Falcons’ very bad day in Denver puts their playoff prospects in question

DENVER — Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Ellis said Sunday evening that he was "pissed off." Coach Raheem Morris didn't say it exactly, but it wasn't hard to figure out.

"The whole game was about physicality and effort," Morris said. "They out-physicaled us. They out-efforted us. Got our butts kicked today."

It was a bitter but accurate summary of the Denver Broncos' 38-6 win Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High. The 32-point margin of defeat was Atlanta's third-worst since 2010.

"Pissed off, but we'll let that fuel us," Elliss said. "We'll make that pissed off for greatness. Props to them. We just have to bounce back and stay pissed off."

If the Falcons (6-5) sense that feeling slipping away, they can always rewatch Sunday's game. Three weeks ago, their biggest worry seemed to be that their defense would prevent them from being a significant threat in the playoffs. Suddenly, the concern is that defense might be a big enough problem to keep the team out of the playoffs entirely.

Sunday was the team's second straight loss. Meanwhile, Broncos coach Sean Payton moved to 4-0 this season against the NFC South, where he coached 15 years with the New Orleans Saints . Payton's victories over the Falcons, Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers have been by an average of 22 points.

"You have to give those guys a lot of credit for playing hard, playing physical," Morris said. "They absolutely went out there and beat us today with their effort and physicality. Those were the keys to the game."

After beating Dallas in Week 9 to move to 6-3, the Falcons seemed a virtual lock to win the NFC South and take the accompanying playoff berth. The state of the division — Tampa Bay is 4-6 and already has dropped two games to the Falcons, New Orleans is 4-7 and Carolina is 3-7 — means the Falcons still would have a comfortable lead if anything about this team felt comfortable at the moment.

The Buccaneers have only one game remaining against a team with a winning record, while Atlanta plays three more after their upcoming bye week. Still, Morris said he does not feel less optimistic about his team's potential than he did before this two-game losing streak.

"No one game will ever define you," he said. "I know this team is going to bounce back. It's obviously a tough day for those guys, a tough day for the organization. This organization is built on tough people."

That toughness wasn't on display defensively against Denver, though. The Falcons spent much of the week talking about the need to start faster on that side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake showed the team highlights of mixed martial arts fights and boxing matches with quick knockouts to illustrate his point, but that plan backfired as it was his team that took the punishment all game long.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was 28-for-33 for 307 yards, four touchdowns and a career-high 145 passer rating.

"I'm disappointed in our lack of execution," said Falcons safety Justin Simmons , who returned to Denver for the first time since his eight-year career with the Broncos ended when the team cut him in the offseason. "There were some things we did well, but then a lot of it was just not good. We didn't execute nearly well enough on defense to win this game."

The Broncos (6-5) finished with 400 yards, and their pass catchers had 199 yards after the catch. That's the 11th most by any team in a game this season, according to TruMedia.

"Obviously bad tackling," Morris said. "You miss tackles, they get yards."

Denver's screen game, in particular, seemed to flummox the Falcons. The Broncos scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and scored on six of nine possessions overall.

"You know screens are coming," Elliss said. "Jimmy is yelling to me on the headset, 'Screens are coming.' We're telling everybody, 'Screens are coming.' The thing about Sean Payton is he makes it look different every time. There's not a clear giveaway. He's probably the best play caller I've ever gone against."

The Falcons came into the game without starting cornerbacks Mike Hughes and Dee Alford and top reserve Antonio Hamilton Jr. because of injury, then lost cornerback Kevin King in the first quarter with a concussion, forcing reserve safety Richie Grant into the nickel spot.

's what I'm hearing: This NFL coach hiring cycle is going to be huge

Linebacker Troy Andersen and defensive linemen James Smith-Williams and Ta'Quon Graham , all starters or regular contributors, also sat out with injuries. Smith-Williams and Graham have been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next three games.

"You have to go out there and play, none of that matters," Morris said.

The Falcons' offensive performance against a premier defense didn't feel like a great omen for a potential postseason game either. They didn't score a touchdown and advanced to the red zone only once. Bijan Robinson , who entered the game having surpassed 100 all-purpose yards in five straight games, was held to 35 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards. Drake London caught only three of his seven targets. Quarterback Kirk Cousins finished with a 68.9 passer rating and was pulled in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. midway through the fourth quarter to preserve his health after taking three sacks and four additional quarterback hits.

"There's no magic formula to fix it, but it starts with having conversations this week to say, 'What are we doing well and what are we not doing well?' And then, 'How do we fix it?" said Cousins, who had a season-low 173 passing yards. "Those are important conversations to have, but then the answers are even more important. That's to be determined. Time will tell."

Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney didn't play in the second half because of a hamstring injury but said after the game that he is not seriously injured. He did acknowledge that he and his teammates are looking forward to their first open date of the season this weekend.

"Everybody is a little tired for sure," Mooney said. "It's been a long season, lot of close games, lot of people getting banged up. It's the perfect time for a bye week, perfect time to have a little reset and come back strong."

(Photo: Dustin Bradford / )