Fall to 3-6 after losing another winnable game.
Nov 09, 2025
The Falcons brought their underperforming ways to Berlin, Germany, where fans there were happy to see American football regardless of who was playing.
Stateside, those who still care about the Falcons just wanted to see the team put together enough of a complete game to snatch a much-needed win from the Indianapolis Colts. They would be disappointed.
The 31-25 overtime loss to the Colts overseas means the diagnosis of what ails the Dirty Birds continues. And while NFL observers are alternating between hailing the victorious playoff-bound Colts and shaking their heads at “those Falcons,” Falcons Nation is frustrated and fed up with their local underachievers. Again.
Not that it was expected that the Colts would be pushovers, being that they came into Olympiastadion (where the game was held) with a 7-2 record. Jonathan Taylor was already the most feared player on the Colts roster. He was tabbed to be a threat to the Falcons’ defense, and he lived up to those expectations.
But the Falcons still had plenty of chances to put the Colts away and failed to capitalize on most of them. The Falcons’ defense kept the team close on the Colts’ heels, even in the lead at one point. But what defense gave, offense dropped (literally in some cases), until defense just couldn’t carry the whole team anymore when the game went out of regulation and into free football for Neveau German NFL fans.
The game went into OT, with the Falcons getting first crack at the ball, but the offense couldn’t get past the middle of the field. The Colts got the ball back, and after fending off the Colts through most of regular play, the Colts imposed their will on the Falcons and entered the red zone for the last time in this game, not a field goal, which would have won the game, but a touchdown.
Acknowledging what went right with the Falcons is easy but short. Defense did a good job stopping the run most of the game, but when the offense fails to score and the top team in rush yards (1453 R.Y., 5.3 yards per carry) keeps challenging you until your “bend but don’t break” defense finally breaks, guess what happens.
Drake London had another great game that went unrewarded with a team win. He got 104 receiving yards on 6 carries and 1 touchdown. Bijan Robinson got 17 touches for 84 rushing yards. Xavier Watts had 11 tackles today (6 without help).
Zane Gonzalez, the fourth contestant in “Kicker Idol” this season, won by not missing any of his kicks.
Even better, the Falcons’ defense got seven sacks today.
That’s it for the good. Now for the bad. And the ugly.
This game is Michael Penix Jr’s 13th appearance as an NFL player on the Falcons team. Although he wasn’t expected to be an overnight passing legend, his inexperience is showing at times, when the Falcons need a Ryan/Vick-style presence in the QB position. For every spot on connection to Drake London that moves the team down the field, there are missed connections that stall or shut down drives. Penix often doesn’t move fast enough or not at all to avoid a collapsing pocket or sack. Penix Jr. can be a great QB, but hasn’t yet shown he can be one NOW when the Falcons need it.
This being the case, that brings up the other issue: why the Falcons won’t stick with the run game. As pointed out before in these reviews, Penix Jr. still is not Namath, so relying on him to make a Hail Mary long ball TD is playing with fire. But the Falcons won’t stick with running the ball.
Special teams had a rough day, struggling to keep the Colts from getting any closer to the red zone without the short punts and punt return block failures. Too many times, the Colts capitalized on short field position due to special teams failures.
The Falcons did not get a single third-down conversion in this game. In the last two games, they only had one. That brings up an issue of how the Falcons’ offense is being used against tough defenses (like the Colts and last week’s Patriots). That once again is an indictment of the Falcons’ offensive coaching. OC Zac Robinson, who’s inching ever closer to a dreaded meeting with head coach Raheem Morris, does not have a plan that does anything more than the same play calls that lead his guys into opposing teams’ defenders. Too many drives (some of which were gifts from Falcons defense, like interceptions and takeaways with short field position) wind up 3 and outs. Wasted opportunities. If Robinson keeps calling up tired old plays that aren’t working, it’s likely time to say goodbye to Robinson. Sooner rather than later.
The Falcons, who many had as a possibility for a postseason appearance, now seem primed to miss the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. They have fallen to 3 and 6, ahead of the Saints, but not by much. They remain far behind season leaders Tampa Bay and Carolina (both of which lost today, a missed opportunity to gain on them in the NFC South standings).
Making the playoffs with the Falcons’ 3-6 record, according to Google AI, is possible but “challenging.” Only four NFL teams in the last 30 seasons (Detroit Lions, 1995; Jacksonville Jaguars, 1996; Washington Commanders/Redskins, 2012, and the Carolina Panthers, 2016) have rallied from a 3/6 record to make the playoffs. The Falcons would have to do a lot of things they aren’t successfully doing now to be the fifth.
It’s hard to see how things get better from here. Next Sunday, the Falcons face a team that already embarrassed them at home, the Carolina Panthers. Then there’s the Falcons’ best chances to score victories (at least on paper), the Saints, and then the Jets. Then come the Seahawks, Bucs, Cardinals, Rams, and, again, the Saints.
Today’s loss kicks the already nosebleed scrutiny of this team and its coaches (including Morris) up a notch, and their seats are getting ever-hotter. If the Falcons don’t show serious immediate improvement, this will be another lost season, leading to major post-season staffing moves after the holidays, if not sooner.
NOTES
- Penix Jr. got 177 passing yards, went 12 of 28 for one touchdown.
- Good things rarely happen with the opposing team spends more time on the field with the ball than you do. The Colts’ time of possession was 40:20. Falcons? 26:09. In the second consecutive game, the opposition had more time with the ball than the Falcons.
- Drake London (WR) is again the Baller of the Game. His offensive performance today (as well as Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, Charlie Woerner, and Bijan Robinson) should have been rewarded with a team win.
- The Falcons’ sack machine worked perfectly today. Ronnie Harrison Jr., Jalon Walker, Kaden Elliss, Zach Harrison, Arnold Ebiketie, Brandon Dorlus, and James Pearce Jr. all got a sack each. (7 total today.)
- Coach Morris’s clock management skills and decisions are increasingly being questioned by fans when he makes time-out calls at the wrong time or makes coach challenges when they are not necessary.
