It’s usually not a good idea to freak out about something after a game during the NFL season, especially when many teams don’t use regular players in the preseason.

But the Atlanta Falcons had a really strange first week.

The Falcons ran an offense no one expected, and they didn’t run in the preseason, lining up almost exclusively in pistol or shotgun formation. They say it has nothing to do with the health of their 36-year-old quarterback, who just tore his Achilles tendon, although that’s hard to believe.

Many offensive teams struggled last week, but one thing was clear in the Falcons’ 18-10 loss: Kirk Cousins ​​​​didn’t move at all, and the Falcons made sure he didn’t have to.

“I feel like Kirk is healthy,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Monday. “He’s been healthy since he’s been here, since he’s been back.”

Maybe that was the plan for Week 1. Maybe the Falcons will go back to their seemingly normal offensive tactics in Week 2, or maybe they want to use the pistol/shotgun and that just looks better in Week 2. It’s just hard to believe that Cousins’ health had nothing to do with their approach. And if that’s the case, it seems unlikely that anything will change in a week or a month.

The Falcons’ offense was predictable

The Falcons’ offensive problems were different from those of other teams because the offensive game strategy was so unexpected.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Falcons lined up in either the pistol or shotgun formation on 48 of 50 plays. In the pistol formation, the quarterback lines up about 4 yards behind the center, with the running back behind him. This means the quarterback doesn’t line up under the center and doesn’t have to drop back or move to a spot to release the ball. And the Falcons were amazingly predictable. The Falcons had no designed runs on 22 shotgun snaps and ran out of the pistol formation on 81% of their plays. Every NFL team can see this pattern.

This was also concerning: The Falcons didn’t run a play-action play. They’re the only NFL team that hasn’t, according to Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports. It’s much easier to stop the run when there’s no threat of play-action.

This offense is not the one they showed in the preseason. In the preseason opener, which was Michael Penix Jr.’s only game, the Falcons did use a lot of shotgun passes in passing situations. But it was a standard under-center offense on early downs with regular play-action passes. When Taylor Heinicke came into the game, the offense was the same. The only snap of pistol came when Penix was in the game, at the goal line.

It may not have come completely out of the blue, however. The Falcons’ new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, came from the Los Angeles Rams, who used the “pistol” last season and used it heavily in Week 1 as well. It may have been the Falcons’ plan from the start and they just didn’t want to put their cards on the line in the preseason with a new coaching staff. Cousins ​​didn’t play in the preseason anyway. Morris said it was just a strategic decision against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It all depends on the opponent’s game strategy,” Morris said on the team’s website. “When you go out there and put guys in what we want to do and how we want to play and try to put them in good positions to block them, the aliens that the Pittsburgh Steelers have, you have to try to figure those things out.”

Whatever the reason, it didn’t work against the Steelers. And no team’s pre-snap lineup will be more scrutinized in Week 2 than the Falcons.

What will Atlanta look like in Week 2?

It’s no big surprise that Atlanta had to make some concessions to Cousins ​​and his health. Before he tore his Achilles tendon, he wasn’t the most athletic quarterback in the NFL. But when he can’t move even a little bit, that’s a tough problem to solve.

Cousins ​​didn’t look ready and we’ll see if that’s due to his health or because he’s rusty after the preseason break. Either way, the style of play needs to change with zero play-action passes and a predictable split between shotgun passes and pistol runs. If that can’t be changed because of Cousins’ health, Atlanta may need to consider a quarterback change.

If Cousins ​​doesn’t look better, there will inevitably be calls for Penix Jr., who the Falcons selected 8th, and they will be justified. Right now, the concern is that the Falcons spent $180 million on a quarterback who has no functional mobility and will have to base their entire offense around that.

The Falcons’ second game is Monday night at the Philadelphia Eagles and everyone will be watching. Maybe the Falcons will run the same offense, just a little smarter, and Cousins ​​will look better with a game under his belt. But if the Falcons struggle again with an average quarterback and return to Atlanta with an 0-2 record, there will be a little more panic.