Rich Eisen says Falcons had NFL’s worst Week 1 loss
Losing in Week 1 isn’t the end of the world, but losing by 26 points in your home opener to a team you were favored to beat is not a good look. More than anything, the Falcons’ 32-6 loss to the Eagles stems from roster moves made several seasons ago that put the team in its current financial mess.
When you have a roster as thin as Atlanta’s, these losses are devastating as fans know there is little margin for error and quickly lose hope or interest in the season.
There were other bad losses in Week 1, however, Rich Eisen made the case that Atlanta’s was the worst in the entire NFL.
“It’s just one game, I get it,” said Eisen on his show Monday. “But the number of times I saw Matt Ryan get sacked and then cut away to Arthur Smith… There was one time where he just was shaking his head. Again, I don’t know what the play call was, I don’t know if there was an audible from the play call, I don’t know anything. That’s the thing when you’re a fan.”
Protecting Matt Ryan has always been an issue with the Falcons. Over the past three seasons alone, Ryan has become one of the most sacked quarterbacks. In 2020, Ryan was sacked 41 times, 25 of which came when the defense wasn’t blitzing at all.
“Arthur Smith could have been shaking his head because the protection should have been different and alignment screwed up, or he’s shaking his head because there was a hot route and the receiver didn’t know it. But when you’re sitting there at home, he’s probably sitting there shaking his head and you’re sitting there thinking ‘man, I didn’t want Kyle Pitts,'” continued Eisen.
While Pitts was undoubtedly the best overall athlete in this past NFL draft, many fans have continued to argue over whether or not the Falcons made the right decision to select Pitts over Justin Fields and Mac Jones. The team was drawn to Pitts, however, especially after the loss of Julio Jones.
Atlanta has a 36-year-old quarterback with an ever-ballooning cap situation because the team has continued to restructure his deal year after year to create necessary cap space. So the frustration around the QB position is very strong after the team passed on two possible franchise signal-callers in the draft. Until fans see Pitts truly come to life, the debate over the decision to pass on Fields and Jones will grow louder and louder each week, as Eisen explained.
“The future, for Atlanta, and if Atlanta struggles, it’s that sliding-door moment. they had a chance at Justin Fields or Mac Jones and chose Kyle Pitts. That’s the conversation Atlanta is going to have every single time they struggle and lose like they did yesterday… That’s the worst loss of the weekend to me.”
