Flick's Forum: Atlanta Falcons Feel Stuck - at QB, Coach & Everywhere In Between

The Atlanta Falcons have lost six of their last eight games and are facing many of the same questions as years past ... and there are more questions than answers at the team's most prominent positions.

After Sunday's 25-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals (2-8) at State Farm Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons hit their bye week holding a 4-6 record.

It's the third consecutive year Atlanta's been 4-6 after 10 games. It's the second straight year the Falcons have had quarterback questions at this point. It's the first time there were legitimate expectations for better performances.

The Falcons have lost three consecutive games despite being favored to win each of them. The first two games to quarterbacks making their first start, though the second of those was dominated by veteran Josh Dobbs ... who had been acquired via trade five days earlier.

But the most recent - against Arizona - may be the worst of all.

During his press conference Wednesday, Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke dubbed Sunday's game the "Super Bowl" for Atlanta, placing great significance on walking away victorious entering the bye week.

Instead, the Falcons fell to the Cardinals, as quarterback Kyler Murray made his season debut and elevated Arizona to its second win this season.

The quarterback situation was only further scrambled, as Heinicke helped produce Atlanta's highest-scoring first half this season with 14 points but left the game after three quarters with a pulled hamstring.

Desmond Ridder, who started the season's first eight games, came in relief and led a pair of solid drives, one that came up short on 4th and 1 and another that gave the Falcons the lead with under three minutes to play before Arizona's game-winning drive.

Heinicke finished the day eight of 15 for 55 yards and a touchdown to go along with four scrambles for 33 yards. Ridder went four of six for 39 yards and added three runs for 11 yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons went with a quarterback change after losing to the Tennessee Titans hoping to see a spark from Heinicke, who had a productive second half in place of an injured Ridder in Tennessee.

Instead, Atlanta lost each of Heinicke's first two starts and enters the bye week directionless, creating a frustrated locker room searching for answers.

“I don’t know," receiver Drake London said, when discussing his emotions. "I don’t like losing. I’m just going to keep it at that. I don’t like losing. I don’t want this to become a habit of ours. We just need to switch some things up. That’s it.”

London added he couldn't pinpoint what those things are - but Falcons coach Arthur Smith confirmed afterwards coaching staff changes won't be one of them.

Smith, like he's stressed all season, believes Atlanta has the right guys in the locker room, be it players or coaches, even as the results continue to slide the wrong direction.

The Falcons have lost six of their last eight games. They've lost three straight for the first time this year. Their defense, which was amongst the league's best through seven weeks, has resorted to ways of years past, allowing 84 points in three games.

Is the season unraveling? Smith doesn't think so.

“No, not at all," Smith said. "I feel frustrated, but I would not use that word. Everybody’s got their own opinions, but (if) you’re out there every day and know those guys that we’ve got in here, I’m betting on them.”

This prompts an important question - if the Falcons do, in fact, have the right pieces, why are they in the same spot they've been the previous two years during times of rebuilding?

The dilemma Atlanta has is that, on a broader scale, Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot inherited a team that needed a complete teardown, and the roster is almost entirely fresh ... but this is also the first real season they've had with those pieces.

Moving on from Smith after giving him one legitimate chance at competing doesn't seem like something owner Arthur Blank would consider, and preseason indications were it would take complete disaster - much worse than this - for Smith to be gone.

And so, Atlanta feels tied to Smith, and the quarterback situation isn't much better.

Heinicke netted the Falcons a season-high 28 points in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but many of the same problems that tormented Ridder - turnovers and redzone execution - appeared in that game.

His follow-up performance in Arizona was better in both regards, but his overall efficiency wasn't, and Atlanta's offense seems indifferent no matter who's under center.

Nov 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) warms up prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Thus, the Falcons essentially have what they have, and Smith will decide on a starter during the bye week with hopes of generating consistency in that spot down the stretch of the season.

But again, regardless of Atlanta starts at quarterback, nothing that's been done thus far inspires confidence anything will change - so how can the second half be any different?

“All you can do is be a pro and try to fix things," left tackle Jake Matthews said. "Just find a way to get back on the winning track which is what we have been trying to do. Obviously, it hasn’t been enough. We have to fix it.”

But how can they fix it?

“The only way I've ever known is by being really honest with yourself," Matthews said. "Find things to improve on and working on them during the week. Bringing something extra during the week. Being a pro. There is no match or formula. It is just going to work and finding a way to do your job.”

Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss added the team has to let the game breathe and put in extra work to reflect on why the first 10 weeks didn't go as planned.

Ridder noted it's been a three-phase problem, with Atlanta struggling to consistently perform in each aspect, but the biggest issue comes down to a few plays that haven't been made in certain spots.

Atlanta intends on using the bye week as a time of reflection. This isn't a new message, Elliss noted, but it needs to be taken seriously throughout the roster.

“You have to look at yourself," Elliss said. "It's something that from the top down has been preached to us these last couple of weeks. At the bye week, we just have to do again. The one reason, the one word that encompasses all of it, I don’t have.

"I do know that if each of us look at ourselves and look at our units and how we can improve and how we can let our talent shine on our field, that we can get it fixed.”

Upon returning from the bye week, the Falcons are set to host the New Orleans Saints, who lead the NFC South by one game and will also be idle this coming Sunday.

Smith said the Falcons will look at everything they're doing and adjust, pointing out the urgency of the situation with postseason hopes still firmly alive, at least mathematically.

But the problem here is that it's the same spot Atlanta was in a year ago - just with $190 million spent in the spring that inspired hope results would change.

Do the Falcons have the right coach? Can they receive consistently above average play at quarterback? Is there hope for this roster, which Smith has long assured is made up of the right people, to reach its full potential?

Week 10 is in the books, and the verdict on all three remains up for debate. The same was true last year. There are few reasons to think the coming weeks will be any different.

And so, Atlanta, which hasn't made the playoffs in six years, simply feels stuck - starting at the top and trickling throughout the rest of the organization.

“It’s unfortunate, we’re frustrated, and you’ve got to look at everything," Smith said. "That’s what we’ll do. That’s our plan going into the bye, so it’s coming at the right time for us. We need to reset, and we’ll be ready to roll when New Orleans comes into Atlanta.”