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Atlanta Falcons Five Best Players in Week Two

By LaDarius Brown

Sep 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) gets tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White (45) in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) gets tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White (45) in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite losing 48-25 to the defending Super Bowl champs Tampa Bay, the Atlanta Falcons did have some bright spots. After three quarters, it was 28-25 but, the fourth quarter happened, and Tampa scored the final 20 points of the game. Nonetheless, some players had a great game on both sides of the ball. Here are the five best players for the Atlanta Falcons in Week Two.

Cordarrelle Patterson

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 12: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Atlanta Falcons is pursued by Patrick Johnson #48 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 12, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 12: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Atlanta Falcons is pursued by Patrick Johnson #48 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 12, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

To point out, the run game was not there for the Atlanta Falcons versus Tampa. In total, they had just 55 yards on the ground. Of those 55 yards, Patterson was responsible for 11 yards on seven carries but had a rushing TD. Also, he had five receptions, 58 yards, and a seven-yard TD reception in the third quarter. Patterson proved he can be a dual-threat in the backfield and the open field. As a matter of fact, he was the only Atlanta Falcons player with two touchdowns.

Calvin Ridley

calvin ridley
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley (18) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Ridley led all receivers with 10 targets and had seven receptions, 63 yards with a TD reception. Obviously, Ridley is the Falcons’ number one wide receiver and was a priority of Matt Ryan and the passing game. Compared to his game in Week One, this performance was better. Hopefully, this might be the launching pad for Ridley moving forward.

Kyle Pitts

Atlanta Falcons
TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 19: Kyle Pitts #8 of the Atlanta Falcons catches the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half of the game at Raymond James Stadium on September 19, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Pitts was the leader for the Atlanta Falcons in receiving yards in the game with 73 yards on five receptions. Eventually, Pitts will get more than the six targets he got in Week Two. Altogether, he had a better catch percentage (83.3%) and more yards per target (12.7 yards) than last week. What’s more: Pitts had more offensive snaps (57 as opposed to 49 in Week One).

Dante Fowler

Oct 5, 2020; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. (56) tries to tackle Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2020; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. (56) tries to tackle Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

In this situation, it was important to acknowledge the defense. Although this Atlanta Falcons defense allowed five touchdowns and 48 points, they did have three sacks. Fowler had one of the three, while defensive lineman Marlon Davidson and linebacker Deion Jones had the other two. In addition to the sack, Fowler forced a fumble out of Tom Brady. As a result, the ball was recovered by linebacker Mykal Walker. It was his second forced fumble as a member of the Falcons.

Foye Oluokun

Atlanta Falcons
Oct 18, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones (45) and linebacker Foye Oluokun (54) in action during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

Oluokun also had a forced fumble for the Atlanta Falcons in the game. In this case, he knocked the ball out of the hands of running back Leonard Fournette. Unlike the forced fumble of Fowler, Oloukun’s play did not lead to a turnover. On the positive side, he led the Falcons with nine tackles. A point overlooked is that he led the Falcons in tackles last season with 117.

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