Atlanta Falcons Offense: Week 13 Grades Vs Baltimore
Zane Beadles – Right Guard
Zane Beadles was inserted into the starting lineup for week 13 in place of Ben Garland. Garland had one of the worse games a Falcons offensive lineman has had in recent memory in week 12 against New Orleans.
The move to Beadles did not pay dividends as hoped. In fact with the exception of week 12. Ben Garland has graded at least 11 points higher in every game, than Beadles did against Baltimore. A plus for Zane is that he did not commit a penalty. However the minuses out weigh the one plus.
Zane Beadles allowed quarterback Matt Ryan to be pressured twice, tying him with four other players in allowed pressures. He also gave up a quarterback sack. His pass blocking grade was a low 58.6.
Beadles was beaten up at the point of attack in the run game as well. Ravens defensive linemen camped out in the Atlanta Falcons backfield all game long, as the team had a very difficult time running the football. PFF gave him a poor run blocking grade of 45.5. That was the second lowest grade of the starting offensive line.
Zane Beadles will likely get a second start against the Green Bay Packers. However if he doesn’t play significantly better, he may not receive many more starts.
Pro Football Focus Grade: 50.2
Atl All Day Grade: D-
Alex Mack – Center
Alex Mack is showing some signs of decline. He just hasn’t been as dominant this season as Atlanta Falcons fans are accustomed to. Even in a down season he still ranks as the number eight center in the NFL. The issue is that Mack typically is a top three center.
According to the Pro Football Focus grading system, Alex Mack is down nearly 17 points from last season. He is on pace to post his lowest grade for a season since 2014 in Cleveland, which was the lowest grade of his career.
Mack had his worse game of the season against the Ravens, a team he played against twice a year when he was with division rival Cleveland. He allowed two pressures on quarterback Matt Ryan for the second week in a row. Ryan was hit on one of the pressures. PFF graded him 60.9 as a pass blocker.
As a run blocker, Alex Mack was pushed around by nose tackle Brandon Williams all afternoon. That was a major factor in Atlanta Falcons running backs gaining on 30 yards on 13 carries. Pro Football Focus handed Mack a horrible run blocking grade of 47.0, last among the Dirty Birds starting offensive linemen.
Even though Alex Mack isn’t playing up to his standards, all of the blame can’t be placed on him. In fairness, the Falcons guard play has been so terrible that Alex Mack has to spend most of his focus on determining which guard he needs to help. I believe better guard play would mean better play from Alex Mack.