Falcons offense yet to reach red zone: ‘Just not good enough’ to open season

But there’s little denying the Falcons need better play — and health — at quarterback, where Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa (oblique), who battled for the starting job all summer, watched from the sidelines for the second consecutive week.

“In this league,” star running back Bijan Robinson said postgame, “the quarterback position is what helps teams, what drives teams.”

And with Rush behind the wheel, the Falcons’ automobile has struggled even reaching the speed limit.

The team benched Rush midway through the third quarter Sunday after his third turnover and second interception of the game. He went 10-for-17 passing for 86 yards before being replaced by undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who completed 8-of-15 passes for 59 yards and had his first NFL throw deflected and returned for a touchdown.

Strand joins great company. Since 1991, only Brett Favre, Jameis Winston and Sam Darnold have thrown pick-sixes on their first NFL pass attempt. All three made Pro Bowls. Two won Super Bowls. Perhaps Strand, who attended Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, experiences similar success down the road.

But that does little to ease the immense shortcomings of the Falcons’ offense Sunday and through the first two weeks of the season.

The Falcons have put together 25 drives through two games. They’ve scored on four of them — three field goals, one touchdown. They still haven’t run a play in the red zone, making them the first team since the Rams in 2008 to accomplish such a feat in the first two games.

They haven’t completed a pass that traveled 20 yards in the air. Their longest pass play was a 24-yard catch and run by Bijan Robinson back in Week 1. Kicker Nick Folk has missed three field goals in two games after missing three the previous three years combined.

And most irritating to Stefanski, the Falcons have committed seven turnovers — four interceptions from Rush, one from Strand and a fumble from each — to pair with a turnover on downs Sunday afternoon.

“Giveaways and takeaways are the key to this game,” Stefanski said. “To turn it over that many times, and obviously, we didn’t take it away at all, there’s no way to win in the NFL like that.”

So, the root beneath the Falcons’ inability to get into opponents’ red zones?

“Turning the ball over,” Stefanski said. “You’ve got to maintain your drives, obviously. But we’ll be better.”

The Falcons were dealt a difficult hand.

Penix is their preferred starter, and unlike Week 1, the Falcons felt he had a realistic chance at playing Sunday. So, they split snaps between Penix and Rush with the first-team offense in practice Wednesday and Thursday, alternating between lefty and righty, between strong-armed 26-year-old and veteran 32-year-old. Toss in Strand, who worked on scout team, and there were plenty of moving parts.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Chris Lindstrom said he felt the Falcons were prepared individually and as a unit, even with the fluidity surrounding Penix’s situation. He said he believes Rush and Strand communicated well with the offense.

But execution faltered.

“Just not good enough,” Lindstrom said. “Right now, we just need to focus on our preparation and our plan and eliminate self-mistakes, win the turnover margin, eliminate penalties and just be efficient, win our run game, and just keep working on it.”

Robinson echoed a similar thought. He doesn’t feel players are doing their jobs correctly if they’re worried about the starting quarterback. The Falcons committed six penalties Sunday and were just 4-of-13 on third down.

Postgame film review, Robinson said, offers the Falcons a chance to take a long look in the mirror, self-reflect and correct their mistakes moving forward.

“Really tell ourselves, ‘We can’t ever put that on film again,’” Robinson said. “So, now it’s just us. We can’t feel bad for ourselves because nobody else cares. They don’t feel bad for us. So, it’s really on us as an offensive unit, as a team, to not put that showing on the field again.

“And I believe we’ll do it, because we’re just confident guys that love each other, from the coaches down, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Veteran receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said there’s no secret sauce for offensive evolution. It’s merely everybody doing what they’re supposed to do, how they’re coached to do it.

Lindstrom said the Falcons will hold difficult conversations Monday after reviewing the tape. Understanding the “why” of their shortcomings, along with preaching accountability, will be at the forefront of their discussions.

“It’s our job to go to work and to get it right,” Lindstrom said. “Because if you sit here and mull around about it — it’s supposed to hurt, it does hurt, and it’s not good enough. But then in the same breath, you have to go back to work, and we have no other choice.”

The Falcons dished out large contracts to Robinson, receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts this summer. Through two games, Robinson is responsible for 45% of the team’s total yards. London, meanwhile, has six catches for 80 yards — 14.2% of the offense — while Pitts has just one reception for 15 yards.

London and Pitts are the biggest victims to the Falcons’ pass-game struggles, but London said subpar quarterback play hasn’t necessarily sparked a trickle-down effect throughout the offense.

“I think we, as playmakers, us in the backfield, us on the outside, we got to go out there and make plays, regardless,” London said. “We’re all in the league for a reason, right? We’re all good football players. I don’t care if you’re fourth string or you’re the starter. So, we got to go out and play.”

Stefanski said he believes the Falcons have strong resolve within their locker room. They’re a resilient group, he added. And if nothing else, they have a subtle confidence — in part because Penix is close to returning — that brighter days are ahead.

“I believe in us,” Zaccheaus said.