The Atlanta Falcons' defense has struggled across the last few weeks, and unfortunately, a date with the San Francisco 49ers offense in Week 7 won't make things easier. If anything, the margin for error is smaller now, especially now that the unit is getting healthier with A.J. Terrell's return looming.
Jeff Ulbrich preparing his group to lock down the current MVP favorite Brock Purdy is one thing, but the bigger concern is the elite weapons he's throwing to. Both Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are game-altering players, and there isn't a gameplan that exists that's able to shut them both down.
If the Falcons want to contain CMC, it's contingent on stacking the box and hoping run defense coming through for the second consecutive week, but with Kittle they need to do the opposite. They'll need this athletic LB room to drop back into coverage for Purdy to not find his main safety valve.
And although he's 33 and fresh off a torn Achilles, that'll be easier said than done. He's like a fine wine that only gets better with age. The only tight ends with more yards than George Kittle this season are Isaiah Likely, Brock Bowers, and Trey McBride while his fifth touchdowns are the most among TEs and the third-most among all pass-catchers (behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Christian Watson).
Unfortunately, the Falcons have been vulnerable against tight ends, and they haven't faced anybody nearly as dangerous as Kittle, so if they focus too much on McCaffrey and the San Francisco run game, it'll only make it easier for him to go nuclear on Sunday.
The Falcons will have a tough time trying to keep George Kittle in check
The issue here is that the Dirty Birds' linebacker room is currently shorthanded. Kendal Daniels, the athletic safety-turned-linebacker who'd likely guard Kittle was stretchered off the field with a gruesome injury against the Bears, and while he practiced yesterday and isn't in concussion protocol, even if he plays he won't be at 100%.
The other issue is that Divine Deablo, the other player athletic enough to keep the five-time All-Pro in check, is also banged up after injuring himself against in Week 6. And speaking of the Bears, seeing what Colston Loveland did to the Falcons on Sunday should fans things worried about this week.
Loveland had one game above 50 receiving yards this season, but in Caleb Williams' return to the lineup, he turned in his best performance of the season. The second-year man from Michigan caught six passes for 65 yards and his first touchdown of the year.
Let's go over how Atlanta has fared against tight ends on a weekly basis this year.
- Colston Loveland: 6-65-1
- Juwan Johnson: 6-59
- Pat Freiermuth: 5-46-1
- Darren Waller: 3-33-2
- Tucker Kraft: 4-26
- Mark Andrews: 4-28
They've given up four touchdowns to tight ends this season, and Purdy is bound to look to his safety valve to increase that number--especially with Deebo Samuel absent and Mike Evans' status up in the air. So the passing attack is basically going to have to rely on him in a favorable matchup against a shorthanded linebacker room.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has surpassed 65 receiving yards in four of six games this season, and every time he has, he's scored too. And having to place a rookie in coverage against a future Hall of Famer is not going to end the way we think it will.
The Falcons are not in a position to butcher this. Slowing down both Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle is basically an impossible task, but given the circumstances, the latter has a chance to do a lot of damage in Week 7. But slowing him down could help them shock the NFL world on Sunday.
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