The Atlanta Falcons were throttled by the New England Patriots, 25-0, Thursday night. The loss drops Atlanta to 4-6 on the season, and 1-4 at home. That's good enough for last place in the NFC South.
Here are three key takeaways from the shutout loss to the Patriots.
Most importantly, the Falcons organization need to face facts and start the rebuild. Following their victory over the Saints in Week 9, Atlanta sat at 4-4. There were talks about this team possibly making a run at a wild card spot. Stop it.
The team's other three wins came against the New York Jets, New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins. All three of those wins came by one possession as well. Whereas they have lost games by 26 to Philadelphia, 23 to Tampa Bay, 40 to Dallas and 25 last night to New England.
This is not a talented roster. It has holes all over the field. They should have traded former league MVP Matt Ryan before the trade deadline. But they still can move him this off-season. They should move him. Ryan still has a couple good years left in him.
If Bill Belichick can acknowledge Matt Ryan is not the Falcons issue, so can anyone else. It’s never been a Matt Ryan problem https://t.co/xMHee6q1N7
— TJ Horgan (@TJHorganTV) November 17, 2021
Another takeaway from the shutout loss for the Falcons is that they need to get more physical. They have been pushed around a handful of times this season. Thursday night, New England dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The interior of the Falcons offensive line has struggled to hold up and open holes for the running game. Cordarrelle Patterson has been explosive because of his elusiveness and ability to make plays in space. If not for Patterson, this offense might be putrid.
It certainly did not help when Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Ridley walked away from football. Ridley announced the he needs to step away from the game for mental health reasons.
That came as a shock to the team and fans alike. But before the Falcons fall into the trap of thinking they need to replace their skill position players, they need to work on their offensive and defensive lines first.
Finally, tight end Kyle Pitts is the real deal. You wouldn't know it from the box score. Pitts was held to three catches for only 29 yards on five targets. But this was the first time I watched him play an entire game. The fact that he is labeled as a tight end is a bit misleading.
His speed, quickness and ability to get in and out of his breaks look like a wide receiver. He has excellent hands and runs good routes. It is easy to see why Atlanta used the 4th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him. That is the highest a tight end has ever been drafted in NFL history.
Kyle Pitts making history 🙌@kylepitts__ @AtlantaFalcons
📺: #NEvsATL— TONIGHT (8pm ET) on NFLN/FOX/PRIME VIDEO pic.twitter.com/xhZdWYITpD
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 18, 2021
He received one of the biggest compliments you can get Thursday night. Bill Belichick keyed in on him defensively all game. Belichick is known for game planning to take away the opponents best weapon, forcing you to beat him with other players. The Patriots bracketed him all night long with linebackers and safeties.
On the season, Pitts has 635 yards receiving, putting him on pace for over 1,000 yards in his rookie year. That is one position the Falcons should not have to worry about for a very long time.
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