Tony Gonzalez hauled in a 1-yard touchdown catch against the Redskins on Sunday. (US Presswire)

1. Cool in the clutch. It almost seems like Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan prefers operating in a two-minute, no-huddle offense as opposed to methodically picking apart opponents’ defenses on long, drawn-out drives. In the last two games, both comeback victories, Ryan has engineered drives leading to 23 fourth-quarter points for the Falcons. In the two go-ahead drives for Ryan, he was a combined 6 for 7 for 123 yards.

Last week’s drive set up Matt Bryant’s game-winning 40-yard field goal against Carolina. This past Sunday’s drive, which spanned 69 yards on six plays, set up Michael Turner’s 13-yard touchdown scramble. Offensive threats like Bryant and Turner add another dimension to the versatile Atlanta scoring attack to pair alongside the fifth-year quarterback. Sunday’s 24-17 win over Washington marked Ryan’s 18th comeback win in his career, which is also the most in the NFL since 2008.

These are the type of wins Atlanta can fall back on later in the season. Facing a deficit come playoff time, they could ultimately benefit from these two games instead of folding like they’ve done in recent postseasons. 

"We were able to show a lot of resolve, especially there in the fourth quarter coming back to score 17 points to win," coach Mike Smith said Monday.  

2. Pick your poison with the offense.  It’s easy to see the differences first-year offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has installed in the Falcons' offense. Instead of the run-first mentality fans were accustomed to under former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Koetter has spread out defenses using the team’s numerous receiving threats.

Against Washington on Sunday, the Redskins played mostly a prevent zone, intent on limiting huge gains from receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones. The longest play of the day was a 29-yard reception to Julio Jones in the fourth quarter. The Redskins succeeded in regards to containing big plays but left the belly of the defense wide open and tight end Tony Gonzalez burned them for 13 catches and 123 yards, his most productive game since joining the team in 2009.

Gonzalez said at the beginning of the season that he was 98 percent sure that he was going to retire but games like the one he had on Sunday should force him to reconsider. “I’ve been thinking about retiring for the last three years,” Gonzalez said to Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “That’s not the question. I know I can play another two years at a pretty good level. But the window is closing. I’m having a blast. I’m not thinking about it.” 

3. Rush defense a real concern. The Falcons' rush defense has consistently struggled in each game this season and Sunday’s effort against Alfred Morris was no different. The rookie finished with 115 yards on 18 carries as the Falcons allowed more than 100 yards rushing for the fifth time this season. Atlanta ranks 27th in the NFL in terms of its rush defense and next Sunday’s opponent, Oakland, has one of the most explosive rushers in the league in Darren McFadden. Fortunately for the Falcons, the Raiders are last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (60.8).

Morris had six rushes of more than 10 yards, including runs of 32 yards and 29 yards, respectively in the first half. Poor tackling plagued Atlanta last week against Carolina and it was evident in Sunday’s game as well. Numerous times, Morris was hit just yards after the line of scrimmage but wasn’t wrapped up properly, broke the tackle and scampered on into the secondary.

Part of Sunday’s issues stemmed from an ankle injury to OLB Stephen Nicholas (39 tackles on the year) which hindered him throughout the second half. He was held to a season-low four tackles. But the majority of Atlanta's issues came down to technique, coach Mike Smith said.   

“We didn’t take the blockers on in our terms,” Smith said. “Our path to the ball and our tackling wasn’t what we needed it to be. We do have a rotation on the defensive line, not so much with the linebackers. We only have five linebackers on our roster so it kind of limits us.” 

As a team, the Falcons don’t have very many holes and if they can plug the one along their defensive line, they’ll have an excellent chance of heading into the bye week a perfect 6-0.

For more Falcons coverage, follow Mike Singer @CBSFalcons.