Falcons Proving They're a 'Tough Out' in Loss at Bucs

Following their Week 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons (2-3) sit tied for second place in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints.

With an identical record through five games (2-3) to last season's 7-10 roster, it can be easy to picture the Atlanta Falcons finishing in the same boat. 

However, this team is different than a year ago. 

Through those five games in 2021, the Falcons, still led by head coach Arthur Smith, had a point differential of -44. 

This season? -4. 

There is no denying this team is much more competitive than the group who didn't win two games in a row at any point last season, which this team did in Weeks 3 and 4. 

In Week 2 against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, the team stormed back from down 28-3 with 9:00 left in the third quarter to have a chance in the final minutes. 

The result? A 31-27 loss. 

And just this past Sunday, down 21-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the offense rattled off 15 unanswered to put the game within reach. 

While these problems could be resolved by not digging such treacherous holes thus needing a miracle to pull off the victory; this is still an offense without lead running back Cordarrelle Patterson and was without Kyle Pitts on Sunday. 

With multiple rookies receiving noticeable playing time such as: Drake London, Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Troy Andersen, there are pieces that were still playing college football this time last year. 

Through five games this year, Atlanta's three losses have each been decided by six or less points. 

Over the entirety of last season? Just twice. 

The teams hopes to return back to .500 this Sunday at home against the San Francisco 49ers. 

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You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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