The Atlanta Falcons are headed into a huge game this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals coming off one of their worst performances of the season especially on the offensive side of the ball last week.

It's a rare international game for Atlanta and one to which they will have the opportunity to bounce back against a defense that is extremely vulnerable. Unfortunately though, as gettable as this Bengals defense may be, the offense in Cincinnati has been able to more than make up for it. If the Falcons want a real chance at winning this game, it's going to come down to their ability to slow down Joe Burrow and the Bengals seemingly endless cast of weapons.

Getting to Burrow and getting him on the ground early on is something that is an absolute must for this Atlanta defense.

For as sensational as Burrow is, he and this offense have been prone to sack issues over the years, and despite taking some steps in this area in 2026, there are still vulnerable to protection issues as well as him holding onto the ball for too long.

With James Pearce Jr. coming back this week to join an Atlanta pass rush which has already been one of the better units in football, the Falcons have the chance to wreak some international havoc on this Cincinnati passing operation. If they can get Burrow on the ground early, perhaps they can sew some seeds of doubt into the MVP candidate and be able to impact the way the Bengals go about their business all day.

Not forcing Burrow into quick decisions and giving him time to throw is a recipe for absolute disaster, and getting pressure is going to be an absolute must in order to have a real chance at winning this game.

Cincinnati needs to know that Burrow is not going to be able to sit back and find open receivers all day, and they need to know that from the opening drive. If the Falcons can get pressure on Burrow in the first quarter, it is going to give them a much better chance at winning this game.

If they cannot though, the Bengals offense is going to have another big day and likely return to the United States with another victory, and in turn Atlanta coming back with a second straight defeat.