Atlanta Falcons: The pass rush is still a problem
The 2015 NFL regular season is nearly halfway completed and once again, the Atlanta Falcons sit at the bottom of the cellar in sacks.
In fact, the Falcons rank 32nd in the league in sacks with eight. The Denver Broncos sit atop the league with 26. Yes, that is no joke. The Falcons are 18 sacks behind first place and have played one more game then the Broncos.
So, whats the problem? The Falcons drafted Vic Beasley and signed Adrian Clayborn in hopes of bringing more pressure to the opposing quarterbacks, but that hasn’t been the case thus far. Clayborn and Beasley each have two sacks, but that is not nearly enough through seven games.
Beasley is underachieving a lot more than Clayborn, however, because he is playing a lot more of the defensive plays. Beasley is getting little to no pressure and is getting thrown around by offensive tackles such as Taylor Lewan.
More from Blogging Dirty
- Atlanta Falcons are the perfect fit for Leonard Floyd
- 3 Largest Atlanta Falcons 2023 dead cap hits
- Atlanta Falcons trade up for a quarterback in this full mock draft
- Atlanta Falcons: 3 trade packages to land first-overall pick
- 3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t fear Derek Carr and the Saints
The Falcons’ defense has played pretty good thus far, but a lack of pass rush will catch up to them sooner than later. Quarterbacks such as Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Andrew Luck and Drew Brees will all torch the Falcons’ defense if they are unable to apply pressure.
The Falcons’ run defense has been superb on the other hand. The defensive unit is fourth in the NFL in yards allowed to running backs, but rank 26th in passing yards allowed. A lack of pass rush is the root of the cause.
One good thing the Falcons’ pass defense has been able to do is hold receivers to short gains. The Falcons rank eighth in the league in yards per attempt at seven yards and rank seventh in total touchdowns allowed at eight.
Do the Falcons have an improved defense from 2014? Absolutely, but is it where Dan Quinn wants it to be? Not even close.