Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and NFL writer Charles McDonald react to Atlanta’s loss to Miami and explain why the Falcons looked so bad in a 24-point defeat. Check out the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
They didn’t do anything on offense for the Falcons, no, I’m not supposed to swear.
But that was a terrible, lethargic performance.
I know Kirk Cousins is the backup now, but still, Kirk Cousins, who you signed to a big deal, and you’re keeping on this team.
And then Drake London, I know, was sitting, but they couldn’t get the run game going, they couldn’t get anything going.
Their defense was just getting peppered throughout the day.
What were your takeaways from the, the Falcons laying an egg there, Chuck?
Can, can I tell you when I, when I turned this game off?
Oh my God, I turned this game I turned this game off with 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
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Uh, the Falcons were down 7 to 3, uh, and it was, it was, it was, it was so over.
It was so over.
I’ve, I’ve seen this game so many times.
They just don’t have the juice, and it, it’s 2 down, right?
Or 1 down, they’re on, they’re on their own 4 yard line.
1 down, Tyler Allie, uh, minus 3 yard run.
So now they’re they’re on the 1 yard line.
I’m watching Kirk sneak out of his own end zone on second down.
I was like, OK, this is so over.
And then they shank the punt, a 14 yard punt on, on 4th down and I cut it off.
Um, and the only things I saw after that were on red zone.
So I saw Bijon Robinson fumble, uh.
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And when it was like 31-3, and I was like, I still know this team like the back of my hand.
They had fewer than 50 plays, which is already like a Falcons team should be living and dying with long drives in the run game going.
They couldn’t run it, they couldn’t throw it, like, that’s the thing, I couldn’t get over that.
They, OK, I know Kirk Cousins is gonna be limited.
I know Drake London is not playing, but this team should just not even like think about it and run for 130 yards, you know what I mean?
Like they shouldn’t have a game without like fewer than 130 rushing yards.
Like they should just be able to walk off the bus and just turn it because that’s the basis of their whole team anyways.
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So I, I, I at first thought when I looked it up and cause I was just kind of like keeping this more like a bottom quadrant game for me.
I was kind of like, all right, is Bajen hurt?
Like, did something happen, you know, did something happen where he got hurt?
And I was like, no, no, it’s just they couldn’t extend any drives.
And the Dolphins, like speaking of Falcons defense, the Dolphins were just running their greatest hits.
It wasn’t any new stuff they were doing.
They did some, they’re another team that did more jumble offensive linemen, but they were just, it was the same stuff, they’re running their same RPO plays.
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The Waddle touchdowns, a classic play action that they run, he was wide open on the catch and run.
So, I don’t know, it was like.
I, I again, I know your backup, quote unquote is starting, but this is the guy you signed for big money and you guys walked out there like you had no shot of winning.