Why Falcons’ Nightmare in Tampa Could Help Them Against Bengals in Madrid

The Atlanta Falcons are in pretty unique territory.

After playing a monsoon of a road game in a history-making 16-0 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta has gone abroad.

On Sunday, the Falcons (3-5) face the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) in the NFL’s second-ever game in Madrid, Spain, for a Week 9 NFC versus AFC clash.

“The challenges week to week are so vastly different in this league,” said head coach Kevin Stefanski. “You have to be ready to adapt at any moment’s notice.”

Last Sunday, Nov. 1, Atlanta was on the receiving end of a shutout against the Bucs as a torrential downpour drenched the players in Raymond James Stadium.

The Falcons aren’t accustomed to rainy conditions. They play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which features a retractable roof that opens only in response to Atlanta’s weather and seasonal conditions.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions, and Tampa became the first NFL team to win a game without a completed pass since 1974.

Want to know how bad of a stat that is? Passing the football in wasn’t as prominent in 1974 as it is now.

What an encore for the spooky Halloween holiday that happened a day before the Falcons-Bucs game.

It brought Atlanta back down to earth just a week after knocking off the undefeated San Francisco 49ers 29-20. Talk about a roller coaster of a season.

“You spend time on the game last week, and you have honest conversations with each other,” Stefanski reflected. “Certainly feel like that experience will serve us well moving forward.”

After struggling to adjust to the elements in Tampa, the Falcons now have another opportunity to prove they can handle unfamiliar circumstances, this time with a six-hour time difference and an unconventional travel schedule.

In Madrid, adaptability is once again the name of the game.

The Falcons took the eight-hour flight from Atlanta to Madrid on Tuesday and landed on Wednesday morning. They immediately began walkthroughs to prepare for battle against the streaking Bengals, winners of three straight games.

For normal road games, the Falcons typically leave on the day before the Sunday kickoff.

So everything on the itinerary has been moved up significantly to allow adequate rest and training.

“Going into an international game, a little bit of a different schedule,” Stefanski said. “For us as coaches and players, we see that as a positive.”

Falcons-Bengals kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, which is 3:30 p.m. Madrid time. Atlanta is the designated home team.

Light showers are expected, but the game is at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which has a retractable roof. NFL Network is set to televise the game.

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