The Atlanta Falcons bounced back in a major way after getting a massive win on the road in Philadelphia. Here’s the first post-victory Good, Bad, and Ugly.
Good
Offense
It was a complete turnaround for both Kirk Cousins and Zac Robinson Monday night. The young coordinator learned his lesson from Week 1 and didn’t waste any time utilizing under-center formations and play action concepts. The rushing attack feasted against light boxes all night, averaging nearly 6.5 yards per carry. Most impressive was the final drive of the night, where Atlanta drove the ball 75 yards down the field in 40 seconds, capping off one of the most improbable comebacks in league history.
5-Man Fronts
Every year, we get sold on the latest and greatest defensive packages–fans are still looking for those fabled three-safety sets, but through two games, the Falcons have finally delivered a product that has fans gushing. 5-man fronts have been all the rage since Raheem Morris and Jimmy Lake were brought in, and we’re seeing why. The Falcons still aren’t generating a pass rush consistently, but they’re getting good returns when deploying their 5-man fronts, which is why they went to it on the game’s final play. Atlanta can get its best athletes and rushers on the line together, and while they still need to be able to attack the quarterback out of the base, being able to turn to these fronts in key moments is huge for Atlanta. Hopefully, that can continue.
Bad
Troy Andersen
It was a rough outing for the third-year linebacker. In his ninth start as a pro, Troy Andersen was the man in the middle against a very good Eagles rushing attack. The young Montanan still had positive moments, but the bad far outweighed the good. Andersen needs to clean up his run-fits, trust his eyes, and improve at taking on blockers. That being said, his game wasn’t half as bad as it’s being made out to be, and we’ll discuss that later.
Ray-Ray McCloud
In the words of modern poet Stephen A. Smith, that’s a baaaaad man. Do you know what kind of a psychopath you have to be to show up wearing the jersey of another team’s legend? The same kind that will punch C.J. Gardner-Johnson right in the face for thinking he can punk them by trying to pull on their mouthpiece, and the type that will come up clutch on fourth down in a gotta-have-it scenario. Yeah, Ray-Ray McCloud was bad, alright. Now, let’s hope he can keep it up.
Ugly
Run Defense
The run defense was bad across the board. The idea that a single inside linebacker was responsible for everything is ill-informed. While Kaden Elliss did a fantastic job as a pass rusher, he struggled just as much as Andersen when playing inside. Neither stacks up to Nate Landman regarding instincts and run defense. The inside linebackers wanted nothing to do with the heaviest offensive line in the league, and when you’re constantly getting reached, you’re going to have a bad time. The defensive line was sloppy at maintaining gap discipline and did a poor job of penetrating and disrupting blocking assignments (minus James Smith-Willams. Everyone had trouble bringing down Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley (which is a common theme when playing the two). This will be one of the better rushing attacks the Falcons see all year, so there’s no shame in taking lumps from a talented group. Atlanta must learn from this, and hopefully, Landman will be ready in three weeks.
Monday Night Football Broadcast
I mean, what the hell was that all about? Why am I being forced to hear Joe Buck gush over Jason Kelce doing something as simple as tying his shoes? It was abundantly clear that ESPN wanted to treat Monday night like a homecoming game for the Eagles, allowing Kelce to (inaccurately) do some of the worst play-by-play you’ll ever hear in between his ramblings. Now, these shenanigans did make the win that much sweeter when the camera finally cut to a slack-jawed combo of Aikman and Buck, who admitted he had never experienced an ending like that before. Sure, Matt Ryan was on the Manning Cast, but viewership there has been weak, and we know most of America was watching the Eagles love fest on the main broadcast. The NFL did the game and product a disservice by trying to appeal to their marketing and ad buddies.
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