Falcons Suffer First Loss vs. Lions: 3 Takeaways

What were some of the major things worth noting from the Atlanta Falcons Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions?

After two weeks, the Atlanta Falcons were undefeated and looking like Bijan Robinson was a star with unstoppable talent on the field, but Week 3 against the Detroit Lions saw the team's momentum hit a wall as they suffered their first loss.

Here are three takeaways from Atlanta's loss against Detroit.

Live by the run, die by the run

The Falcons rely on their run game to carry their offense, but in this game, they seemingly never gave it a chance to come alive. Against the Lions, they ran the ball the fewest times of any game this season, totaling just 20 rushing attempts this game for 44 yards.

For perspective, the team ran it 45 times last week, with Robinson alone getting 19 rushing attempts for 124 yards on 6.5 yards per carry. In this game, Robinson looked human as he ran for an inefficient 33 yards on 3.3 yards per carry. 

Despite his struggles to produce in this game, Robinson was still fed more than any player, finishing with 16 touches for 50 yards. 

Considering how impressive he looked through the first two weeks, it's fair to expect him to bounce back against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, who just gave up 37 points to the Houston Texans, but it's worth noting that he and Atlanta's run game aren't as unstoppable as they seemed with Tyler Allgeier failing to even eclipse an average of two yards per carry this week.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder struggled in the team's first loss to the Detroit Lions / USA Today

The Passing offense has no consistent receiving threats

In Week 1, Drake London's lack of production raised eyebrows, then in Week 2, it seemed as though Jonnu Smith might be a preferred target of Desmond Ridder's. This week, Kyle Pitts had nine targets, leading the team in receiving with a mere 41 yards. 

His nine targets come after a combined eight targets through the team's first two wins. Seeing the team trying to get him more involved offensively is reassuring. Still, it doesn't seem as though Ridder has chemistry strong enough with a particular receiver for him to be willing to air it out to them as a security blanket in critical scenarios. 

Against the Texans, the Jaguars were exposed primarily through the passing game, with the secondary surrendering 280 yards through the air. If the Falcons want to expose the weakness of their next enemy, Ridder will have to learn to trust his receivers.

Sacks are an issue on both sides of the ball

Although the offense only scored two field goals this game, they're not the only unit to struggle. Atlanta's defense registered zero sacks in Detroit. It was an issue plaguing the roster through the first two games when they averaged a sack and a half, but it truly showed itself in this game as Goff made his reads and comfortably delivered the ball to his star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

From one struggling line to another, Ridder was sacked seven times this game. For a young quarterback still trying to get comfortable in the pocket, this is a death sentence for his development. The relationships that need to be formed with his receivers can't happen if he's constantly under duress. 

Despite how well the Falcons' offensive line typically opens up holes for their running backs, they still need to improve at protecting Ridder, or this offense will become one-dimensional and easy to stop, as the Lions and Aiden Hutchinson exposed today.

Overall, this game highlighted some of Atlanta's flaws that must be corrected if they hope to win the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints lost today, giving them some breathing room. However, if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers manage to upset the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the Falcons could be chasing them for the third straight season.