There have been numerous players who have stepped up for the Atlanta Falcons
We are about halfway (more or less) through the Atlanta Falcons 2022 season and this team has surprised everyone as they lead their division and have a clear path to take home a division crown for the first time since 2017.
This team just needs to continue to grind out each week and hope that their division rivals continue to struggle. Lucky for us, we have a relatively easy remaining schedule and you could argue that their upcoming opponent, the 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers, is the hardest or second-hardest team they will have to play for the remainder of the year.
It will be interesting to see how this team performs coming off of a dramatic win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Nevertheless, this team has stepped up when they have needed to, and much of the reason for their relative success is thanks to a few players who have been surprisingly good this year.
All three of these players were not expected to be major factors or they were expected to be a weak link but they have done what has been asked of them and more, thankfully, as without them who knows where we would be at this point.
Damiere Byrd – WR
Damiere is a pretty new revelation for the Atlanta Falcons and it has been clear that they need to continue to get him touches as his speed has come in clutch.
Initially, to start the season it looked as though the other veteran receiver, KhaDarel Hodge, would be the one to make this list but following a dropped screen pass at a critical time against Tampa Bay, he hasn’t been given an opportunity.
Damiere Byrd, meanwhile, has been making big plays down the field for Marcus Mariota. He originally made his name known back against the Browns when he was targeted downfield on what should have been a pass interference call against the defense but the pass ended up incomplete with no flag.
It took until right before halftime against the Bengals for him to have his first catch with the Falcons when he caught a 75-yard touchdown.
Then against the Panthers, he caught what looked to be a solid gain but then he outran everyone en route for another touchdown. He later was targeted deep down the field with less than 10 seconds left in the game on what should have been pass interference to set Younghoe Koo up for a game-winner but it was another missed flag.
He has just shown the ability to take the top off the defense or be able to turn a solid gain into a big play for a TD, expect him to get even more opportunities in the future.
Ta’Quon Graham – DT
Atlanta Falcons star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has been looking for a guy to line up next to him and help dominate ever since he entered the league, it finally seems like he might have that player in Ta’Quon Graham.
Some fans might be wondering how a player who has yet to record a sack in his NFL career is a rising star, but trust me, he is.
Graham has been making plays next to Jarrett in a quiet manner that has not received much attention. His run defense has been excellent and he has been able to pressure the quarterback, but just hasn’t been able to get that elusive sack.
There is much more to playing the defensive tackle position than just recording sacks and tackles for loss. Graham has been near the top of the league in run-stop win rate, even higher than Grady Jarrett.
If you keep an eye on him over the next few weeks then you will see some great defensive tackle play. He is a legit rising star.
Kaleb McGary – RT
The Atlanta Falcons’ passing offense over the past few years has suffered at points and some of the blame has been placed on Kaleb McGary, rightfully so, but this year he has been a different player.
He has never struggled as a run blocker for the most part, which he has been very good at this year, but his deficiencies as a pass blocker through the years have been evident, at least up until this year.
The Falcons declined his fifth-year option for next year and it seems like he took that personally as he has not been much of a problem this season in either area of the game.
He isn’t a shutdown right tackle in the passing game but does he need to be in this offense? No, not at all and it seems like Arthur Smith has unlocked the best in McGary.
Who knows what the future holds for him, you might see him back with the team next year or you might not, but his work over the offseason has paid off and it, without a doubt, will make Terry Fontenot think twice about letting him walk when last year it seemed like a no-brainer to look elsewhere for a right tackle.