Atlanta Falcons: 4 Observations From Win Over Titans

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Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan Aren’t on the Same Page

There, I said it. Though the running game for the Atlanta Falcons has been nothing short of a revelation under new OC Kyle Shanahan, the once lethal passing game of Atlanta, led by QB Matt Ryan, is not taking flight anywhere near it should.

Of course the days of Matt Ryan posting inflated passing numbers in the Dirk Koetter offensive game plan are long gone, but I expected to see our 3x Pro Bowl starting quarterback to command Shanahan’s offense as the season progressed.

I’m struggling to think of any game this season Matt Ryan has looked like a Pro Bowl passer. Not that he hasn’t been good, but Atlanta needs him to play at that level if the Falcons wish to orchestrate a deep playoff run this January.

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Perhaps it’s the play calling of Shanahan that I’m unsure of. Or is it that Ryan isn’t selling some of the plays well? Shanahan rarely decided to run the football on third and short situations when he has a great rushing attack going against the worst run defense in football. Even if Atlanta didn’t get the first down, it seemed two runs could have done the trick a few times.

I’m only saying this because I miss this part of Koetter’s game plan so much, but why are there so many short passes in this offensive system that require yards after the catch to achieve a first down? Under Koetter, Ryan thrived in the medium-to-long passing game, routinely converting third and longs because the routes accounted for moving the chains before the catch was even made. If WR Julio Jones is going to possession-receive, let’s at least get him past the first down marker before targeting him.

The red zone series that ended in a 4th down pick to David Bass was especially troublesome. The fullback handoff to Patrick DiMarco caught the world by surprise in a negative way. I really couldn’t tell you what the idea of the fourth down play was. What it looked like was a broken down run forced into a panic maneuver that Ryan was not ready for. Devonta Freeman can rush the ball six inches on two tries.

I understand that this is an entirely new offense for Matt Ryan, but he and Kyle Shanahan need to figure some things out if Ryan wants to still seem like a Top 10 passer in the NFL. Hopefully the QB room can design a more suitable game plan for Ryan at home in Week 8.

I will say that two good things did happen for Matt Ryan in this game: he has now passed for over 30,000 yards in the NFL, being the 5th fastest to ever accomplish that milestone. Ryan also moves back to .500 on the road as a starting quarterback. Given how dismal Atlanta has been away from the Georgia Dome in recent years, Rise Up!

Next: Nick Williams Seems Like an Answer in the Slot

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