The Atlanta Falcons have mastered the art of playing well in most aspects of a game, only to be let down by the complete failure of another phase.
Take Week 9’s loss to the New England Patriots, for example. Teams that were +2 on turnovers and +5 on sacks were 64-0 in the last 10 years, until the Falcons lost 24-23.
Atlanta held the Indianapolis Colts to 1 for 11 on third downs through 60 minutes and 2 for 12 through regulation and overtime, and still lost.
The culprit the last few weeks has been Atlanta’s own woeful performance on third down. The Falcons didn’t convert any of their eight third-down attempts on Sunday against the Colts, and they are 3 for 29 in their last three games… all losses.
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For perspective, 3 for 29 is a 10.3% conversion rate. The Tennessee Titans are the worst 3rd-down team in the NFL, at nearly triple that rate at 28.4%.
When offensive coordinator Zac Robinson stepped up to the microphone this week, third downs were a hot topic.
“Yeah, I think as you look at the entirety of the last couple weeks, each third down has its own story,” Robinson said this week. “You’re looking for common themes. Each are different plays, different coverages. We’ve definitely got to clean that up. We’ve definitely got to execute when we have chances too. We’ve got to make sure we have the right answers for the guys, as coaches, all those things.”
Robinson delved into his habit of blaming busted assignments for many of the Falcons’ problems.
“We’ve got to communicate,” Robinson said. “The first third down, we get into a check and one of the guys doesn’t get it, and so, it results in a strip sack. So, we’ve got to get that stuff off the tape for sure.
Teams have also been leaning into the Miami Dolphins’ defensive plan against the Falcons of selling out on first and second down to stop Bijan Robinson. Stop Bijan, stop the Falcons.
“We also can do a better job avoiding third-and-longs,” Robinson said. “We’ve been the first five weeks, I think we were the lowest in the league in terms of the amount of third-and-longs. We were pretty efficient on third downs. Now the last five weeks, we’ve been in way too many third-and-long situations, which are going to be difficult. But, that can help with early down efficiency.
“All those things factor into it from first, second down to third down. We get those chances no matter what the D&D (Down and Distance) is on third down, we’ve got to find a way. We’re putting, obviously, a big emphasis on it with the pass protection and routes and just connecting on things. Like I said, as coaches, just making sure we’ve got the right answers for the guys.”
The Falcons have had injuries on the offensive line and have played with third-string tackle Eli Wilkinson all season, and third-string left guard Kyle Hinton was forced into action against the Colts. The new players are handicapped by what has been deemed a predictable offense from Robinson. Bijan, Bijan, incomplete, punt.
“We’ll work any of the things that have shown up on tape that we’ve had difficulty picking up from a line-game standpoint, making sure we’re all clean with some of the pass ops up front,” Robinson said. “But we look at all of it. We look at route detail. We look at what’s going on up front. All those things that are playing a factor into it.”
The Falcons kick off on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (5-5) at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta was embarrassed by the Panthers in Charlotte and will need to put together a complete game if they’re going to save face against an improved Panthers team.
The Falcons held the Panthers to 224 yards of total offense, yet were let down by their offense and special teams in the 30-0 blowout in Week 3.
Less predictability on first and second down, should lead to shorter third-down attempts. If the Falcons can’t improve on their 10% rate from the last three weeks, it could be another embarrassing afternoon against the Panthers.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.