Midseason report card: Falcons earn low marks for first half of season

The two blown opportunities against the Panthers and Dolphins could come back to haunt the Falcons. Missed kicks against the Bucs and Patriots cost them two more games.

For a team working the margins, trying to make the playoffs and end the string of seven consecutive losing seasons, there’s very little room for error the rest of the way.

Here are the Falcons’ midterm grades:

Quarterback

Michael Penix Jr. has now started 11 games, including eight this season.

He’s 4-7 in his starts. For context, Falcons great Steve Bartkowski was 4-7 in his first 11 starts. Michael Vick was 6-4-1 and Matt Ryan was 7-4.

After getting traded to the Packers, Brett Favre was 7-4 in his first 11 starts. David Klingler, who was drafted sixth overall by the Bengals in 1992, was 1-10 in his first 11 starts.

Peyton Manning was 2-9 in his first 11 starts.

What’s the point?

For the most part, young quarterbacks struggle. How will Penix recover from his early struggles? Bartkowski and Manning recovered. David Klingler did not.

Penix has completed 153 of 260 passes (58.8%) for 1,807 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He has a passer rating of 86.8. He has receiver Drake London to lean on, like Favre had Sterling Sharpe and Matt Ryan had Roddy White and Michael Jenkins.

They all eventually figured out how to spread the ball around. Grade: C

Running backs

Bijan Robinson is on his way to 2,200 scrimmage yards and has four touchdowns. He flashed his home-run ability early in the season, but teams were able to slow him down during the four-game losing streak. Tyler Allgeier is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, production that ideally would be over 4 yards per carry. He does have six rushing touchdowns. Grade: B

Receivers/tight ends

Drake London had two of his best games against Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner, a two-time All-Pro. He has helped to carry the offense and has six touchdown receptions. Darnell Mooney, who suffered a broken collarbone in training camp and had a hamstring injury trying to rush back, has been slow to come along. Casey Washington shined in training camp, and the Falcons thought he could pick up some of Mooney’s production. But Washington missed time with a concussion and a back injury. Also, position coach Ike Hilliard was fired and Ray-Ray McCloud was released. London gets an A. But the rest of the group and the bizarre in-season coaching change substantially lowers the grade. Grade: D-minus.

Offensive line

The Falcons are moving the ball, but it’s been a bunch of yards to nowhere. The Falcons average 330.8 yards per game (16th in the NFL), with 119.3 yards rushing (15th) and 211.4 yards passing (16th), but only 18.8 points (27th). They are not efficient on third down (33.6%, 29th) nor fourth down (44.44%, 26th). Penix has been sacked just 14 times. Elijah Wilkinson has played well at right tackle and Kyle Hinton stepped in for Matthew Bergeron at left guard. Right guard Chris Lindstrom and left tackle Jake Matthews are battling through injuries. Grade: C

Defensive line

Zach Harrison, David Onyemata, Brandon Dorlus, Ruke Orhorhoro and LaCale London have played well this season. Harrison is having somewhat of a breakout season. Dorlus, who played sparingly as a rookie last season, has played well. The entire group must do better getting off blocks against the run. “Gosh, I could not be more pleased with him in every way,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of Dorlus. “I’ve spoken on this before just regarding how we challenged him early, and he just responded to every single challenge that we’ve had.” Grade: C

Linebackers

Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss is having a strong season. Rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are finding their way in the NFL. Arnold Ebiketie has been solid, while veteran Leonard Floyd has not made a major impact. He’s currently dealing with a hamstring injury. The unit took a major hit when Divine Deablo suffered a fractured forearm. JD Bertrand initially took over for Deablo, but the Falcons have moved to a committee approach with converted safety Ronnie Harrison getting more action. The group has to do more to stop the run. “I’m fired up about how he’s playing,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said of Walker. “I hate for the young man that he hasn’t been able to get some wins with the way he’s been playing. … He’s bringing us a style of play and he’s turned (into) that leader that we thought he could be when we drafted him. I love watching him grow and mature here as a Falcon.” Grade: C-minus

Secondary

Rookies Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman started off with a bang. Jessie Bates III and A.J. Terrell are having fine seasons, but have to help too much in the run defense. Dee Alford has filled in for Bowman at nickelback and at right cornerback for Mike Hughes. Keith Taylor was promoted from the practice squad and played well against the Colts. The Falcons have the No. 1 pass defense, but that’s in part because teams have been able to run the ball so freely. Grade: C

Special teams

The Falcons knew Younghoe Koo was struggling after missing seven field goals last season. They should have drafted former Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who played at Colquitt County High. He went undrafted and signed with the Panthers. He’s made 14 of 17 field goals, including a 57-yarder. The coverage units are leaky and the return game has not popped. Grade: D

Coaching

The Falcons weren’t ready to play against the Panthers and the Dolphins. Also, the Falcons knew they had to stop Jonathan Taylor when facing the Colts and couldn’t do it. They had to stop Christian McCaffrey and make Mac Jones beat them. They couldn’t stop McCaffrey. It’s been musical chairs at the kicker position and the coverage units have been gashed, while the Falcons haven’t figured out how to get long gainers under the new dynamic kickoff return rules. Grade: D