The Atlanta Falcons once again found themselves in a nail-biter, this time against their archrival, the New Orleans Saints. Unlike last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and their Week 1 defeat by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons managed to secure a victory at home in Week 4.
Falling to 1-3, with all three losses coming at home, would not have sat well with Atlanta fans—especially for a team that entered the season with high expectations due to significant roster changes and coaching turnover. Fortunately for new head coach Raheem Morris, he doesn’t have to face that criticism just yet, thanks to a 26-24 win over the Saints.
However, a victory like Sunday’s—one that relied on a defensive pass interference call leading to Younghoe Koo’s 58-yard game-winning field goal—will certainly fuel plenty of overreactions. With that said, let’s dive into our Falcons Week 4 overreactions following their win over the Saints.
Overreaction: Falcons are now favorites to win NFC South Division with win over Saints
As mentioned, a loss for the Falcons in Week 4 against the Saints would have been disastrous. Atlanta didn’t get any favors in their first four games, but with the high expectations surrounding this season, already racking up three losses would have meant they’d almost need to win out to salvage the season. Losing to the Saints—a division rival—at home on Sunday would have made it even worse.
The Falcons have another NFC South matchup next weekend, hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have won the division for the past three seasons. While Sunday’s win over the Saints is certainly a positive, it doesn’t mask the glaring flaws this team still has. They’re far from out of the race for the division title—currently in second place—but one win over the Saints doesn’t suddenly make them the favorites to win it either.
Overreaction: The Falcons offense isn’t getting any better
What ultimately led to Arthur Smith’s firing was the underwhelming performance of the Falcons’ offense. Despite being hailed as an offensive guru, Smith’s unit was mediocre at best. Under the new regime, the offense hasn’t exactly wowed anyone through the first four games of this season, either.
Entering Week 4, the Falcons ranked 20th in total offense—19th in passing, 18th in rushing—and 26th in scoring, averaging just 16.3 points per game. The four-year, $180 million man, Kirk Cousins, hasn’t necessarily been terrible but hasn’t been impressive, either. He already has four interceptions and four fumbles this season and often looks uncomfortable in the pocket. Whether it’s due to his age (now 36), lingering effects from last year’s Achilles injury, or a combination of both, it’s concerning.
Another reason to worry about this offense is the lack of a consistent rushing attack. They’ve only managed to rush for over 100 yards in a game once this season, which came against the Philadelphia Eagles. This is troubling, considering the Falcons are supposed to have one of the best backfields in the NFL with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
The hope is that this unit is still building chemistry, particularly Cousins, who might just be shaking off some rust. However, it’s worth noting that the offense is currently missing two key linemen, which could be contributing to the struggles.
Overreaction: Tyler Allgeier should get more touches than Bijan Robinson
Before Bijan Robinson joined the backfield last year, it was Tyler Allgeier who carried the load for the Falcons. A pleasant surprise out of the fifth round in the 2022 draft, Allgeier became a key player in Atlanta’s offense. But last year, Arthur Smith felt the need to boost the offense with one of the most talented running backs in the draft, selecting Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick.
Robinson has shown flashes of the talent that made him a first-round pick, but as some feared when he was drafted, Allgeier has somewhat faded into the background. However, against the Saints on Sunday, Allgeier reminded everyone of his value, breaking tackles and earning first downs while rushing for a season-high 60 yards. Naturally, with such a solid performance, there are now calls to give him the majority of the touches.
This is likely the biggest overreaction. Granted, Allgeier should be more involved in the offense, as he proved on Sunday that he’s still highly productive. The initial plan was for him and Robinson to form a dynamic one-two punch in the backfield. But that hasn’t been the case so far.
Robinson has taken the lion’s share of carries with 48 to Allgeier’s 19. Interestingly, Allgeier is averaging more yards per carry than Robinson (5.6 to 4.1). However, it’s still too early to drastically change the offensive philosophy of this year’s team. As the team gels and the offensive line (hopefully) gets healthier, we’ll likely see why Robinson is getting the majority of the touches. That said, Allgeier should not be an afterthought. He should be a priority for offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to utilize moving forward.
*Stats provided by Fox Sports.
