3 Coaching adjustments the Atlanta Falcons must make in week two

2. Dean Pees must throw his prevent defensive plays in the garbage

Say it with me prevent defense no longer works in today’s NFL.  Quarterbacks are more than happy to use the sideline and pick apart soft defensive coverage working the ball down the field and getting their team back into the game. The quickest way to allow a comeback is to go into prevent defense too early in the game.

Atlanta should have learned its lesson by now with prevent defense from allowing multiple comebacks over the last five seasons. To make matters worse Pees sent in backup defensive linemen while playing his prevent strategy.

This allowed Winston to get hot and carry the Saints down the field twice and back into this game before Atlanta could respond. While Smith might be more to blame for the Atlanta loss it is hard to imagine if Pees continued to call the defense as if it were the first quarter that Atlanta would have lost this game.

Pees has to keep the same level of intensity with his defense until the game is won. Easing back allowed the Saints to climb back into this game and hand Atlanta a loss that belongs squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff.