4 Atlanta Falcons that let their team down in ugly road loss

Sep 17, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith reacts on the sideline
Sep 17, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith reacts on the sideline | Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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4. Every Atlanta Falcons pass rusher not named Grady Jarrett

This sentiment can be applied to almost every Atlanta Falcons game from the last three seasons. The Atlanta defense is a consistent pass rush away from being an elite unit. Watching the game this team has a very good defense but one that struggles to win rushing the passer despite their size and nice depth at pass rusher.

It seems so often that Jarrett is double-teamed while the rest of the pass rushers are kept away from the quarterback for an eternity. Goff, Jordan Love, and Bryce Young all had a very clean pocket for large portions of their games against Atlanta.

Both Goff and Love put together consecutive scoring drives to take a double-digit lead due to the clean pocket and time to wait for their receivers to come open. Early in this game Ryan Nielsen dialed up blitzes to help create a pass rush but seemed to settle into rushing four and allowing Goff time the rest of the way.

The Atlanta defense is greatly improved but the lack of a pass rush continues to be the biggest issue for that side of the ball. One could argue that a simple and obvious adjustment is starting Arnold Ebiketie in week four and bringing more consistent blitzes against Trevor Lawrence.

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