As Falcons' Slide Continues, Atlanta Feels It Has 'Everything We Need' to Rebound

The Atlanta Falcons have lost four straight games and no longer control their own destiny.

The Atlanta Falcons lost their fourth consecutive game Sunday, falling 42-21 to the Minnesota Vikings. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

MINNEAPOLIS -- Moments after the clock hit zero in Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III was the first player to enter the Atlanta Falcons' locker room in the southwest tunnel of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Bates slowly removed his helmet as he turned toward his locker, which rested on the right side of the room directly next to the main entrance. Over the next several minutes, 53 other Falcons -- the additional 52 players on the roster and practice squad elevation receiver Chris Blair -- followed suit.

Some, like nickel cornerback Dee Alford, were somber. Alford had a towel draped over his head, perhaps the most fitting embodiment of a team that saw its midseason slide reach crisis level Sunday.

But others, like Bates, were ready to learn from the loss and move on.

"That's why we've got 17 games," Bates said. "Ain't nobody coming to save us. Just got to play better."

The Falcons, who were once 6-3 and sat atop the NFC South by two games, have now lost four straight games. Two of their defeats were by 4 points or fewer. The other two were by 21 points or more.

Atlanta is 6-7, and it trails the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game for the division crown. Outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie acknowledged the Falcons no longer control their own destiny, with Morris noting the Falcons' losing streak coincided with Tampa Bay's three-game winning streak.

The Buccaneers, Morris said, deserve a lot of credit -- but the Falcons want to keep their attention internal.

"It's really about us trying to find a way to get wins and really just focus on us," Morris said. "We have to worry about us as opposed to what's happening around us. Those are things we have to do."

Perhaps "worry" is the correct term for Atlanta's current state. Morris noted the Falcons haven't merely moved away from their early season success, but rather are playing worse.

Atlanta has struggled finishing close games, overcoming penalties and scoring in the red zone. Through nine weeks, there were glimpses of those struggles -- but ultimately not enough substance to prevent the Falcons from starting 6-3.

There's plenty of substance now.

The Falcons committed 12 penalties for 127 yards Sunday while scoring only two touchdowns on five redzone trips. In his return to Minnesota, quarterback Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions, extending his league-leading tally to 15 while finishing his fourth consecutive game without a touchdown, the longest drought in his career as a professional starter.

For the second straight week, the Falcons outgained their opponent -- and lost. In Sunday's case, they lost decidedly.

So, how do they fix it?

"The only thing I know that works is going back to work," left tackle Jake Matthews, an 11-year veteran, said postgame. "We're doing good things, it's just not enough. There's opportunities in all these games for us to make a stand and make it happen. We're not finding that way.

"So, it's frustrating."

But Matthews' frustration comes with an important caveat: he's confident the Falcons will, ultimately find their way.

"I know we have a room of guys in here that -- no one's a problem," Matthews said. "Everyone's working their ass off to get it fixed. So, let's go back to work and turn this thing around and get hot at the end of the year."

While some on the outside may question the Falcons' leadership under Morris, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had a far different stance on the opposite sideline.

O'Connell and Morris were the Los Angeles Rams' offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively, in 2021. O'Connell said Morris does a "really great job" before noting the respect he has for Morris and the Falcons' talent.

Beyond respect, O'Connell felt fortunate to have worked out with Morris -- a feeling he also has about Cousins, who spent the past six years as the Vikings' quarterbacks. The last of those years came with O'Connell as his head coach and play-caller, and the two were also together with the now-Washington Commanders in 2017.

Cousins and O'Connell shared a brief chat postgame, during which O'Connell said he may not get the chance to be Minnesota's coach without having Cousins in his life.

And as a result of their extensive experience together, O'Connell knows Cousins -- and Morris, for that matter -- well enough to forecast the Falcons' future. He feels Atlanta's right in its belief that brighter days lay ahead.

"I love him as a person," O'Connell said about Cousins. "I think he's a great human being, great father, great husband. He stands for so many great things I always really valued. I'm proud of the way he's transitioned down to a new place this year. He's had a lot of success, and I think he's going to continue to do so.

"That's a talented team with a good quarterback and a great coaching staff, a bunch of them that I respect a ton in this league."

In a 17-game season with a natural flow of highs and lows, it can be easy to forget about such things. The Falcons, however, don't want to lose sight of that.

Instead, receiver Darnell Mooney said Atlanta needs to return to its facility in Flowery Branch and forget about something else: the four-game losing skid. The Falcons have four games left and plenty still to play for. Mooney wants them to approach it with an urgency fit for the situation.

"At the end of the day, December is the best time you want to play football. We're not playing our best football," Mooney said. "So, we've got to find a way to get our swag back."

Cousins noted the NFL is a week-to-week league. When teams play well, they're often not as good as people tell them. When teams are in a rut, they're usually not as bad as the dire, left-for-dead position it feels some have penciled the Falcons into.

The reality, Cousins said, is usually somewhere in the middle.

"We just have to keep playing and see where the dust settles when we get to January," Cousins said.

His teammates agreed. Ebiketie, who recorded one of the Falcons' four sacks and has become a driving force on a pass rush suddenly hitting its stride, said Atlanta can't afford to pound itself.

The Falcons are searching for consistency. They don't believe they're far off. They are, however, far enough off to be over a month removed from their last win.

"We believe in ourselves," left guard Matthew Bergeron said postgame. "We talked about the yards and stuff -- like, we're there, you know? We've just got to convert. We've just got to do better in critical situations and we'll get better."

Atlanta is looking for a reset. It has a long week ahead, as it faces the Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 16 on Monday Night Football in Allegiant Stadium. Flipping the script on the Falcons' sudden slide starts with one win, which Morris hopes will come in Las Vegas.

Still, the Falcons need help from teams around them. They need to make up a game on the Buccaneers, or erase a two-game deficit to the Commanders for the final wildcard spot. Atlanta and Washington play on either Dec. 28 or 29, with the date and kickoff time still to be determined.

But ultimately, Ebiketie said it comes down to the Falcons handling their own business and seeing what happens after that. They've dug their bed -- and with no outside help on the way, they have to get out of it with the roster that put themselves in this position to begin with.

And Atlanta's just fine with that.

"We've got everything we need in this locker room," defensive end Zach Harrison said postgame. "We've just got to go win."