18 MINS AGO - Photo by Frank Mattia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After two weeks, we’ve seen one dumpster fire and one pretty-good-but-flawed performance from the Falcons. Week 3’s matchup with the Colts is an opportunity to prove that Atlanta can play with consistency in 2019. After two games, the Atlanta Falcons are 1-1 to open the 2019 season. If you had approached me in the offseason and told me that the Falcons managed to go 1-1 against the very difficult opening stretch of the Vikings and Eagles, I would’ve been pretty satisfied. On the whole, I am satisfied with the overall result: but the manner in which the Falcons arrived at 1-1 has made myself and many other fans uneasy. For starters, this is a team that fell flat on its face in Week 1. Atlanta was down 28-0 at one point against the Vikings, and committed four turnovers in a total catastrophe of an opening game. Against the Eagles in Week 2, the Falcons looked much more in-control—particularly on the defensive side of the Collapse

4 HRS AGO - Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Fact: Desmond Trufant puts ketchup on his ranch The Falcons are scheduled to play an important football game tomorrow. If they walk away with a win, they’ll be on the right side of .500 and potentially alone atop the NFC South. If they lose, then a heaping helping of fair criticism is coming their way. How are the Falcons looking on the injury front? Matt Bosher was transported back to his country of origin for recombobulation ruled out yesterday. Matt Wile will punt for the Falcons in Bosher’s absence. In other words, he’s got the hardest job on the planet. Keanu Neal, Luke Stocker, Matt Gono, and Kenjon Barner were all full participants at practice yesterday. Kaleb McGary’s knee is still an issue, and it limited his participation in practice yesterday. How do the Falcons look in the standings? The NFC South is wide open given injuries to Drew Brees and Cam Newton. Currently in a three-way tie with the Saints and Buccaneers, the Falcons will look to Collapse

20 HRS AGO - Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports The success of this defense will be impacted by how quickly this second year player can mature. When the Falcons cut veteran corner Robert Alford this offseason, it was with the implied understanding that Isaiah Oliver would step up to take his role as a starter on the outside. After being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Oliver didn’t see much time on the field as a rookie. In his second year, though, all eyes are on him as he is now the starter opposite Desmond Trufant. A rough Week 1 outing had many fans questioning if Oliver was ready, but his confidence didn’t waver. The veteran leadership in the locker room guided him through it and he moved on to prepare for the Sunday night game against the Eagles. While he didn’t have a perfect game, it was clear that Oliver was playing aggressive and with the confidence and competency fans wanted to see. He repeatedly showed his ability to tackle — something Dan Quinn has praised during his Collapse

22 HRS AGO - Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Atlanta needs good Matt Ryan back. Soon. While the Falcons defense was a shining star on Sunday night, the Matt Ryan-led offense continued to struggle in spots. Ryan had a very up-and-down evening, tossing three touchdowns but offsetting those with three interceptions. The offensive line was OK, but the running game is still nonexistent through two games. Can the Colts defense take advantage of the slow start for the Falcons? Let’s take a look. Note: Assessments are partially based off of PFF scores. In the trenches On the plus side, new guards James Carpenter and Jamon Brown are playing decently for the Falcons. They’re not all stars, but they are a considerable upgrade over what was trotted out last season. Rookie Kaleb McGary has looked competent at right tackle, but has also gotten some rough matchups early this season. Alex Mack and Jake Matthews are arguably the two best starters on this line, but both guys are having relatively ugly starts to Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Today’s Early Bird Report includes praise for the Falcons’ offensive line, which played at a high level against a good Eagles defense Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Photo by Frank Mattia/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images It’s a chance for two 1-1 teams to compete for a winning record. The Falcons are fresh off a (relative) triumph against the Eagles, one where they gutted out a tough win. Now we’d like to see them win one, if not comfortably, at least without making us sweat buckets until the very last seconds of the game. Hopefully this weekend’s tilt against the Colts will prove to be that game. This is not to suggest the Colts are slouches—I think I’ve made it clear to this point that I think they’re a good football team despite their tumultuous offseason—but this is one of the more winnable games on the slate at the moment, with only the Titans looking like an easier matchup over the next few weeks. A win here would make a huge difference for a team with dreams of seizing the NFC South, especially with the Saints and Panthers banged up at the most critical position on the field. Here’s what you need to know for the Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Fans of the Atlanta Falcons won’t have to look far for ways to be close to their favorite team in 2019 Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images Should the Falcons be interested in the league’s best cornerback? Nick Foles went down and somehow that won’t be the biggest loss for the Jaguars this season. Jalen Ramsey, believed by almost everyone to be the league’s best cornerback, is reportedly on his way out after getting into an argument with the human embodiment of a parking ticket Doug Marrone. The Jaguars have made a practice of making poor team decisions. Just off the top of my head, they extended Blake Bortles despite overwhelming evidence that was both unnecessary and unwise ($16.5 million in dead money this season), they overpaid Nick Foles not because of competition but because they thought quarterbacks should be highly paid, drafted Taven Bryan, and hired the likes of Marrone and Tom Coughlin. Getting rid of the best player they have had in the last decade instead of trying to fix the relationship is pure DUUUUUUVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL. The most interesting thing is the Collapse