The Falcons did what they needed to do in Seattle. They beat the Seahawks to get their first road victory of the season, hopped on the plane and started to think about Sunday’s rematch of January’s playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Mike Smith said as much in his postage press conference, “Winning on the road is never an easy proposition, and that was definitely the case today.”
Through four weeks, fans are starting to learn a lot more about this edition of the Falcons. No, this team won’t likely win 13 games and the home field advantage in the playoffs. The offensive line needs some help, and the defensive line can’t seem to find its mojo.
Those are the Falcons’ bugaboos. While it is disappointing that there does not appear to be Cinderella season in the crystal ball, this is a very “workable” situation. Put in business vernacular, “There are some opportunities.”
Let’s take a look.
Repeating last season’s record is very unlikely, but the last time I checked, Green Bay squeaked into the playoffs last January and began a stretch of road wins (There’s no need to list all the teams they beat in their postseason run, is there)? By February, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and being given tickets to Disneyland.
Much is made of the Falcons ability to win at home, but few realize that under Smith, Atlanta has a winning record on the road. How many teams in the NFL have had a winning record on the road going back three plus years? Answer, less than you can count on two hands.
The most criticized unit on the Falcons’ sideline this year has been the offensive line. They have been more like sieves than strongmen. This is where Smith and his coaching staff have a major “opportunity.” Against the Seahawks, Atlanta was able to run the ball (121 yards rushing) and pass protect (Ryan wasn’t sacked). The o-line should get some deserved credit, but also credit the coaching staff. The coaches put the “line” in manageable situations. If someone was going to need help on the front, there was help nearby. Sometimes the help was in the form of a play call for Ryan to rollout to the one side, away from potential trouble. Sometimes, the help was a running back placed in a tight slot position to help pass block. The Falcons value engineered the pass protection (and the run game somewhat). Guys were not asked to do too much very often. Now we know, We can the skill position players and game plan will be helping with blocking and pass protection as the season rolls forward.
On the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, for whatever reason, the pass rush isn’t quite clicking. Seahawk quarterback Tavaris Jackson was hit nine times but never sacked, and close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The pass rush may be the most surprising development, or lack thereof. The offseason acquisition of Ray Edwards was supposed to give John Abraham on the other side of the line some help, but he hasn’t yet. Former first rounder, Peria Jerry is finally healthy. Kroy Biermann isn’t asked to do as much, so he should be fresher when he comes into the game. The Falcons new challenge is to get better here. Getting better along the defensive line will help take the load off of the Atlanta’s mostly unheralded secondary.
As Smith said, the Falcons won on the road, and that’s not easy to do in the NFL. They got up big in the first half against a lesser team in the first half, then regressed, then hung on to win. It was a total team effort, the coaches schemed and adjusted. The players executed, sometimes in spots that weren’t previously in their job description. In Seattle, it worked out. Moving forward, the Falcons to make another run to the playoffs, it’s going to take more creativity, experimenting and teamwork.
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