Atlanta Falcons should be fine without Cordarrelle Patterson for now

The Atlanta Falcons got their first tough injury news of the regular season on Monday as Cordarrelle Patterson was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Losing Cordarrelle Patterson hurts without a doubt, but fortunately, this is a team that can still get the running game going without their top running back.

We all saw it on Sunday as Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley feasted against the Cleveland Browns late in the game as they were much of the reason the Falcons won.

The Atlanta Falcons offense can still run the ball without Cordarrelle Patterson

The Atlanta Falcons have had one of the top rushing offenses through the first four weeks of the season and much of that success was thanks to Cordarrelle Patterson as he went into week four with the third most rushing yards in the league.

Although it is extremely disappointing to lose Patterson for a minimum of four weeks, we should not be too worried about the running game going to sleep until he returns. We saw a glimpse of the success they can still have despite CP being on the sidelines.

Tyler Allgeier will likely be the de-facto number one running back but certainly, we will see a lot of Avery Williams and Caleb Huntley.

Allgeier had that strong and exciting run where he took the Browns’ defensive back for a ride as he showed his power on a 40-yard run. It was really the first time we got to see what Allgeier can do and it should give fans a lot of hope for his future.

As for Caleb Huntley, he was sent out on the field and basically kicked the offense right back in gear as they went right down the field by running the ball.

Again, no disrespect to Cordarrelle Patterson as he has been one of the best in the league this year, but this Falcons offense is built to handle a loss like this and we should be glad he isn’t missing more time. Their success on the ground is built around the offensive line more than the runner. The line has been elite at blocking in the run game.

What will be missed more than anything is Patterson’s ability to cut back when a hole doesn’t open. Allgeier and Huntley won’t be quite as experienced and comfortable cutting runs to the backside, but will rely on their raw power instead.