Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Oct. 8

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The Falcons fall into a deep hole

Atlanta didn’t literally tumble down an old well and break its leg, but as far as the Falcons’ 2018 fortunes are concerned, they may as well have.

As we covered in our drive-by-drive recap yesterday, Atlanta managed to muddle through the first half in pretty encouraging fashion, holding the Steelers to 13 points and managing 10 of their own. That seemed like it was close enough to give them a fighting chance, but then they were absolutely blown off the field by the Steelers in the second half, eventually losing 41-17. They’re now 1-4 and unless they’re going to take a massive leap forward and defy their roughly 6% playoff odds, we’re just buckling in for whatever fun games we can get this season.

Julio Jones’ quiet 100th game

It should have been a game of pomp and circumstance for Julio Jones, arguably the best receiver in team history. He was entering his 100th NFL game with far more yards than any other NFL receiver and could have had the mark for receptions, too, if he had reeled in nine catches. Instead, he finished the game with just four grabs and 62 yards (and obviously, no touchdowns) as questions started to swirl around the offense again.

That’s not how you celebrate a milestone.

No blame game

Right now, we’re all eager to find someone to blame. Maybe you want to point at an offensive line that let the team down, or Duke Riley for missing tackles, or Dan Quinn for his coaching and refusal to consider roster additions, or Matt Ryan for basically any reason at all.

But that blame game, while worthwhile if it helps us get through the week, doesn’t get us much of anywhere, as Cory Woodroof argued. It also can’t bring back any injured Falcons, and while Atlanta could have fallen short in any number of ways this season, we’re not sitting in this position without those ailments.

Talk it out, folks

Sometimes you just really need to get in a room, virtual or otherwise, and talk through a game like that with your buddies. We certainly did.