The Atlanta Falcons were on the back foot from the opening kick on Sunday, quickly falling behind the Bears 14-0. The deficit quickly ballooned to 31-7 by the fourth and ultimately proved too much for the Falcons to overcome, despite their improbable late surge.
Plenty of blame goes around for Sunday’s woeful performance, but the secondary must find its footing, and fast.
Caleb Williams’ hamstring looked fine after missing the last several weeks, and the Bears’ quarterback made the Falcons look like the one that needed to shake off the rust.
Williams completed his first 12 passes and went 24-of-24 for 248 yards when he didn’t face pressure (the most attempts without an incompletion from a clean pocket since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats). He finished his day 30-of-36 for 305 yards and a touchdown on his return.
The Falcons' secondary had a tough day, particularly Mike Hughes.
The veteran corner stepped in as the primary boundary corner due to injuries in the secondary and allowed 103 yards and a touchdown (QB rating of 158.3) on six catches (seven targets). Sunday’s performance isn't an isolated incident: Hughes has allowed a league-high 394 yards in coverage this season and is third-worst in the NFL in coverage EPA (+21.4).
He's in a difficult situation, playing out of his usual field position, and Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated his support for Hughes on Monday.
“We'll work through all those things this week. Obviously, Mike's a vet that we're counting on,” Stefanski said Monday. “These are tough matchups. We can always look at things that we can do better. Certainly, as we design the defense and those types of things, we'll always look at what we can do better. But the bottom line is we expect a lot from our corner position.”
Lately, those performances haven't been good enough, and that is on more than just Hughes.
Over six games, the Falcons have allowed 270 yards or more four times. Even in Week 5, when Atlanta held Baltimore below 270 passing yards, backup Tyler Huntley completed all 11 passes for 80 yards and accounted for two scores on the Ravens' final two drives, fueling a late comeback.
Atlanta has dropped to No. 20 in EPA/pass (-0.02) and No. 28 in passing yards per game allowed (252.0), but reinforcements could be coming soon.
Stefanski confirmed Monday that top cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. is “trending” toward an opened window to return from injured reserve, while his backup, C.J. Henderson, could also return this week after not participating in practices last week.
Both corners suffered groin injuries, with Terrell having missed the last four weeks. Henderson stepped in and played well in Terrell’s absence, earning praise from defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but the secondary’s already thin depth was tested when he couldn't play on Sunday.
Terrell's return could provide a much-needed boost, while Henderson would give Atlanta valuable depth at cornerback. With the undefeated 49ers coming to town, however, the Falcons need answers in the secondary quickly.
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