Falcons look for consistency running the ball
After being able to run the ball effectively against Carolina – even without Devonta Freeman – the Atlanta Falcons struggled to move it on the ground against the Saints. The inability to run put the game almost entirely on the shoulders of quarterback Matt Ryan to produce points through the air.
Atlanta ran the ball 22 times for 48 yards against the Saints. They rushed 32 times for 170 yards against Carolina. The Falcons ran the ball only four times in the fourth quarter against the Saints, two of those scrambles by Ryan.
“It was such a difference,” head coach Dan Quinn said. “I thought we stayed with it. That’s usually the first thing I look at, was there enough attempts, was there enough shots. We had three of them that ended up being penalties … we had 20 or 21 runs. Then there were five of the runs that ended up being a negative run.”
Tevin Coleman was limited to 33 yards on 15 carries, a week after he went for 107 yards. Ito Smith, who looked good in running for 46 yards against Carolina, ran it twice and lost 6 yards. All-Pro tailback Devonta Freeman has missed the last two games and is uncertain for this week.
Quinn said the Falcons must persevere, starting this week against the Bengals.
“So we’ve got to keep our cracks at it in this game,” Quinn said. “Let’s give (the Saints) credit. I thought they got on the edge and tried to bottle things up well. But it’s such an important part of our play-action of what we do.”
Quinn said the club’s ability to throw it deep is predicated on the ability to run the ball.
“You saw some of the shots down the field,” Quinn said. “The only way those are effective is our run game keeps that going. We’ve got to find ways to do that better against them the next time we play them.
Guard Brandon Fusco said the group of veteran offensive linemen are going to “take charge and make sure this team moves on from this.”
Fusco said he couldn’t pinpoint the problem, but it felt the running game never got in rhythm.
“I think it was one guy here one guy there that didn’t reach his guy or just didn’t make his block,” Fusco said. “When you want the run game to go, it takes everybody. It’s not just offensive line, tight end, receivers, it’s everybody.”
Although Smith was stymied as a rusher last week, he did catch three passes for 41 yards. He can be a dangerous target for Ryan to include in his progressions.
“On some levels some have been surprised because they hadn’t seen him catch as well as he had,” Quinn said. “We knew that was part of his game. He has excellent change of direction. Anytime you put a guy with that kind of change of direction in space, he can get some plays there.”
SERIES HISTORY: 14th regular-season meeting. Bengals lead series, 8-5. Cincinnati won the last meeting 24-10 in 2014 at home. That broke a three-game Atlanta winning streak against the Bengals. Cincinnati’s last win in Atlanta was 1987.
