Not only did the Atlanta Falcons not finish in the red zone Sunday in their 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, they also did not finish the game. Yes, obviously the Falcons made it to the end of the game, but the team quit before the game ended.
Hugh Douglas said it himself that “guys were making business decisions in the second quarter.” Hugh did acknowledge that the guys “fought, punched, and swung as long as they could…” However, the Falcons just “wanted no part of the San Francisco 49ers” according to Douglas.
The linebackers weren’t trying to get off blocks, guys didn’t want to tackle, offensive lineman were getting pushed around, and pushed off the field. The worst part of the Falcons' loss to the San Francisco 49ers is that it was obvious that the 49ers wanted it more than the Falcons, and the “want to” between the two teams wasn’t even close.
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Falcons safety Duron Harmon had the same sentiment saying “It’s all will and it’s all want to, and they just wanted it more than we did, and they out executed us. When you’re playing football in December, and trying to be in the mix at the end it’s all about physicality and being able to run the ball and stop the run, and they did that better than us today.”
A “will and want to” is a prerequisite to winning football games, and the Falcons won’t turn things around until they get guys who have the “will and want to.” But assuming there is going to be a lot of roster turnover next season, which position group is the No. 1 problem for the Falcons? Jon and Hugh talked about it this morning as they reacted to the game
The guys had different answers when it came to which position group they think is the No. 1 problem for the Falcons, but they both can agree that the team as a whole is just bad. However, Hugh says the linebackers are the biggest problem for the Falcons, and he circled back to his earlier point about guys being “stuck on blocks,” and not trying to get off blocks.
Now, John on the other end thinks the defensive line is the problem, and the inability to create pressure is the root cause of a defense that is 28th-ranked in the NFL. Producers Orin and Dylan also chimed in saying the offensive line is the No. 1 problem on this Falcons team given all that has been invested into the offensive line.
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Again, one thing that can be agreed upon is that there are a lot of bad things about this Falcons team. There are a lot of things wrong with this Falcons team, and until they “want to” the Falcons aren’t going to do any consistent winning. However, despite this loss, the Falcons are still alive in the NFC Wildcard race, on life support but alive. And if the Falcons can learn to “want to” and not quit then maybe just maybe they can find a way to get into the playoffs.