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Scouting Report: Atlanta Falcons

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Yeah, yeah Bill Belichick has sworn the Patriots players to not mention last year’s Super Bowl in preparation for this weekend’s rematch with the Atlanta Falcons, and while I usually try to ask myself “What would BB blog” that’s out the window as far as the next fews days. At least somewhat, because really it’s unlikely that there is all that much we can take away from that game back in February because, as you might remember, the Pats laid a giant turd on the field for three quarters.

Avoiding that kind of start will be imperative because as much as I’d love to whip up another comeback tee shirt, the odds of the Pats climbing out of a similar hole are less than likely.

Here’s some of what we know about the Falcons this year. They’re coming off two-straight AFC East losses, one to Buffalo 23-17 and last week’s to Miami 20-17. Both came at home which is mind boggling when you consider Matt Ryan coming off an MVP season and most of us thinking the Bills and Phins were going to be mostly rebuilding this year.

In the Miami game, the Falcons raced out to a 17-0 lead at halftime before the Dolphins clawed their way back in with their aggressive defensive front and a cold hard resolve that saw them convert two of three fourth-down attempts.

Ryan has six TDs and six interceptions on the year as the offense has struggled to regain 2016’s form after losing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Here’s some of the more notable rankings for Atlanta:

Offensive

  • Points for: 12th
  • Yards: 5th
  • DVOA: 4th
  • Passing DVOA: 12th
  • Rushing DVOA: 1st

Defense

  • Points against: 15th
  • Yards against: 10th
  • DVOA: 27th
  • Passing DVOA: 22nd
  • Rushing DVOA: 29th

Five scouting notes on the Falcons

  1. They Still Have That Julio Jones Guy: Jones has 25 catches for 367 yards but no touchdowns this season. Still, he’s awesome and the few but spectacular catches in the Super Bowl still stick out in everyone’s mind. The Patriots haven’t seen a receiver of his caliber yet and with their secondary struggles this year it’s a little scary. They’ll give him plenty of attention.
  2. Running Backs Make it Go: Ryan and Jones haven’t been lighting the world on fire so far this season, it’s been the running backs Devontae Freeman and Tevin Coleman who have become the offensive spark plugs. Freeman has five touchdowns and was a memorable problem for the Pats in 51 until he whiffed on blocking Dont’a Hightower and the course of the game changed. The Patriots run defense looked resurgent last week against the Jets, they’ll need their best effort yet.
  3. Ryan vs. Pats Defense = EEK: This is still a damn good quarterback even if he isn’t on another MVP pace and the thought of him against the Pats pass defense is a little scary. But I love challenges and this game should be a great barometer of whether the Pats communication and execution are improving. If ever there was a game they’ll need a full 60 minutes this will be it.
  4. Run at them: The Dolphins’ comeback was in part sparked by the hard running of Jay Ajayi, especially off the edges. Yes, the Pats will have Gronk this time around, but the hard running of Gillislee and the resurgent Dion Lewis are real X-factors here that Atlanta might not be equipped to handle.
  5. Ignore the Noise: The Falcons will come in with something to prove especially once they get a glimpse of that Super Bowl 51 banner hanging up there. Their young defense has seen Tom Brady first hand and their whole teams know they can’t take their foot off the gas for a second. Once again the Pats will get an all-out best effort from an opponent and it’s a great chance to show who this 2017 team and put Super bowl 51 completely behind them.