For a team already reeling from a season-ending injury to its rookie quarterback, Sunday in New Orleans could have spiraled into pure doom. Michael Penix Jr. is done for the year with a torn ACL after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a first-round rookie, and Raheem Morris had to pivot back to Kirk Cousins while watching his offense sputter in a 24-10 loss to the Saints.
In the middle of all that, the head coach delivered a clear promise about Penix’s future: this is not the end of the story. Morris vowed the young passer will return stronger and reiterated that the organization “believes in him,” while OC Zac Robinson emphasized Penix’s toughness and the support system around him as he begins another rehab climb.
Even in defeat, though, the defense quietly offered a reason to think Atlanta might be turning a corner on at least one side of the ball.
Falcons editor Will McFadden highlighted a striking stat on X, formerly Twitter: Atlanta blitzed at a season-low clip, just 15.7 percent of the time against New Orleans, yet still produced 19 pressures and five sacks with four or fewer rushers.
In other words, they finally did what defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been building toward, disrupting with a standard rush instead of gambling extra bodies.
That matters for a team now leaning on Cousins and a battered offense. If the front can consistently win without sending the house, it gives Morris the kind of foundation he has been chasing since he took over: a defense that can keep games manageable while the offense retools around a backup quarterback and waits on Penix’s return.
Off the field, the bigger-picture questions are not going away. Before this latest loss, reports already framed Morris as a personal favorite of owner Arthur Blank, whose job is still under scrutiny after a 3-7 start, a five-game skid, and a wave of injuries that includes Penix and top wideout Drake London. Cousins has publicly backed his head coach, and Morris has blamed himself, saying there is “no such thing as a losing team, only a losing leader.”
Put it all together and you get a conflicted picture: a coach players clearly believe in, a young quarterback the franchise insists it will stand by, and a defense that just delivered its most encouraging underlying performance of the season, all wrapped inside another double-digit loss.
If Atlanta can bottle what it showed up front against the Saints while honoring the promise made to Penix, there is at least a blueprint for something better than the chaos this year has produced.
