Atlanta Falcons First Takes: Observations from Week One

In the first installment of Falcons First Takes, we look back at the Bears game and determine what we learned.

In typical Atlanta Falcons fashion, Atlanta kept us on the edge of our seats until the final seconds on Sunday. Thanks to a Brooks Reed sack on 4th and goal, the Falcons hung on to beat the Bears 23-17.

Chicago proved to be a worthy adversary in the season’s opener as they stuck to their game plan and turned the match into a slop fest. The Falcons had no answer for the Bears’ secret weapon, rookie running back Tarik Cohen, as the rookie running back gashed the team on the ground and through the air to the tune of 113 combined yards. Cohen also contributed 45 yards on three punt returns as well.

If it wasn’t for tight end Austin Hooper‘s two big plays in the fourth quarter, one of which resulted in an 88-yard touchdown, Atlanta would be 0-1 and facing more Super Bowl hangover questions this week. Thankfully, that’s not the case, but the Falcons are not without “concerns” following their week one victory.

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 word concerns is in quotation marks because it’s important to remember that it was only one game and not a lot can be extracted from such a small sample size. After all, we saw how meaningful week one proved to be last year for the Falcons.

With that said, here are the storylines from Sunday’s Falcons vs. Bears game and what they might mean going forward.

Where’s the explosive plays?

Aside from the aforementioned Hooper plays, the offense did very little to stretch the field against Chicago. Take away the 88 and 40-yard plays and Atlanta’s aerial attack completed 19 of 29 passes for 193 yards. That’s good for only 6.66 yards an attempt, a far cry from the 9.3 quarterback Matt Ryan averaged a year ago.

No one expected the Falcons to maintain that torrid pace; however, we also didn’t expect a steep drop off either.

One possible explanation for the lack of shots downfield is the heat Matty Ice faced from the Bears’ defense. According to PFF, Chicago pressured Ryan on one-third of his dropbacks on Sunday. Defensive end Akiem Hicks was especially disruptive, as the former Saint gave newly minted right guard Wes Schweitzer fits all day.

In addition, the Falcons’ ground attack failing to take off also proved debilitating. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman combined for only 53 yards on 20 carries in the ball game. In fact, Atlanta’s longest run came from the legs of Matt Ryan on a third down scramble which extended an ensuing touchdown drive.

The lack of the run game limited the effectiveness of Atlanta’s play action offense, a staple of their vertical pass game in 2016. It’s imperative the team’s rushing attack gets on track so that Steve Sarkisian can open up the playbook moving forward.

A defense that can be relied upon

To preface, this is not to say the unit played a flawless game on Sunday. The Falcons must clean up the tackling issues that plagued them a year ago. However, that is a problem that can be corrected over time with more live game reps.

What was encouraging to see was the young defense answering the bell as the Falcons’ offense labored through their issues. Save for the final two drives of the game, Atlanta held the Bears’ offense in check. Chicago amassed a meager 158 yards of total offense through the first 48 minutes of the game.

Granted, the Bears’ offense is in no way the “Greatest Show on Turf,” however, containing any offense is a change of pace from the norm.

Another changing of the guard moment for the defense came from the pass rush. The Falcons’ front four harassed Mike Glennon all day, finishing with four sacks and a bevy of pressures. Virtually everyone on Atlanta’s two-deep defensive line rotation joined the party, led by defensive tackle Dontari Poe‘s team high four pressures.

If Sunday’s contest was any indication, the Falcons may finally boast a formidable defensive line.

Shaky Schweitzer

Part of the reason Matt Ryan was constantly under duress on Sunday was the play of Wes Schweitzer. Starting for the first time in his career, Schweitzer had a rough go of it against the underrated Akiem Hicks.

As a result, PFF graded the first time starter very poorly with an overall grade of 30.9. But before we overreact, it should be noted that Schweitzer’s predecessor, Chris Chester, graded below 35 three times last season.

So while his debut was less than ideal, the 2016 sixth round pick earned the right during the preseason and training camp to be afforded some patience. Besides, there’s no guarantee the alternative will be any better in his stead.

Replacing Schweitzer with Ben Garland runs the risk of further hindering the chemistry of the offensive line. For the time being, the Falcons have their right guard and fans must deal with the growing pains.

With the NFC Championship rematch against the Packers on deck, the Falcons have a lot to correct before Sunday night. Green Bay’s offense will provide a much stiffer test than Chicago’s did, so we’ll get a better idea of how good this defense is come Sunday.

Next: 3 Falcons with rising stock

As for Green Bay’s defense, the Packers present similar challenges the Bears did with their front seven. If Atlanta fails to protect Matt Ryan or establish any semblance of a run game, the home opener may be a forgettable one for Dirty Bird Nation.