The Atlanta Falcons showed plenty of fight Sunday afternoon, but their late comeback attempt wasn’t enough to overcome a disastrous start in a 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and trailed 28-7 late in the third before making things interesting in the fourth. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., as the Falcons trimmed Chicago’s lead to eight points.
But after clawing their way back into the game, Atlanta’s comeback hopes ended when Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon strip-sacked Penix with less than three minutes remaining. Linebacker Devin Bush recovered the fumble, allowing Chicago to protect its lead and leave Atlanta with another frustrating defeat.
The loss dropped the Falcons to 2-4 on the season, while the Bears improved to 4-2 with their third victory in their last four games.
Caleb Williams dominates in return
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams looked sharp in his return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three games. Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, finishing with a 111.2 passer rating.
The Bears wasted little time establishing control. Williams completed all 10 of his passes on Chicago’s first two possessions for 122 yards and a touchdown, helping the visitors jump out to a 14-0 lead before Atlanta’s offense found its footing.
Williams spread the ball around throughout the afternoon, connecting with eight different receivers. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland caught a touchdown pass, while wide receiver Luther Burden III led Chicago with eight receptions for 95 yards.
Running back D’Andre Swift added two rushing touchdowns, and Roschon Johnson scored another as Chicago repeatedly capitalized on its early momentum.
The Bears finished with 368 total yards, compared with Atlanta’s 257, and controlled the ball for more than 40 minutes.
Penix, Pitts spark a late comeback
For much of the afternoon, Atlanta’s offense struggled to keep pace. Penix completed 19 of 33 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, but the Falcons couldn’t consistently sustain drives early enough to challenge Chicago.
Penix connected with wide receiver Jahan Dotson for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter, briefly cutting the deficit to seven. Chicago answered with another Swift touchdown before halftime, however, and added two more scores in the third quarter.
The game appeared out of reach when Chicago extended its advantage to 31-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Then Atlanta finally found its rhythm.
Penix connected with Pitts for a 10-yard touchdown, and the Falcons converted the two-point attempt to make it 31-15. A second Penix-to-Pitts touchdown, this time from five yards out, brought Atlanta within eight after another successful two-point conversion.
Pitts finished with five catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Dotson added three receptions for 87 yards and a score, including a 41-yard catch that helped Atlanta generate some much-needed explosive plays.
Wide receiver Drake London caught four passes for 62 yards, while running back Bijan Robinson led Atlanta on the ground with 61 rushing yards on nine carries.
The Falcons had breathed life into a game that seemed decided. But they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Turnovers prove costly
Atlanta’s biggest problem wasn’t simply the slow start. It was the inability to protect the football.
Rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch lost two fumbles on kickoff returns, including one late in the third quarter that set up a 50-yard Cairo Santos field goal. That score pushed Chicago’s lead to 31-7 and forced Atlanta to chase the game even more aggressively.
Penix’s fourth-quarter fumble then gave Chicago possession near Atlanta’s 28-yard line, effectively ending the Falcons’ final realistic opportunity to tie the game.
Atlanta was charged with three turnovers, while Chicago finished without a turnover of its own. The Bears also benefited from a significant advantage in penalties, with Chicago flagged 12 times for 133 yards compared with Atlanta’s four penalties for 31 yards.
Despite those penalties, Chicago did enough to maintain control.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski acknowledged that his team had contributed to its own downfall after the game.
“That’s a disappointing one, and obviously proud of how we continued to fight but, to start like we started is really, really disappointing. I just felt like we beat ourselves. They beat us, the Bears beat us, we also beat us. And that’s really frustrating,” Stefanski said.
The Falcons coach also pointed directly to the turnovers as a deciding factor.
“You turn the ball over three times against a good team, it’s going to be hard to win.”
Stefanski added that Atlanta expects more from Branch but expressed confidence that the rookie can respond to the difficult afternoon.
“We’re counting on him,” Stefanski said. “He’ll be better for this.”
Bears pressure overwhelms Atlanta’s protection
Chicago’s defensive pressure was another major factor in the outcome. The Bears sacked Penix five times and pressured him on 56.4% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. Kyler Gordon recorded three sacks in his first game of the season, including the decisive strip-sack late in the fourth quarter.
Even with the pressure, Penix delivered some of his best throws when Atlanta needed them most. Against Chicago’s blitzes, he completed 10 of 18 passes for 121 yards and all three of his touchdown passes.
Still, Atlanta’s inability to establish an offensive rhythm early left little margin for error.
Penix acknowledged the importance of getting off to a better start, particularly to keep Robinson and the running game involved.
“We’ve got to find a way to start fast so that we can keep Bijan [Robinson] in the game,” Penix said. “We can keep the running backs and the running game going so that we can go out there and execute things in the pass game as well.”
Robinson also took responsibility for his role in helping the offensive line protect Penix against Chicago’s pressure.
“They brought a lot of different looks on the blitz,” Robinson said. “So it was just some things that we gotta fix on that aspect. I gotta be better. Make sure I get across in time so I can make sure Mike’s comfortable.”
Falcons face concerning injury situation
The loss was made more difficult by a frightening injury to rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, who was taken off the field on a stretcher during the third quarter after making a tackle on Chicago tight end Colston Loveland.
The Falcons announced that Daniels was conscious and had movement in all his extremities. He was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for further evaluation.
After the game, Stefanski offered encouraging initial news while emphasizing the importance of Daniels’ health.
“He did have movement in his extremities out there on the field,” Stefanski said. “I thought the medical staff did an outstanding job of getting him safely off the field. All reports so far have been good, and we’ll continue to pray that they remain good.”
The injury visibly affected players on both sidelines. Penix said teammates gathered around Daniels to offer support and pray for him.
According to Penix, Daniels told his teammates, “Y’all go finish this off,” as he was being carted away.
The Falcons also dealt with other defensive injuries during the game, adding another layer of concern to an already difficult Sunday.
What’s next for Atlanta?
The Falcons now sit at 2-4 and will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday.
There were positives to take away from the fourth-quarter rally. Penix showed an ability to make plays under pressure, Pitts delivered a productive finish, and Atlanta demonstrated that it could fight back after falling behind by 24 points.
But the comeback doesn’t erase the problems that put the Falcons in that position.
The slow start, costly turnovers, struggles against Chicago’s pressure and inability to contain Williams for much of the afternoon all contributed to the defeat. Atlanta’s offense didn’t score until the second quarter, and its defense surrendered 28 points before the final quarter began.
The Falcons will have to clean up those issues if they hope to turn their season around.
Stefanski knows the team must respond with a better performance on both sides of the ball.
“This is a place that we love to play, and we love to play in front of our fans,” Stefanski said. “Not to be able to win this one stings, and we’ve got to find ways to play better and coach better, starting this week.”
Photo Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
