Falcons have bye week to heal, reset from blowout loss at Denver
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) following the loss to the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Nov. 17.
Following their worst showing of the season, the banged-up Atlanta Falcons are limping into a much-needed bye week.
Atlanta (6-5) was held without a touchdown for the first time this year and allowed a season high in points in falling 38-6 on the road against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Falcons’ defense was without cornerbacks Mike Hughes (neck), Dee Alford (hamstring) and Antonio Hamilton (pectoral). Kevin King, an injury replacement, exited Sunday’s game with a concussion. Defensive linemen Ta’Quon Graham (pectoral) and James Smith-Williams (tibia) were also out, along with linebackers JD Bertrand (concussion) and Troy Andersen (knee).
The Atlanta defensive front couldn’t afford the barrage of injuries, as its 10 sacks rank last in the NFL. The Falcons finally reached the double-digit mark in the category against the Broncos when Matthew Judon took down Bo Nix in the final minute of the first half.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris said that Sunday was about more than just an ineffective pass rush.
“We got our butts kicked, and we’ve got to be able to come to grips with that,” Morris said Monday at his press conference. “We’ve got to reset ourselves and get healthy so we can come back and get ready to go full speed. ... When looking at yesterday, you can just take a grenade, throw it on the whole game and kind of wipe it away. We didn’t play well in a whole lot of aspects of the game.”
Morris anticipates Andersen, Alford and Hughes will return following the bye week in time for the Week 13 home meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Offensively, the Falcons were held to their lowest point total since Week 3 of 2023, when they lost 20-6 to the Detroit Lions. Younghoe Koo made field goals of 41 and 51 yards.
The Broncos had a 400-226 advantage in total yards, including 105-50 on the ground, as well as more first downs (22-13) though only four more offensive plays (60-56).
Morris didn’t shy away from taking blame for a game in which little went right.
“When you get out-efforted, it’s a reflection on me,” Morris said. “That’s the stuff that I want to be clear and transparent about. We got out-efforted, and I have to be honest about it. I have to tell (the media) the truth, and I’ve got to tell our team the truth. That’s what happened yesterday.
“It’s definitely something that makes coaches furious, but you’ve got to be honest and you’ve got to be able to admit those things to be able to fix them.”
Atlanta enters the bye holding a 1 1/2 game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) and a two-game edge over the New Orleans Saints (4-7) atop the NFC South.
