The Atlanta Falcons spent the offseason locking up their offensive stars. Two games into the season, Rob Gronkowski is already calling what Atlanta is doing with them a “waste of talent.”
The Falcons were embarrassed 34-3 by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, falling to 0-2 while producing their only points on a 41-yard Nick Folk field goal.
Atlanta committed five turnovers, never ran a play in the red zone and got just 145 gross passing yards from Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand. The performance prompted Gronkowski to focus squarely on Atlanta’s quarterback situation.
Rob Gronkowski Calls Falcons Offense a ‘Waste of Talent’
Gronkowski pointed directly to Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson on the Fox NFL postgame show.
“It’s a waste of talent with Kyle Pitts, their tight end. Drake London, the wide receiver. Bijan Robinson… just hand the ball off to him every play if they want to get something going. But they need a quarterback and they need a quarterback as soon as possible,” Gronkowski said.
Atlanta has invested heavily in those three players. London signed a four-year, $141 million extension in June, Pitts followed with a three-year, $54 million deal and Robinson signed a three-year extension with a base value of $66.75 million in August.
That’s more than $261 million in extensions for three offensive playmakers.
Against Carolina, London led Atlanta with four catches for 51 yards. Pitts caught one pass for 15 yards, while Robinson rushed 16 times for 72 yards and caught three passes for nine yards.
Rush completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards with two interceptions before Strand replaced him. The undrafted rookie went 8-of-15 for 59 yards with an interception, and Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd returned that pick 16 yards for a touchdown.
Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. were both inactive, leaving Atlanta to ride with Rush and Strand.
Falcons Hear Boos as Offensive Problems Reach New Low
The frustration wasn’t limited to the television studio.
The Nest ATL’s Miles Garrett described the reaction inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I’ve covered the #Falcons since 2021. Have never heard boos this loud at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as I’m hearing right now.”
PFF highlighted an even more remarkable number during the loss.
“The Falcons have yet to run a play in the red zone this season
Every other team has at least 3+”
Atlanta was the NFL’s only team without a red-zone snap after Week 1, and that didn’t change Sunday.
Sports Radio 93-1’s Bill Shanks directed his frustration toward the quarterback situation and the regime that preceded Atlanta’s current leadership.
“I genuinely feel sorry for Cooper Rush. I also feel sorry for Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham, and Kevin Stefanski. They inherited this mess of a QB situation from the joke of a front office and head coach they replaced and had little choice but to see what Penix could do. And he won’t even play. Oh, Penix will be ready Thursday, huh? Well, what about TODAY?”
Atlanta has scored 16 points in two games and hasn’t reached the red zone once. Gronkowski’s criticism landed after a 31-point home loss in which neither quarterback threw a touchdown and the Falcons turned the ball over five times.
The Falcons have expensive playmakers. Sunday’s loss only made the quarterback problem harder to ignore.
Falcons Get ‘Waste of Talent’ Message After Atlanta Reaches Stunning Low