MADRID – The Atlanta Falcons were drubbed 34-17 by the Bengals in Madrid. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals offense ran wild, and Atlanta dropped their fourth game in their last five. 

What did we learn from the Falcons’ Week 9 loss? 

Where is Kyle Pitts?

The Bengals came into this game having given up the second-most receptions per game (7), receiving yards per game (88.7), yards per target (9.3), and the highest explosive play rate (22.4%) to tight ends this season. This felt like a big opportunity to make Kyle Pitts a featured target, but he had a quiet game, finishing with 3 catches for 23 yards. 

He did have an explosive play negated by a holding penalty, but Pitts has not been involved enough this season. He has averaged a dreadful 23 yards per game, a far cry from what his $18 million contract should warrant. 

Bijan Robinson finally gets back engaged, but they’re missing Brian Robinson

The running back hit 100 yards from scrimmage early in the third quarter, but more importantly, he scored his first touchdown in more than a month. It’s hard to believe, but his last score came on Oct. 5 against the Saints, and he had been held out of the end zone in each of the next four games. 

That was a positive, but they have been missing the second guy in that running back room. 

Atlanta opted to carry two backs this season, and Brian Robinson was a crucial part of this offense. He was the tough-yardage back who took a load off Bijan, but he injured his hamstring against Chicago, and the Falcons didn’t reach the 100-yard mark in any of the three games he missed.

They got back to that mark on Sunday, largely thanks to some Michael Penix scrambles and Bijan brilliance, but his presence (or lack thereof) has been felt. Khalil Herbert had just one carry in this game, and in a game of keep-away, Brian Robinson would’ve been a major boon. 

Offense cannot get out of its own way

The Falcons struggled with penalties, committing 11 for 83 yards, but they regularly came on conversion opportunities and other important moments. They erased first downs and scoring opportunities, and that is a recipe for disaster against a potent offense like Cincinnati. 

They lost the turnover battle for the fifth time this season, and they are winless in those games. 

This Falcons defense was overmatched – again

Last week, it was on the ground. In Madrid, it was through the air. 

Slowing down the Bengals was always going to be difficult, but the Falcons were pushed around way too easily in this game. They didn’t get a single stop in the first half, allowing points on all four drives. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase punished Atlanta’s secondary, with the star wideout piling up 8 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and regularly going after A.J. Terrell Jr. 

The front seven struggled to generate pressure when rushing four, and they were burned over the top when they blitzed. LaCale London did come up with a crucial third-down sack in the fourth quarter, but Burrow was too much for this defense. 

They knew it was coming, but Atlanta’s secondary was picked apart, and the Bengals topped 30 points for a fourth straight game. 

The Falcons need a kicker – again

Nick Folk missed three field goals over his last three seasons, but his miss in Madrid was his fifth over the first half of the year (13-for-18). His most recent was the first from inside 40 yards since 2017, and Folk had made 109 in a row before that. 

Kevin Stefanski and Craig Aukerman voiced their support for the veteran this week, but the Falcons cannot afford to keep missing important kicks. The Falcons have been through this before, having cycled through three different kickers in 2025. Folk was supposed to put that to rest, but his poor play is quickly becoming untenable. 

Pressure is still an issue for Michael Penix, but he showed some mobility 

Dexter Lawrence was a terror for the Falcons’ interior offensive line. He pushed Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron into Penix’s lap and blew up plays. Penix rolled out and made plays with his legs (rushing for 50 yards), but he had too many misfires when pressure pushed him off his spot. 

Penix had some big throws but wasn't consistent enough to keep the Falcons in this game against a beatable Bengals defense. His fourth-quarter interception, the fifth in the last two games, sealed the Falcons’ fate. 

Playoffs feel out of reach for this team

The Falcons have the NFL’s second-longest playoff drought, and their chances of snapping this dreadful streak this season feel increasingly bleak. 

Up next, the 3-6 Falcons face the Chiefs, at the Vikings, the Lions, at the Browns, and at the Commanders before finishing the year against their division rivals. They need to win six of those eight games to secure their first winning season since 2017, but five wins could be enough to reach the playoffs. 

Maybe that’s doable, but it will be a difficult road.