Madrid Trip An Obligation, Not A Desire, For Faltering Falcons
By Thomas Willoughby
The result wasn’t really a shock. Nor was the manner of it. The 2026 Atlanta Falcons are not a good football team, and the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals beat not good football teams. They held a 3-5 record they had going into this weekend’s Madrid fixture, but the Atlanta Falcons were still a team some took seriously. Only a fortnight prior, they handed the San Francisco 49ers their only defeat of the season to date. They went into Lambeau Field not too long ago and walked out with a 35-14 win. They can beat quality opposition when they want to. And they might want to, given it’s their first “home” international game since 2021.
False Start
But the vibes were off. Honestly, the vibes were off from the start. The work on this particular game began, in earnest, almost exactly 12 months ago. Last November, in the wake of their 31-25 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin, I reported that the Falcons were planning on hosting an international game in Munich in 2026. Newly anointed Falcons President, Greg Beadles, confirmed the team wanted to host in Munich at Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LX two months later, saying “We would like the Munich game. We’ve made that clear to the league, but there are other [interested] teams, too.”
The Falcons may have submitted their interest well ahead of time, and they may only hold marketing rights in Germany, but their involvement in the 2025 Berlin fixture ultimately resulted in the NFL opting for fresh faces in Bavaria. The Detroit Lions will host the New England Patriots next week, and the Falcons were left to organise a fixture in Madrid.
Perhaps that snub holds the key to the off vibes in question. Having been snubbed for a game in a market they clearly value, just how much effort do the Falcons want to put into an excursion they don’t want? The answer, ultimately, was “not much”. Having travelled to this one as a paying customer, a punter, a match going fan, I was up for immersing myself in the Falcons experience in a way my unrivalled professionalism wouldn’t have allowed last year.
Cincinnati East
Before that, however, it was sightseeing time. Much like in 2025, I opted for an open top bus tour as my means of taking in the sights and sounds of Spain’s capital. This time felt much different to Berlin, and not just because it was 19 degrees Celsius in November. The entire bus I was on was packed with people decked in orange and black. I’d noticed on the flight over, too, the plane was full of Bengals gear. At each stop, more appeared. By the time I reached Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, it was very very clear who the favoured fanbase was. This was the Bengals moment, and they were being given every opportunity to show it.
The Bengals are a bit like the Falcons, in many respects. Neither have won a Super Bowl, neither have been particularly good for the majority of their existence. Erm, both have black uniforms. And neither are massively supported, at least compared to some of the bigger boys in the league. They are going through a good spell currently, however, thanks largely to the efforts of legitimately good quarterback, Joe Burrow. Tie their recent successes with their first overseas game since 2019, and you’ve created the perfect opportunity for Bengals the world over to flock to Madrid.
Flock they did, because I simply couldn’t move without seeing someone head to toe in the Bengals club shop. This was a big deal for them, and the team underlined that fact with a host of activities for their fans to enjoy. A party in Florida Park on the Friday night, and Ocean Rock Bar transformed into the official Bengals bar for the weekend, with events and meet ups scheduled from the Thursday to the Sunday, and included a watch party for the game for those without a ticket. If you’re a Bengals fan in Madrid, you were well looked after by your team.
Last Orders
Conversely, the Atlanta Falcons’ weekend event schedule fell significantly short of matching their opposition. An international games tradition is to have a bar turn into your teams bar for the whole weekend, as the Ocean Rock Bar did for Cincinnati. The Falcons did not have a designated bar for the weekend. The Irish Rover, in the shadow of the Bernabeu, was Falcons…for a bit. And only for a bit. Between 1pm and 5pm on the Saturday, it became “Casa De Los Falcons”, and saw appearances from Freddie Falcon, his German cousin Fritz (not a joke), the Falcons cheerleaders, and recently inducted Falcons Ring of Honor member John Abraham.
I did not attend Casa De Los Falcons. I had every intention of going along, but 1) I bumped into Freddie Falcon in the NFL shop that morning, and got my picture taken with him, so there really was no need. But 2) it was not equipped for the amount of people attending. Don’t get it twisted, while the Bengals were clearly the better supported side this weekend, the Falcons showed up. Like I said last year; we are massive.
So massive, in fact, that The Irish Rover was over capacity almost immediately. Those queuing were not guaranteed entry, and those inside the building weren’t guaranteed to stay. I’m told that, every hour, the room was emptied to allow new people the opportunity to experience the experience, much to the chagrin of those in attendance. At 5pm, the bar emptied once again, the Falcons banners were removed, and it was business as usual. Falcons fans who wished to keep the party going were forced to book tables, push them together, and enjoy each other’s company in a regular Irish bar. On the Sunday, The Irish Rover hosted a private tailgate for Bengals fans, featuring an appearance from former Bengals quarterback and coach, Ken Anderson. Falcons fans had no set place to call their own. For comparisons sake, both the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, hosted weekend long events at bars for their own fans. Neither of those teams were playing.
