Falcons are on a path to 9th straight losing season after 'self-inflicted' mistakes against Bengals

ATLANTA (AP) — Losses in four of their past five games have left the Atlanta Falcons at 3-6 and facing a daunting challenge to avoid their ninth straight losing season.

The Falcons were overwhelmed by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 34-17 on Sunday in Madrid. It would have been difficult for Atlanta to keep pace with Burrow's passing game with dynamic receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins even with an error-free performance.

Most frustrating for the Falcons was the feeling they beat themselves with mistakes, including a season-high 12 penalties for 88 yards.

The Falcons must win at least six of their final eight games for their first winning record since 2017. That won't be easy considering they've already had three two-game losing streaks this season.

Atlanta traded safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday for a 2027 second-round draft pick and a fifth-round pick in 2028. The agreement to trade one of the team's most productive defensive starters is a sign Atlanta could be turning its focus to the future.

Starting with Sunday's visit from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, each of the Falcons' next four opponents have winning records. A 5-3 finish would provide evidence of improvement, but still Atlanta would be left with its third consecutive 8-9 record.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank fired Raheem Morris after 8-9 marks in each of his two seasons as coach.

The most pressing assignment for the week will be finding a fix for what coach Kevin Stefanski described as the “self-inflicted” mistakes such as pre-snap penalties. “Those are inexcusable,” Stefanski said.

Left guard Matthew Bergeron and right tackle Jawaan Taylor had false-start penalties. A holding call against Taylor negated a pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Kyle Pitts for a first down.

The 12 penalties were a high mark since a team-record 19 penalties in 29-27 win at Tampa Bay on Dec. 11, 2025.

Bijan Robinson had 19 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown and added a team-leading six catches for 47 yards.

It was Robinson's first 100-yard game and first rushing touchdown since he ran for 145 yards and two scores in a 45-24 win at New Orleans on Oct. 5.

The Falcons pass defense struggled in the difficult matchup against Chase and Higgins. Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Cornerback A.J. Terrell drew a defensive holding penalty that negated a sack by Gervon Dexter Sr. and then was beaten by Higgins for a touchdown. C.J. Henderson drew a pass interference penalty while trying to cover Chase.

Penix enjoyed a solid if unspectacular passing game after throwing four interceptions and completing only eight passes in an ugly 16-0 loss at Tampa Bay in a game played in heavy rain last week. Penix completed 20 of 31 passes for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Perhaps more noteworthy was Penix showed increased trust in running the ball. He hasn't taken off on many runs in his comeback season after having surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee in 2025. Penix had a 23-yard run that was the longest of his career and his 50 yards on three carries set another career high.

“I felt good out there,” Penix said. “When I found the lanes I was able to scramble and get a couple of first downs. I get that a lot about me not scrambling that much, but today I felt that was what we needed and I took advantage of it.”

Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. did not have a tackle and could not apply pressure on Burrow in his first game following his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Pearce was included on the Falcons' injury report on Friday after Stefanski said the second-year player had a back issue “flare up.”

Following the game, Stefanski said he was confident Pearce could play “but like any player coming back from a long absence there’s going to be rust." Stefanski said Pearce “will be better” in his next game.

Zach Harrison and LaCale London had Atlanta's two sacks.

Linebacker Divine Deablo played with a “club” on his right arm after missing two games with a forearm fracture. Deablo appeared to aggravate the injury late in the game and was escorted off the field by trainers. With wide receiver and return specialist Zachariah Branch inactive because of a hamstring injury, Olamide Zaccheaus was evaluated for a concussion following a hit on a punt return. Zaccheaus returned and had one catch for 5 yards.

107 — Nick Folk had made 107 consecutive field-goal attempts of inside 40 yards before he was wide left on a 38-yarder in the third quarter. Folk's previous miss from inside 40 yards came in 2017. Folk, 42, is 12 of 16 on field-goal attempts this season after having only one miss in each of his three previous seasons.

The Falcons return home to face Kansas City on Sunday. The Chiefs improved to 6-2 with a 35-12 win over the New York Jets.

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