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Four Atlanta Falcons games to not look forward to

By Grayson Freestone

Oct 1, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) attempts a pass under pressure from Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Preston Brown (52), outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) and outside linebacker Ramon Humber (50) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) attempts a pass under pressure from Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Preston Brown (52), outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) and outside linebacker Ramon Humber (50) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Falcons
Sep 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson (84) is congratulated after he scored a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

From what we have seen from the Atlanta Falcons this year, they are a bad team. There is still hope for them if they can clean up mistakes and take a big leap on both the offensive and defensive lines but the likelihood of it happening is slim-to-none.

There are numerous teams out there that would destroy the Falcons in their current state, especially teams that have exceptional defensive lines and overall offenses. Atlanta does not have the players to block in the passing game or to stop high-powered offenses.

Look at what the Eagles did to their blockers upfront in week one, and then look at what the Buccaneer’s offense did to the Falcon’s defense in week two.

Four games that Atlanta Falcons fans should not be looking forward to:

4) Week 4: Washington Football Team

The weakest position on the Falcons is left guard with Jalen Mayfield starting there. He has been horrible so far this year, and while he played much better in week two, it was still awful, to say the least.

Not only is the left guard a weak position, but so is center and right tackle. Matt Hennessy and Kaleb McGary have not made any sort of jump from last season to this season. It has shown when watching Matt Ryan, as he is constantly being forced to evade rushers in his face.

Washington has probably the best defensive line in the entire NFL, and as we have said a million times before, Atlanta probably has the worst offensive line in the NFL. That is not a good combination – especially for Matt Ryan.

If Matt Ryan is able to get out of this game without being injured, that should be considered a moral victory.

Montez Sweat is going to tee off on Kaleb McGary all day. While Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, and Daron Payne will try to get to the Falcons quarterback.

Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews have held up this awful line as much as possible. But there are just too many talented players on Washington to block.

Why was the Montez Sweat, Kaleb McGary matchup mentioned first? Well, Pro Football Focus has Kaleb McGary with a 52.9 pass-blocking grade, compared with Montez Sweat’s 82.4 pass-rushing grade. That is perhaps the biggest mismatch of the game.

If Arthur Smith can get a run game going, then maybe the Falcons can get something going but if they end up becoming one-dimensional, then Matt Ryan will be sacked on every other play.

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