Matthew Bergeron was the Falcons best lineman in NFL debut

Following the selection of Bijan Robinson in April, the Atlanta Falcons decided to be aggressive in pursuing some more offensive line help. They traded up to land Matthew Bergeron and early indications are that they made the perfect decision.

In his NFL debut, Bergeron was the best offensive lineman on the Falcons, which says a lot considering this is one of the better lines in the NFL over the past year.

Matthew Bergeron is a star in the making for the Atlanta Falcons

You would be forgiven if you spaced on Matthew Bergeron's name during Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers. In fact, not hearing his name is a good sign for the Atlanta Falcons as the rookie left guard played a fantastic game

Matt Bergeron was stellar in his debut with the Atlanta Falcons. Playing on a line that includes the best offensive guard in the NFL in Chris Lindstrom, one of the most consistent players in the NFL in Jake Matthews, and a 2022 breakout player in Kaleb McGary, Bergeron was the star of the offensive line.

The rookie left guard was fantastic as a pass blocker. He routinely anchored whoever the Panthers threw his way on passing plays. To say it was impressive would be a massive understatement.

He also had some impressive plays on the move. One in particular was when the Falcons ran a play-action fake which included Bergeron pulling to kick out the edge rusher on the right side and Bergeron did his job with ease. It was not an easy block, yet he made it look so easy.

The one area that he could improve in is as a run blocker. He had a few plays where he struggled to keep his balance and strength on his man. It often resulted in his getting shoved away or ending up on the turf.

However, he had more good plays as a run blocker than bad. One thing that I was impressed with was his ability to create lanes no matter what situation he was in. Bergeron was able to adapt to any situation during any play which is not something you would expect from a rookie offensive lineman.

The future is simply bright for Matthew Bergeron and his NFL debut proved that. He is a rising star for the Falcons and it looks like the Falcons have their starting five locked down for years to come.