this team as one ready to achieve right away, so Morris was stepping into a unique position with a group poised for a playoff push.
So far, I think he's struck a great balance and his energy has undoubtedly infected this team.
Thank you all for today's questions! If I didn't get to yours today, it may be selected in future editions of The Mailbox. The next one will be published Friday morning. See y'all then.
