Falcons to 'Look At' Defensive Changes After Blowout Loss at Broncos

The Atlanta Falcons' shorthanded defense fell apart Sunday at the Denver Broncos -- and change may come after the bye week.

The Denver Broncos' starting offense scored five touchdowns in eight drives Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The first contact came at the 5-yard line. Six seconds later, Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons was on his back, planted in the Empower Field at Mile High grass while watching the Denver Broncos celebrate running back Javonte Williams' 14-yard touchdown run.

Simmons met Williams with plenty of room between himself and the goal line. Then, Denver rallied behind its fourth-year ballcarrier, shoving him into the endzone while Simmons and the Falcons did their best to withstand -- but ultimately fell short.

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"I don't think that's a byproduct of exactly how the game went," Simmons said postgame about the touchdown run. "I think that's just a little sample size."

Perhaps it was only a side dish, but the main course featured a season-worst 38 points allowed to go along with Denver producing 400 yards of offense. The Falcons flew home with a 38-6 defeat, their largest since November of 2021.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix went 27-for-33 passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He tied Denver's rookie franchise record with passing scores, didn't turn the ball over and was sacked only once.

Atlanta's defense had perhaps its worst performance of the season entering a much-needed bye week -- and Falcons head coach Raheem Morris didn't rule out making changes.

"We always look at that," Morris said. "That's what you always do -- you go back, reflect, study. You get a little bit more time this week. You got two weeks to come back, get ready, get healthy, prepare yourself to get better, prepare yourself to go out there and play your best football."

Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who has over two decades of coaching experience across the college and pro level, is in his first year calling plays in the NFL. Atlanta's defense ranks No. 25 in yards allowed (357.1 per game), passing yards allowed (229.9 per game) and scoring (24.9 points allowed per game).

Pass rush, long a thorn in Atlanta's side but less so in 2023, has returned to its place as a prominent issue.

The Falcons' lone sack on Nix -- when four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Matthew Judon recorded his first since Week 2 by bull-rushing right tackle Mike McGlinchey into Nix's feet -- was sack No. 10 this season. It took Atlanta 42 quarters of regulation to reach double-digit sacks. All but five teams have at least doubled the Falcons' sack total.

Part of Atlanta's struggles Sunday came due to injuries. The Falcons lost two defensive linemen -- Ta'Quon Graham and James Smith-Williams -- to injured reserve Saturday and entered Sunday with three cornerbacks and two linebackers.

Morris didn't use injuries as an excuse, though several players either just signed to the roster or promoted to the practice squad saw extended action Sunday, including cornerback Natrone Brooks, defensive back Dane Cruikshank and outside linebacker Khalid Kareem.

The Falcons, from a personnel perspective, hardly looked like the defense they've been throughout the season. Their worst on-field result followed -- but in a sense, it merely accentuated their biggest flaws.

Atlanta's pass defense had several apparent miscommunications and coverage busts. Apart from the sack by Judon, the Falcons only hit Nix twice.

Simmons, who spent the first eight years of his pro career in Denver, credited the Broncos' offense for making his proverbial homecoming "bittersweet" -- though he added the Falcons didn't execute well enough defensively to give themselves a chance to win.

"Surprised might not be the right word. I'm disappointed in our lack of execution," Simmons said. "It felt like there's some things we did well, but a lot of it was just not good. I felt like tackling, or the effort of tackling, wasn't there. We gave up a lot in the screen game.

"The way they were operating and Bo was evaluating, moving the ball, taking the checkdowns when he needed to, it just allowed them to get into a rhythm offensively that defensively we couldn't break."

Before being pulled after their eighth drive, the Broncos' starting offense scored five touchdowns -- each from different players -- while adding one field goal. Four players caught at least four passes. Three eclipsed 50 receiving yards. Nix broke the 300-yard mark for the first time as a professional.

In addition to the Falcons' struggles stopping Denver's offense, Atlanta failed to generate a turnover for the fifth time this season and third in as many games. The Falcons are 1-4 when they don't create a turnover, 2-1 when they get one and 3-0 when they force two or more.

Turnover margin is a pillar to success. Coaches often include it in their keys to winning. It's especially true on the road, when takeaways can help set up a team's offense and make life easier in difficult environments.

The Falcons' offense failed to score a touchdown Sunday. While Simmons didn't directly contribute to that, he partially felt he did.

"You can't play like that and expect to win," Simmons said. "This team has to be able to win on the road, and that starts with the defense and setting our offense up on a short field and we just couldn't do that today. Obviously, that showed on the field and on the game."

So, what changes? Perhaps only time will tell.

"Ask me after the bye week," linebacker Kaden Elliss said postgame.

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