The day of the game, Falcons fans were encouraged to partake in the “Dirty Bird Fan Walk”: an organised march from Mira Miranda to the Bernabeu, joined by Fritz Falcon, John Abraham, and the Falcons drum line. A lovely idea, once again over subscribed. Flags were handed out to those arriving at the meeting point, which ran out well before the 1pm departure time. The nearby bars were clearly unprepared for just how many Falcons fans would be in the vicinity, with those joining the queues enjoying waits as long as half an hour before service. Across, it was hard to shake the feeling that the Falcons had little interest in doing more than fulfilling their obligations.
No Shows
That feeling would stretch onto the field, where the Falcons were thoroughly out-fought, and out-thought, by a Bengals team on the rise. A Bijan Robinson-heavy opening drive proved to be the high point of an afternoon that would prove frustrating for just about everyone in red and black. 11th highest paid cornerback back in the league, AJ Terrell, had zero answers for either Jamarr Chase or Tee Higgins. The Bengals pair who took turns hauling in catch after catch against one of Atlanta’s defensive cornerstones. The Falcons defense as a whole offered next to no resistance, allowing points on all but 3 of the Bengals 9 drives across the game. Joe Burrow ended the day having completed 24/19 passes for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns.
But back to the offense. The Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees-coordinated outfit has sputtered and stalled of late, and continued that trend on Sunday. Outside of Bijan Robinson, whose 100 yard and 1 touchdown day represents his best performance since week 4, the showing from Atlanta’s vaunted young offensive core was miserable. Drake London, the team’s most reliable pass catcher, was a non-factor, limited to 68 yards from 5 targets. Kyle Pitts, taken one place before Ja’Marr Chase (155 yards from 10 catches and 1 touchdown) in the 2021 draft, was managed 23 yards from 3 catches. A good run game is important, but it’s for nought if you can’t compliment it with an efficient and reliable passing game. The Falcons do not have that.
Continued Issues Under Center
Michael Penix’s NFL career has, so far, not panned out the way that he or anyone at the Falcons would have liked. The third year quarterback sat out all but three games in his rookie season, and saw his first year as a full time starter end in an ACL tear last November. His 2026 has, much like 2025, been up and down at best. In that 49ers game two weeks ago, he was awarded NFC player of the week for his 213 yard, 3 touchdown performance. In the two games since, Penix has managed 287 yards, 1 touchdown, and 5 interceptions.
Sunday was another rough day for Penix. While he started strongly, things quickly unravelled as it became increasingly clear the Falcons game plan was not working. To be fair, Michael Penix was not the reason for the Falcons losing on Sunday. But he was a large reason why they did not win. Once the Bengals got around him, the passing game collapsed. Penix was pressured 9 times on Sunday, completing one pass from those plays for -3 yards and was picked off once. That is not great.
This is a season long issue. Per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Penix has completed only 18% of his passes this season when pressured, which represents the lowest figure by a qualifying player since the stat started being recorded. It’s becoming increasingly clear that, unless conditions are perfect, Penix cannot operate effectively.
Those concerns are being echoed by the Falcons coaching staff. When asked about Penix’s performance on Sunday, Stefanski said “Can he play better and are there things we can get corrected? Yes. But we expected him to play well.” The Falcons are now 3-6, and only half a game back in a division that looks set to deliver another champion with a losing season. Adequate QB play could be the thing that delivers Atlanta to its first playoff game in 9 seasons. They aren’t getting adequate QB play right now.
Let's all go home
I walked out of that stadium as the two minute warning was called, dejected. I’d held out for as long as I could, but knew what was coming and saw an opportunity to get myself to Pez Torilla, the best tortilla join in Madrid for my money, earlier than expected. I, like everyone involved with the Falcons, just didn’t want to be there. Across the weekend, outside of some mid-week platitudes, the Atlanta Falcons did not give the impression of an organisation interested in making any sort of impression on Madrid. They leave the Spanish capital with the single worst record of any team to have played 3 or more international series games (1-4), and are unlikely to have made any new fans given their lack on visibility off the field, and lack of quality play on it.
The Falcons do not have to host an international game until 2034 at the latest. There’s nothing stopping them from putting themselves forward in the years between now and then, of course. Given their eagerness to return to Germany, I do expect them to make another bid for a game at Munich’s Allianz Arena in either 2028 or 2030, giving them the game they wanted to host all along. By then, hopefully they’ll have constructed a team that wants to be there, too.
Features Image Credit: Manu Fernandez-AP Photo
Thomas Willoughby
NFL ANALYST
THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER
