Why Are Slumping Falcons Remaining Confident?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan says the next five weeks will be "about figuring out how to play" their best football of the season.

NFL teams that lose four of six games don't normally stay in the playoff hunt. That's especially true for teams that find themselves two games under .500 in early December. 

But there's nothing really normal about the 2021 NFL campaign. There's an extra week to the season for the first time, and there are seven playoff spots in each conference to be had.

If that isn't enough for this season to be different, there hasn't been this much parity in the league in a long time. Entering last Sunday only one team - the Arizona Cardinals - didn't have at least three losses.

There are still 25 teams with realistic playoff aspirations, which is an astonishing amount for Dec. 6. There are even more counting the Giants, Bears and Seahawks, who even at 4-8 could win out and potentially make the postseason.

Despite losing in three of the last four games to drop to 5-7, the Atlanta Falcons are one of those 25 teams.

"The truth is, we're still in the mix. We've got five games to do. That's a lot of football left," said Falcons coach Arthur Smith. 

Smith was defiant in his postgame press conference when asked about the Falcons struggles on offense and Russell Gage's fumble to begin the second half. His team seems to share his positivity and belief that the team is improving and heading in the right direction. 

"I think when we go back and watch the things we have done well this season, even with the shortcomings, we just see things to build off of, and I think we are a group committed to growing and improving," said center Matt Hennessy.

The improvement offensively the last two weeks has come on the ground. The Falcons have 270 rushing yards combined in the last two games. In each contest, Atlanta ran for at least 120 yards. Before these last two games, the Falcons had only one 120-plus yard rushing game, and it came in Week 1.

The bad news is the rushing didn't translate to a lot of points. The Falcons scored 21 and 17 points in their last two contests, and on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta had only one offensive touchdown.

The running game also didn't help the offensive line protect the quarterback Sunday. Despite the ground game, the Buccaneers front still teed off for five sacks and 11 quarterback hits against Matt Ryan.

But the confidence level remains high for the Falcons if not for anything but because of what they were able to do against the Buccaneers, who are one of just three NFL teams with fewer than four losses this season.

"I think we're in a spot, obviously disappointed with the outcome of today's game, but that's a really good football team," Ryan said. "I really think there were chances for us to kind of change the outcome of that game. We've got to be opportunistic as we go forward. 

Both Smith and Ryan expressed excitement about the challenge to face another division opponent right away. The Falcons visit the Carolina Panthers this Sunday.

Atlanta started its stretch of four losses in six games with a 19-13 defeat against Carolina, but the Falcons may have better luck on the road, where they are 4-2 this year. The Falcons are 0-5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, their on.

Not that Smith and the players are looking past Carolina, but the rest of the schedule should also give the Falcons confidence. Not only are three of Atlanta's five remaining games on the road, where the team has played much better, but the Falcons only have one remaining matchup versus a team with a winning record.

"We have everything we want out in front of us," Ryan said. "Ultimately, this time of year, that's all you can really ask for. Now, it's about figuring out how to play our best football in the next five weeks."