The Atlanta Falcons have reached their rock bottom for the 2023 season, losing 9-7 to the previously 1-11 Panthers. After the Buccaneers and Saints both won Sunday, the Falcons are much closer to playing out the string than sniffing the postseason.
There’s plenty of time to point fingers and lay all of the blame, but the fact that Atlanta had its playoff hopes within its control and let it slip away in back-to-back weeks is the biggest indictment. This was a similar script to the Falcons’ other frustrating losses—a sputtering offense punctuated by gut-wrenching turnovers and a defense that did everything it could only to fade at the exact wrong time.