Deep Coverage: Defense costs Atlanta again

It’s like the good ol days again. And I’m not talking about 2016. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Atlanta Falcons 37-36 with Bengals wide receiver AJ Green catching the game winning TD in the closing seconds. Defense was a premium as each team looked like they couldn’t stop a nose bleed if they tried. Ultimately, Cincy made the biggest play of the game and it got them the win.

Offense Shows Up Again

This game featured two high powered offenses and it sure didn’t disappoint. The first half was a back and forth slug fest with each team trading touchdowns with one another. Matt Ryan continued his hot streak as he threw 29 for 39 for 419 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Ridley kept scoring as he snagged two touchdowns himself. Mohammad Sanu had his first 100 yard receiving day as a Falcon. He caught six passes for 111 yards. Julio Jones was a dominant force, catching nine passes for 173 yards. The media probably will be hung on the fact he hasn’t reached the end zone though.

Paper Mache Defense

While the offense balled out, the same could not be said about the defense. To say they played like puke would be a total understatement. They kept giving up big play after big play at the worst times. Anyone not named Takk McKinley or Demontae Kazee played very badly. That is especially true of corners Desmond Trufant and Brian Poole. Trufant kept getting cooked by Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd all game long and it mainly showed on the last drive. After Trufant dropped a what could of been a game sealing interception in the red zone he then proceeds to get beat by Boyd on an underneath route on 4th and 6. It didn’t stop there however, as the exact same thing would happen four plays later.

Brian Poole continues to prove me right when I say he’s not good and can’t cover anybody. Both he and rookie corner Isaiah Oliver were caught napping on the play which led to Green’s game winning touchdown. Overall, if this defense doesn’t get better fast it’s going to be a long season for the Dirty Birds.

Final Falcon Word

Usually these Deep Coverage articles would be longer but I’m too mad about this game and I feel like what I said above did justice. Anyways, the Falcons travel to Pittsburgh to take on the also struggling Steelers as they look to get back on track from a horrendous start to their season. This game should feature a lot of offense and absolutely no defense as both teams look like they couldn’t stop leafs from breaking into their houses let alone full grown NFL players. Hopefully the Falcons team gets it together or else this could be a repeat of last game.

I hope you enjoyed this article and remember to always RISE UP!