Matt Judon Headlines Falcons' Biggest Bye Week Disappointments

The Atlanta Falcons have, by in large, met expectations through the first 11 games of the season.

Atlanta enters its bye week at 6-5 and with a 1.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. The Falcons, with six games remaining, have a clear path to their first playoff berth in six years.

Yet as Atlanta reflects on its season thus far, it'll find several areas of underperformance. Here are three ...

The Falcons have long battled pass rush problems. That's far from a new development. They were better in 2023, collecting more sacks (42) than the previous two years combined (39).

But Atlanta lost its leading sack artists in free agency, as Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell joined the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins, respectively. The Falcons subsequently needed to restock their pass rush under new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.

So, in mid-August, the Falcons traded for Judon, a four-time Pro Bowler who missed all but four games with a torn bicep last season. Judon arrived in Atlanta with 32 sacks in his last 38 games, thought to be a safe bet to provide stability off the edge.

Instead, Judon has struggled. He's tied for the team lead in sacks, but he has only 2.5 this season. He's never had fewer than four in a season during his nine-year pro career, a streak that may be in doubt.

Judon failed to record a sack from Week 3 through Week 10, and he hit the opposing quarterback just once during that time span. Thought to be a solution, Judon's inactivity has been a central part in Atlanta's pass rushing problem.

Over the summer, the Falcons' defense had a vast array of simulated pressures that proved effective not only against Atlanta's offense, but also the Dolphins during joint practices.

There were blitzes from cornerbacks and safeties. There were double-mug looks on the line of scrimmage, with linebackers occupying the gaps on both sides of the center's helmet. There were plenty of stunts.

The Falcons have tried incorporating some of these. They'll occasionally blitz corners. They walk their linebackers up to the ball. They still run stunts. But the effectiveness of their simulated pressures has severely dropped.

Between Lake and head coach Raheem Morris, the Falcons have a pair of long-tenured defensive minds. They're just struggling to find ways to manufacture pressure on a unit that appears to lack the pieces to create it on their own.

When the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in April, the class immediately became one geared toward the future. However, Atlanta's draft class was comprised solely of players who spent at least four years in college, which should net at least some initial return.

The Falcons have received little.