Atlanta Falcons rank among league's best in surprising category

After the struggles protecting Kirk Cousins in Week 1 the Atlanta Falcons ranking among the league's best pass protection units is surprising. This is especially the case when you look at the defensive line the Falcons have faced through the first six weeks of the season. However, the Falcons find themselves among the league's best when it comes to protecting their quarterbacks.

Of teams who haven't made quarterback changes only Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Josh Allen have been sacked less. All four quarterbacks have great offensive lines as well and more mobility than the limited Cousins. This speaks to how often Atlanta is winning in the trenches and the potential of the Atlanta offense.

Atlanta's offense has the ability to force the team into a surprising playoff run

The Atlanta Falcons are able to win games thanks to the heroics of Kirk Cousins and Younghoe Koo. However, what cannot be lost in that is the job Atlanta's offensive line has done despite dealing with injuries at center and right tackle. While the right tackle spot is easily Atlanta's weakest, McGary has shown improvement and Storm Norton was reliable in relief.

Drew Dalman will return at some point this season making the unit even stronger. This was the expectation for Atlanta's highly paid offensive line but the results have still been better than expected. Only allowing ten sacks thus far with Cousins' clear limitations and tendency to hold the ball until the last possible second make the start all the more impressive.

The only quarterback ranking ahead of Cousins who doesn't have impressive scrambling ability is Jared Goff. Speaking to the talent of the Lions' offensive line and the job Goff has done using his limited mobility. A common thread among the most protected quarterbacks are playoff expectations and offensive units expected to carry them there. That is where Atlanta finds themselves heading into Week 7.