The Atlanta Falcons took on the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin, Germany, for their Week 10 matchup. The Colts were heading into this game, considered one of the best teams, if not the best, in the NFL, while the Falcons had lost a close match to the New England Patriots the previous week.
Atlanta was looking to get a bounce-back victory, but ultimately they came up short by losing 31-25 in Overtime, decreasing their record to 3-6 while the Colts upped theirs to 8-2.
What Went Right and What Went Wrong for the Falcons
Offensively, Atlanta’s run game improved with Bijan Robinson carrying the ball 17 times for 84 yards, which is an increase from last Week’s 46 against New England. Tyler Allgeier made a lot of plays for the team with 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was 12/28 for 177 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Drake London, who ranks 18th in PFSN’s WRi rankings, had a great day, catching six passes for 104 yards and a score. Penix Jr. missed some key throws, such as the one to Kyle Pitts Sr., that could have been a touchdown if the throw had more sting. But pass catchers had several drops as well, such as Darnell Mooney’s late in the game. The offense was 0/8 on 3rd down, which contributed to the loss.
Defensively, they got after Colts’ quarterback Daniel Jones, sacking him seven times in the contest. Edge rusher Jalon Walker had four total tackles (2 assisted) and a sack. The defense showed a lot of fight, but it wasn’t enough to stop Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor.
Jonathan Taylor’s Big Day Against Atlanta
Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor had a dominant day against the Falcons, carrying the ball 32 times for 244 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Taylor was the focal point of the Colts’ offense today, and he even iced the game in overtime with a rushing touchdown.
They relied on him heavily, given the amount of carries he had, and he proved that he could shoulder the weight of being the primary option in the offense. Taylor did a good job of running in between the tackles, making defenders miss, and continuing runs that looked like they would’ve been halted. Taylor leaves the game with even more MVP consideration.
The Falcons will face their division rival, the Carolina Panthers, at home on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta is currently on a four-game losing streak and sits in 3rd place in the NFC South. There are some doubts that they will be able to salvage their season.
