The hangover is real: Falcons look nothing like a Super Bowl team

Although the Atlanta Falcons were able to mask many of their warts behind a perfect 3-0 record, that will no longer be the case.

Week 4's 23-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the comforts of the barely broken in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, exposed the flaws which were disguised in lucky road victories against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, and Detroit Lions in Week 3.

The Falcons were among the NFL's best in turnover differential on their road to the 2016 Super Bowl, but already rank near the bottom of the league through four weeks. Former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was able to perfectly balance distributing the ball to star wide receiver Julio Jones, while also mixing in some touches for a host of secondary and tertiary options. But new OC Steve Sarkisian has yet to master this.

A year ago, the Falcons were able to avoid any debilitating injuries and didn't face much adversity, but through four weeks this season, they're already being forced to deal with more hurdles.

Need to return to positive turnover differential

One of the Falcons' biggest strengths of 2016 was an NFL rank of fourth in turnover differential at plus-11. Through four weeks, they rank near the bottom of the league at a differential of minus-four, which includes Sunday's two interceptions and lost fumble.

They also failed to take the ball away on defense for a second straight week, which is a weakness head coach Dan Quinn was quick to address following the first loss of the season.

After throwing just seven interceptions all of last season, 2016 MVP quarterback Matt Ryan has been picked off five times in his past two games, throwing fewer touchdowns than interceptions in both games.

Ryan has just one two-touchdown game thus far, while he was held to a single score in only four games all of last season and not once did he throw multiple interceptions.

The interceptions have been a team issue, with receivers Mohamed Sanu, Jones, and Taylor Gabriel all ranking significantly lower in Pro Football Focus' catch rate.

Where's Julio?

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Through three weeks, Jones was tied for 12th among all pass catchers with 26 targets, 11 off the NFL lead held by Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Jones led the league in targets in 2015, being the only receiver to see more than 200 looks, catching 136 of the 204 balls thrown his way.

Despite a change in his role last season - when he ranked 20th in targets - he still managed to finish second in receiving yards, catching 83 of his 129 targets at an average of 17 yards per reception.

That trend was continuing this season, as Jones was averaging 16.6 yards per catch entering Week 4.

He hasn't yet caught a touchdown or received a red-zone target, contributing to the Falcons poor rank of 16th in red-zone touchdown percentage, a stat they ranked eighth in a year ago.

Early adversity

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With Jones and Sanu being ruled out for the second half of Sunday's game, the Falcons were left with a receiving corps of Gabriel, Justin Hardy, and Nick Williams.

Should Jones and/or Sanu miss any more time, they'll join linebacker Vic Beasley, and offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder - who've already each missed two games - on the sideline.

Cornerback Jalen Collins remains suspended for another six games for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

The absences of notable players on both sides of the ball, and at a variety of different positions is something the Falcons didn't have to deal with until losing cornerback Desmond Trufant to injury ahead of Week 10 of last season.

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The Falcons Week 5 bye is coming at a perfect time, supplying extra time for some of the injuries to mend, and for Quinn's coaching staff to make adjustments.

Following a Week 6 home game against the Miami Dolphins, the Falcons will head out on the road for three consecutive games, against the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers.