Atlanta Falcons offense should flourish in red zone

The Atlanta Falcons offense has struggled mightily in the red zone for years, which is one of the most important facets for any NFL team, and it has been a huge reason why the Falcons have not been able to consistently win games. After all, if you drive the length of the field just to kick a field goal while your defense cannot stop anyone inside the 20, it is extremely difficult to win games.

With that being said, it should improve immensely this year as this team is now built for winning their matchups when the field is condensed.

The Falcons have built an offense that should thrive in the red area

During the 2021 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons ranked 24th in the NFL when it comes to the percentage of touchdowns scored when reaching the red zone, which will cost you games. They were only able to get a touchdown on 53.7% of their red-zone trips.

However, the team that will take the field in 2022 should be set up to get touchdowns in the red zone.

As it always does, every red zone offense starts with the quarterback, and while we will have to wait to see who ends up being the starter, we do know that either guy—Marcus Mariota or Desmond Ridder—has the ability to scramble or break off runs with their excellent speed.

Having that will allow receivers more time to get open as the quarterback scrambles or pick up yards that you normally would not when the quarterback takes off.

That puts stress on the defense and opens up an area of the game that the Falcons never had with Matt Ryan. They can also run read options and designed quarterback runs at any point.

Then you move on to their running backs where they have Cordarrelle Patterson who is a great runner and an excellent receiver. He has shown the ability to jump over people and catch the ball in the end zone. Arthur Smith can use Patterson in any way he wants.

Rookie Tyler Allgeier will provide the power in short-yardage situations, while Damien Williams can also be used out of the backfield as a receiver.

It has been well documented but the Atlanta Falcons have a ridiculously tall group of pass-catchers which can help tremendously in the condensed part of the field.

It all starts with Kyle Pitts, who was not used nearly enough in the red zone last year, but he can go do everything like jumping over defenders with his six-foot-six frame, making a catch in traffic, or running a killer route to get wide open. He should be the main target.

Past that you obviously have two more towers on the outside in Auden Tate and Drake London, then throw in some other tall guys like Bryan Edwards and Geronimo Allison, it will give the quarterback the ability to just throw the ball up.

Olamide Zaccheaus also plays a vital role as he is an excellent route runner and can get open quickly in short areas.

And finally, you have Arthur Smith who led a Tennessee offense to being the top-ranked red zone offense in 2019 and the second-ranked red zone offense in 2020.

Basically, the Atlanta Falcons have everything you want to be able to convert touchdowns within the 20-yard line. If they want to win games they must take advantage of that as they have a defense that will likely give up a lot of scores.