By: Matthew Weatherby
The Falcons and Colts squared off in Berlin on Sunday for this edition of the NFL’s International Series.
For the Falcons, a new country did not mean a new team. The same Falcons that fans in Atlanta have grown accustomed to seeing in the United States reared their ugly head once more in Germany on Sunday.
Falcons Troubling Trends
For Michael Penix, a narrative continued Sunday morning that he cannot win a game outdoors. For good reason, too, the Falcons Quarterback is 0-5 in games that are not played indoors. Penix was 12/28 for 177 yards and 1 touchdown. Good for an average of 6.3 yards per attempt. Inefficient, to say the least.
The troubling part is that Penix received the help he hasn’t been accustomed to getting in their losses. Drake London hauled in 6 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, all while being shadowed by the Colts’ newly acquired Cornerback Sauce Gardner. The running game was efficient as well, as Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson combined for 140 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns all while averaging close to 5 yards per carry.
The cherry on top of it all? The Falcons won the Turnover battle 2-1. Everything was pointing to the Falcons figuring it out and bucking some of these trends they have created for themselves. The newly signed Kicker Zane Gonzalez was perfect, and they did well in the return game. Yet they still found a way to lose yet another close game.
What the Colts did well
I just piled on the Falcons for their performance in losing this game, but a good deal of credit is due to the Colts.
They have Jonathan Taylor, who has been the best running back in the NFL this season and may win the Offensive Player of the Year Award at the season’s end. They utilized him well, giving him 32 carries against a Falcons rush defense that is ranked 23rd in rushing yards allowed. Taylor would go for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns.
They also got Tyler Warren, 8 catches for 99 yards against a Falcons defense that was the best defense in the league when it came to stopping Tight Ends.
A game plan that was well executed. The impressive part about the win for the Colts was their ability to finish the game. They scored on their final four drives of the game, including the drive that ended the game on Jonathan Taylor’s third rushing touchdown of the day.
What’s next for the Falcons?
I’m not exactly sure where the Falcons go from here. I keep looking for a trend to pop up in their losses, but nothing has really shown as being a consistent reason. One day they can’t run the ball, the next time they can’t throw, or their special teams is bad. But no matter what, you can bank on the Falcons being consistently inconsistent.
I do know that they must finish games better than they did Sunday morning in Berlin. Over their last 2 drives, they amassed negative 23 yards on 7 plays. Incredible really. Scoring only once in their last 4 drives, by way of a Tyler Allgeier rushing touchdown, while the Colts were 4/4 scoring on their last 4 drives.
The one thing I can be certain of for the Falcons is that they play the 5-5 Panthers at home this Sunday. Both teams are coming off losses as the Panthers lost 17-7 at home to the Saints this past weekend.
The Falcons open as 3.5-point favorites.
