The Atlanta Falcons are going to remember September 20 for a long time. That’s the day they lost 3-34 to the Carolina Panthers. The scoreboard is enough to show how bad the loss was. But it feels even worse in the eyes of Rob Gronkowski, who did not mince his words about head coach Kevin Stefanski’s team.
“It’s quite a little bit better than Cooper Rush right now,” said Gronkowski on the Fox NFL postgame show. “But so far, Atlanta is the only team this season without a red zone drive as well. It’s a waste of talent with Kyle Pitts, their tight end, Drake London, their wide receiver.
“Bijan Robinson, I mean, just hand the ball off to them every single play if they wanna get something going. But they need a quarterback, and they need a quarterback as soon as possible, cuz this is not good play at all.”
This offense never seemed to have a spark. Three of Atlanta’s first four offensive drives ended in turnovers. Cooper Rush’s time s QB1 came to an end after he threw his second interception, finishing the night with only 10 of 17 completed passes for 86 yards and one fumble.
It’s evident that while watching the game, Gronkowski must have been truly upset when the passing game could not function. But Bijan Robinson, one of the only bright spots in this offense, also struggled against the Panthers’ defense.
He finished with 16 carries for 72 rushing yards and three receptions for nine receiving yards. London was better this week, recording four receptions for 51 yards after managing just two catches for 29 yards in Week 1.
London signed a four-year, $141 million extension in June, while Pitts landed a three-year, $54 million deal. Robinson then agreed to a three-year extension worth $66.75 million in base value in August.
With the offense struggling, Atlanta fans were calling for undrafted rookie Jack Strand to take the charge as boos and chants of “We want Jack” started pouring in.
Strand’s long-awaited opportunity came late in the third quarter, but his first pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown. The Falcons had now thrown a pick-six in back-to-back weeks. He went 8 of 15 for 59 yards with an interception and a fumble. He was intercepted on his first regular-season pass in the NFL, which was unfortunately returned by the Panthers for a 16-yard touchdown.
Tough night for a rookie in Strand’s position.
“We gotta go out there and make plays, regardless [of who is playing quarterback],” wide receiver Drake London said after the boos. “We’re all in the league for a reason. We’re all good football players. I don’t care if you’re fourth-string or you’re the starter. We’ve gotta go out there and play.”
“I’m disappointed in our performance as a football team,” Gronkowski added. “That’s all of us. It’s not just one position. Disappointed, and I’m going to make sure that we look at answers and not pinpoint one position, if you will.”
It’s high time the Falcons go at the micro level to find out the issues.