Why there’s still hope for the Falcons at 2-4

Following back-to-back losses, the Falcons sit at 2-4, once again behind the eight ball in the NFC South — and the road isn’t getting any easier.

I’m not sure what the NFL has against Atlanta, but the schedule-makers have put this team through the wringer to start the season. The Falcons just played the Ravens and Bears, two teams almost certainly headed to the playoffs. Now they get the undefeated San Francisco 49ers — and in fact, three of the next five teams on the schedule are currently undefeated. Sandwiched in between is a trip to Madrid to face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Even after that stretch, it’s not as if a couple of cupcakes are waiting around the corner. The Falcons then face Detroit before heading on the road to play one of the league’s surprises in the 4-2 Browns — a highly emotional contest with Kevin Stefanski returning to face his former team.

Frankly, it would be a miracle if the Falcons came out of that stretch with a real shot at the playoffs. Which is unfortunate, because when you look at the totality of what’s transpired this season, there have actually been several really positive developments.

Michael Penix Jr. has shown signs of growth

For starters, Cooper Rush didn’t give this team a chance to win over the first two weeks. What happened in those games should basically be thrown out the window. This team with Michael Penix Jr. is 2-2. They beat the Packers and Saints on the road by more than 21 points, and they lost a pair of respectable one-score games to the Ravens and Bears.

Could the team — and Penix specifically — have been better over this four-week stretch? Absolutely.

The Ravens game in particular felt like one that got away, and it’s pretty evident to anyone who’s watched Penix this season what he needs to work on. When he’s not pressured, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league. Under pressure, he’s no better than Cooper Rush.

Still, it’s important to remember this is his first four games back from a torn ACL in a completely new offense. Growing pains are expected, and even with them, he sits 13th in QBR, throwing six touchdowns to just one interception. That’s a massive step forward for a player who still doesn’t have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt.

A defensive line to build around

When Jalon Walker tore his ACL before the season started, combined with James Pearce Jr.’s eight-game suspension, the feeling from the outside was that the Falcons’ defensive front could revert to its old ways as one of the laughingstocks of the league.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. The moves the Falcons made across the board this offseason have proven brilliant, with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Brandon Dorlus instantly blossoming into one of the best defensive tackle duos in football.

Highest pressure rate among DI this season
(min 100 pass snaps)

Brandon Dorlus 14.0%
Gervon Dexter Sr 13.1%
Byron Murphy II 12.9%
Zach Allen 12.9%
Dexter Lawrence 12.8% pic.twitter.com/h1HdLexieq

— PFF (@PFF) October 22, 2026

Maason Smith has also proven to be an outstanding addition on the interior, giving Atlanta a young defensive core it can build around moving forward, especially once Walker and Pearce return.

Even without those guys, the Falcons rank fifth in pass-rush win rate and second in run-stuff win rate. There are still some holes on that side of the ball that must be addressed, but Atlanta will have a lot of money to do so in the offseason.

Games are won in the trenches, and at least on one side of the ball, the Falcons seem to have it figured out.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire