Devonta Freeman stars, but Falcons report card is ugly after Saints loss
It was just one of those games. Sometimes, you can’t stop making errors and you get punished for them. From a blocked punt, five fumbles and countless drops, the Atlanta Falcons had an off day. But how did each positional group fare in the Superdome? Here’s the report card.
Quarterback: B
Was it Matt Ryan‘s best performance in an Atlanta Falcons jersey? No, but it was good enough to win. Ryan went 30-of-44 for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He made some big plays when needed to, and was able to extend plays with his legs.
Ryan was sacked five times and fumbled three times under pressure. He needs to take better care of the football when pressure is up in his face.
Running backs: A-
Devonta Freeman was once again the Falcons’ best player, and it was a huge surprise to see him only get 13 carries. He posted 100 yards rushing with a touchdown at an incredible average of 7.7 yards per carry, and he once again showed his versatility with a team-high eight receptions for 56 yards and a score.
Tevin Coleman made some nice runs, but a costly fumble in the red zone ruined his day. The potential is clearly there, however, and he made four carries for 40 yards.
Wide receivers: B
Julio Jones looked healthy, making six catches for 93 yards. Roddy White made his biggest play of the season with a 7-yard touchdown reception. Leonard Hankerson had four catches for 37 yards, but made a couple of bad drops.
Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Tight ends: B
All in all it was a good day for the tight ends. Levine Toilolo made some nice plays and Jacob Tamme caught three passes for 32 yards. They both were good in run blocking and solid in pass protection.
Offensive line: C
Let’s start with the good: Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder played well and generally did a good job in protection, although Matthews allowed a sack. The bad? James Stone made some poor snaps and the unit allowed five sacks on Ryan.
Defensive line: B-
Where was the pass rush? Adrian Clayborn registered the lone sack on Drew Brees, but the line struggled to generate much pressure against a banged up offensive line. Despite that, the No. 1 run defense held New Orleans to just 81 yards on the ground.
Linebackers: C
Once again, the run defense was good but there was nothing to stop the pass. Paul Worrilow made some good plays against the run, but was constantly burned in coverage. Brees completed 7-of-8 passes sent in Worrilow’s direction for 67 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 141.1. It wasn’t Jimmy Graham causing the problems, it was Ben Watson.
Secondary: C
Outside of the ever-reliable Desmond Trufant, there wasn’t a whole lot to write home about. Robert Alford was thrown at four times, and all four passes were hauled in. They weren’t helped by the pass rush.
Special teams: D
Just to stop everyone talking about the blocked punt back in 2006, the Falcons gave them another one. Matt Bosher’s punt in the first quarter was blocked by linebacker Michael Mauti and carried into the end zone for a Saints touchdown.
Next: What we learned from Falcons loss to Saints