Atlanta Falcons game recap: WHICH WAY? YOUNGHOE!

Positive Play #1: Marcus Mariota finds Kyle Pitts for the TD

Hello, Kyle Pitts! Fantasy football owners (to Arthur’s chagrin) were probably happy to see the unicorn get some positive points for their teams this week. Pitts was all over the field, and despite an early bobble on the first play from scrimmage, he never got discouraged and went to work. As a result, he was rewarded with a couple of nice catches, some big yards after breaking contact, and finally, on a first down from the Panthers 3, he sold a run block beautifully and was wide open for his second touchdown of the season.

Two touchdowns for the young man, and both in the city of Atlanta, no less. We got something with him, especially with how he spun on that catch since the ball was a little behind him. Next stop: teaching him how to dance.

Positive Moment #2: Mariota’s Scramble for first down

Mariota’s biggest play came at arguably the one moment the team needed it most. All game long, the Falcons tried to use “Oregon”, a nod to his alma mater. However, most keen defensive coordinators who watch film have recognized this cadence for the Falcons: he says that it’s a zone read play every day of the week. From there, it’s a guessing game: will he hand it off or tuck it and run?

In this particular instance, right near midfield after the Panthers inexplicably missed a gimme-game-winner, on third down, Mariota kept it to himself, somehow avoided Brian Burns and Xavier Woods (who both correctly guessed the play, mind you), and raced up the field for 30 critical yards in a moment that took all of Atlanta’s collective breath away.

Three plays later, Mariota took home a birthday win.

https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1586819624938545152

Positive Moment #3: Damiere Byrd 47-yard TD in 4th quarter

This play was insane for all the right reasons. Last week, the Falcons’ craziest play on offense came in the form of a Damiere Byrd 75-yard touchdown right before halftime on a scissor concept. On this one, Byrd runs a deep curl route to sell the Panthers’ secondary, who at this point were respecting his speed but playing just deep enough to bait Mariota into a bad throw. However, he didn’t bite, and Byrd somehow managed to run back across the field and through three Panthers (would be four, but CJ Henderson basically loafed around) for an insane touchdown to give the Falcons the lead just before the two-minute warning. Byrd barely got any playing time before the last two weeks, and even then, the limited amount of passes thrown meant he wasn’t getting any targets.

In two weeks, he’s had two touchdowns, both going for at least 47 yards. We’ve got another speedster in Atlanta; maybe not Turbo Taylor Gabriel speed, but just enough.

Positive Play #4: Lorenzo Carter Pick-6 before Halftime

Say what you will about the Falcons’ defense: missed tackles, lack of a decent pass rush, being out of position on certain coverage schemes, anything is valid. Yet, how many can say the Falcons have been opportunistic on defense in recent years? That’s right, and it’s not hyperbole: this Atlanta team somehow finds ways to consistently come up with the ball, and sometimes they manage to assist their offense by hitting paydirt.

Case in point: right after the Falcons had to punt, the Panthers managed to rack off 27 yards in three plays. Keep in mind: they did have one timeout remaining and would get the ball to start the second half. Unfortunately for the visitors, on their fourth play, Walker attempted to throw a screen pass for Foreman, but Lorenzo Carter managed to not only tip the ball, but he came down with it and rumbled all the way into the endzone for a critical pick-six for the Falcons. This ended up giving Atlanta a 14-10 lead into the halftime intermission, but it says something: when opportunity strikes for the Falcons’ defense, they aren’t as prone to making mistakes as they once were.

Positive Moment #5: Tyler Allgeier’s 25-yard screen pass to the house

Tyler Allgeier is special, guys. From the minute he came into the organization as a fifth-round selection by way of walk-on status at BYU, he’s proven time and again that he’s a bruising running back alongside his partner Caleb Huntley (and, yes, Scoredarrelle Patterson). With Patterson on IR, however, Atlanta’s had to make do with what they’ve got, and while Huntley had the “hot hand” with his running style just clicking against the Panthers’ defense, Allgeier aided in the passing game alongside a couple of nice chunk runs.

On his touchdown, however, it was a nice standard play action halfback screen from a pistol formation, which allowed his blockers an extra chance to get into place before being ruled downfield illegally. Once he caught the pass, note how Elijah Wilkinson and Drew Dalman seal off a running lane for the rookie, and boy did he ever take it to the house. In fact, he wasn’t even touched by a single Panthers defender until he had already crossed the goal line, so his straight-line speed is still as dominant as it was in college.