Atlanta Falcons Offense: Week 12 Grades Vs New Orleans
The Atlanta Falcons have now failed to score 20 points for three weeks in a row after losing 31-17 in New Orleans. Here is an in-depth look at what birds flew high and those that were grounded like Thanksgiving turkey.
Atlanta Falcons Offensive Player of the Week
Matt Ryan – Quarterback
The week 12 game against New Orleans was not the best for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan but he was decent in most aspects. He was under duress all night long on Thursday. Ryan was sacked six times in the game.
Despite the lack of protection, Ryan was still able to complete 35/47 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns. He often had to trust his pre-snap reads and go to his first or second option as time did not allow Matt to go through his progressions.
Ryan did throw an interception that truly wasn’t his fault. He was attempting to throw to a wide open Julio Jones crossing the middle of the field, when sAints defensive lineman Tyeler Davison disengaged from left guard Wes Schweitzer and tipped the pass in the air. Linebacker A.J. Kline intercepted the pass.
Matt Ryan did fumbled the ball three times, however the Falcons only lost one. The lost fumble was hurtful, as it was in the red zone.
New Orleans blitzed safety Marcus Williams in the a gap and Atlanta was late picking him up. He was knocked to the ground but managed to swipe the ball away from Matt Ryan, to cause and recover a fumble. Ryan said he never saw where Williams came from.
The offensive line shares part of the blame for the sack fumble. At the same time Matt Ryan had the ball held too low after the pump fake. Also the fact that New Orleans holds and grabs on every play, causes Ryan to have to double clutch more than normal. Such was the case on that play.
Matt did complete 74.5 percent of his passes in the game and that includes a dropped pass and a throw away. He posted a quarterback rating of 102.9 and was responsible for 19 first downs.
Shockingly Matt Ryan led the Atlanta Falcons in rushing yards with 16 on two carries. It’s never a good thing when Matt Ryan, a pocket passer, leads the entire team in rushing. Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian has to stop abandoning the run at the first sign of adversity.
This has to be particularly concerning for head coach Dan Quinn, who has always been vocal about preferring a balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball.
Matt Ryan wasn’t spectacular, but did all he could being under major pressure all game long. For that, he was the highest graded offensive player by Pro Football Focus and our offensive player of the game.