On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons hit the field for an international game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid. Although Atlanta got off to a solid start to this game, they ended up faltering as things went on, and the team lost the game by a score of 34-17.
Now, the team has gotten a harsh reality check from their head coach in the wake of the loss.
“Kevin Stefanski called the self-inflicted penalties (the pre-snap ones particularly) ‘unacceptable,'” reported Tori McElhaney of the Falcons on X, formerly Twitter.
“When you're not at your best against a good team, you don't win. … Frustrating, disappointed, obviously,” he said.
Indeed, the Falcons hurt themselves on several occasions throughout the morning on Sunday with pre-snap penalties, stalling out drives and giving up valuable field position.
Meanwhile, this game saw the return of Falcons star pass rusher James Pearce Jr., although he only played in a very limited number of snaps and wasn't able to do enough to stop Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow from carving up the Atlanta defense throughout the game, completing 24 of his 29 pass attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons now sit at 3-6 on the season, and although the ineptitude of the NFC South means that they are still very much alive in the playoff race, it's hard to envision things going anywhere without a shocking turnaround.
Things won't get any easier from here for the Falcons, who will next hit the field next Sunday afternoon for a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs.