Atlanta Falcons Defense Better But Still Crumbled in Week 1

It's been eight years since the Atlanta Falcons made the postseason. During their playoff drought, the team has experienced numerous excruciating losses.

There was the 15-point blow lead in Week 2 of 2020 against the Dallas Cowboys. The following game, the Falcons gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter to lose to the Chicago Bears.

In Week 4 of 2021, the Falcons led the Washington Football Team by eight in the fourth quarter. Two Washington touchdowns in the final four minutes erased that deficit.

To open the 2022 season, the Falcons appeared ready to knock off their archrival, the New Orleans Saints. Instead, the Saints scored on their final three possessions to erase a 16-point lead.

In 2023, the Falcons allowed game-winning scores in the final minute to the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.

It happens. There's so much parity in the NFL that a vast majority of the games come down to the final two minutes. If a team doesn't have a winning record in the league, then it's likely they are giving up leads in the last seconds.

But the 2025 season is supposed to be different for the Falcons. On paper, Atlanta has a defense that is more equipped to rush the passer and thus, hold onto leads.

The Falcons showcased their better pass rush early Sunday versus the Buccaneers.

"For most of Sunday's contest, Atlanta played above expectation defensively," NFL.com's staff wrote. "It limited the Buccaneers offense to 192 yards through three quarters, allowed just one scoring drive of more than 52 yards and consistently forced Mayfield out of the comfort of the pocket while delivering generally tight coverage."

Was the strong Falcons defensive performance simply undone by a last-second miss from kicker Younghoe Koo? CBS Sports' John Breech argued it was.

"The Falcons got a strong performance from their defense and Michael Penix Jr. played well, but Koo threw that away by missing a 44-yard field goal with six seconds left," wrote Breech.

The CBS Sports analyst gave the Falcons and Buccaneers the same Week 1 grade -- a B-minus.

But one could argue it was also more of the same from the Falcons defense. In all those games I mentioned above, the team's defense crumbled late in the fourth quarter.

The same thing happened again in Week 1. The Buccaneers drove 63 yards in just five plays and one minute and 17 seconds. They completed the game-winning touchdown to a rookie receiver.

"The fourth quarter was the Falcons' downfall, though, as they allowed an urgent Buccaneers offense to slice right through them on the game's deciding touchdown drive," wrote the NFL.com staff.

"The Falcons played well enough to win until the final two minutes, failing their uneven (and concerningly unbalanced) offense at the worst possible time. It's precisely what defensive-minded coach Raheem Morris likely hates to see the most."

Late in the fourth quarter is when teams need their edge rushers the most. Those stars are supposed to close the game.

Overall, Atlanta's edge rushers were better Sunday than in years past. That's encouraging.

But the Falcons still appear to have a fourth quarter problem, and it's not just with the team's kicker.