A couple of weeks ago, the Falcons were riding high, sitting at 6-3 with a stranglehold on the NFC South. No longer was the division on my mind; I was looking ahead at the Lions for the top seed in the conference.

Kirk Cousins and the offense looked like they were hitting their stride, with all of the pieces seemingly meshing together. Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Bijan Robinson were realizing their full potential under Zac Robinson, who was finding his own footing as a first-time play caller.

The defense was even coming up with timely stops occasionally. The Falcons, with new life under Raheem Morris, didn’t only look like they were going to capture a postseason berth, but they were also inserting themselves into contender conversations. In the blink of an eye, that narrative has come to a screeching halt.

First, the Falcons let a game against the Saints, who had just fired Dennis Allen, slip away as Younghoe Koo uncharacteristically missed three field goals. It was a disappointing affair, but the vibes sunk much lower the following week in Denver. Not only did Bo Nix put up 400 yards of offense, but the Broncos defense made life hell for Atlanta’s offense. It was hard to even watch. Heading into the bye week, it’s as if the Falcons had a come-to-Jesus moment. Maybe, they just aren’t that good.

In reality, the Kirk Cousins-led Falcons are a better-than-average team that didn’t play like it the last two weeks. It’s not an excuse-making business, but let’s call a spade a spade. The injuries were pretty much insurmountable last Sunday. Once Kevin King went down early in the game, after three of the Falcons’ top three corners were ruled out for the game, the defense was trotting out practice squad players. Heading into the bye week, the Falcons have to make changes to the defense, but more than anything, the best thing that can happen to this team is just getting healthy.