Atlanta Falcons: Three reasons why they lost to the Buccaneers

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Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) runs the ball against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

The Falcons could never get the run game going

The Falcons’ running attack on the afternoon was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful.

Atlanta finished with just 52 yards rushing on 22 carries, good enough for an average of 2.4 YPC.

Devonta Freeman rushed the ball 11 times for 20 yards, one of which included a 10-yard attempt. Take away his long run of 10 yards and he finishes with an abysmal 10 yards rushing on 10 attempts.

Tevin Coleman had a much better game than Freeman, but his performance rushing the ball was equally as bad. Coleman finished with 22 yards rushing on eight attempts. His team-high 95 yards receiving on five receptions made up for it, though.

With a non-existent running game, Matt Ryan and the Falcons were forced to throw the ball a little more than they would have liked. One of Atlanta’s main objectives in 2016 is to be balanced on offense. But we definitely didn’t get a taste of that against Tampa Bay.

Let’s hope the running game improves next week against the Oakland Raiders.

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