Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Takeaways from Atlanta's 41-28 Loss to Tampa Bay
The Atlanta Falcons lost in embarrassing fashion to their NFC South division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 41-28.
But the final score is somewhat deceiving; the Falcons got 22 points in the final 16 minutes of the game to make the Buccaneer beatdown look less dominant. The Bucs held a 38-6 lead late in the game and controlled the contest from the very start.
The Falcons will return home on a short week to face another division rival in the New Orleans Saints, and they will hope to put forth a more competitive effort as they try and correct the plethora of problems and build off a handful of positives they showed against Tampa Bay.
Falcons' 2013 Season Hits Rock Bottom
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While the Buccaneers' season appears to be on the upswing with two consecutive wins, the Falcons' season is certainly on the downswing.
They have struggled mightily on both sides of the ball in four straight lopsided losses.
Losing to a team that was just winless two weeks ago in the manner they did on Sunday, it's hard to imagine things getting worse for the Falcons. Unfortunately, when it appears that the Falcons can't sink to new lows, they manage to find a way.
The primary goal for their upcoming matchup against the Saints won't necessarily be winning the game, but trying to avoid another blowout.
Mike Smith May Be Fighting for His Job
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The seat upon which Mike Smith places his rear has warmed up considerably with the poor performance of the 2-8 Falcons this season, but it may be reaching brand-new blazing temperatures after Sunday.
On the opposite sideline, Greg Schiano seems to be taking considerable steps to cool things down after the Bucs appeared to be in utter disarray a month ago. The situation has now been reversed, and Smith has to find a way to get this Falcons season back on track.
Even if it doesn't result in wins in upcoming weeks, he has to find a way to at least make this Falcon team more competitive and not have these embarrassing blowouts.
If not, it's going to be hard for owner Arthur Blank to justify keeping Smith at the end of the season, regardless of his past success in Atlanta.
The Falcons have gone from a team that was potentially a Super Bowl contender to arguably the worst team in the league, and somebody is going to have to take the fall for that. And it's likely going to be Smith if things don't change soon.
Matt Ryan Continues to Be Mired in Mediocrity
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One of the keys for the Falcons over a month ago when injuries sidelined top wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White was for Matt Ryan to elevate his play to keep the Falcons offense afloat.
Given the massive contract the Falcons awarded Matt Ryan this past summer, it only seemed a reasonable request that the Falcons could rely on their $100 million man to steady the ship.
And after a strong performance in Week 7 against the Buccaneers in the Falcons' last win, it seemed as though Ryan was right on course.
But since then, the offense has completely fallen apart.
Ryan has been prone to turnovers, and he had two more in today's contest. One of those was a pick-six, which just solidified the bad month Ryan has had.
If the Falcons are going to turn it around this year, they will need considerably better play from their signal-caller.
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Falcons Shuffle Around Their Offensive Line
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One of the things the Falcons tried on Sunday to get their season back on track was shuffling around their offensive line, which has been a major liability throughout the season.
Peter Konz moved to right guard, and Joe Hawley replaced him at center. But Konz was quickly pulled from the game after he gave up three early sacks to Gerald McCoy. Garrett Reynolds resumed his duties at right guard for the remainder of the game.
Whether or not the Falcons continue with the new offensive line on a short week remains to be seen. They have a vested interest in developing Konz, who was a second-round pick in 2012. But he's struggled through nine games at center, and his short stint at right guard only made him look worse.
Konz's play this season does not indicate that he is one of the five best blockers on the team. At this point, the only reason to keep him in the lineup is because of his high draft status rather than anything he's done on the field.
Konz's status as well as whether to make further changes to their starting offensive line are going to be interesting decisions for the Falcons this week.
The Falcons' Running Game Gets Back on Track
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A reason the Falcons might opt to go with their revamped offensive line that includes Joe Hawley manning the center position for another week is the success they had on the ground against the Buccaneers.
Only for the second time this season, the Falcons collectively eclipsed 100 yards on the ground. They recorded a season-high 152 yards rushing on 20 attempts.
Much of that success came late in the game when third-string tailback Antone Smith took two carries for 88 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown.
But Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers did find a bit of earlier success, rushing for a combined 63 yards on 17 carries. That stat line is far from significant by league standards, but relative to some of the past rushing performances the Falcons have put on film this year, it is a notable step forward.
Considering the problems the Falcons have had throwing the ball, if they can get more production from their running game, it could reap positive results for the rest of the season. If the new offensive line is better suited to opening up the necessary holes, it behooves the Falcons to keep it in upcoming games.
Pass Rush Continues to Be Inept
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Buccaneers rookie quarterback Mike Glennon completed a season-high 87 percent of his 23 pass attempts for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns thanks in large part to two big-play strikes to Vincent Jackson for 47 and 53 yards.
Glennon was able to find Jackson and other Bucs receivers throughout the game due to the time he was afforded in the pocket. Of course the Buccaneers' offensive line deserves credit for the solid protection that Glennon received, but part of the blame must rest on the Falcons' pass rush, or lack thereof.
The Falcons' pass rush has been lackluster throughout this season, and it continued to be so on Sunday even with a pair of sacks. One of the reasons the Falcons defense has struggled to get stops throughout this season is their inability to dial up consistent pressure.
Unless the Falcons and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan can find a way to create more pressure, it's doubtful the outcomes of upcoming games will be significantly different from recent ones.
Run Defense Struggles
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The Falcons allowed their seventh straight game of over 100 yards rushing by their opponent, as the Buccaneers gained 186 yards on 38 carries on Sunday.
Bobby Rainey, in his first career start, had an impressive debut. He burst for 163 yards on 30 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Rainey had a number of long runs, including a 43-yard score. His speed and quickness appeared too much for the Falcons defense to handle.
That, coupled with their poor pass defense, made for a totally bad defensive performance for the Falcons against the Bucs, a team that had been averaging just 16.2 points per game coming into Sunday.
The Falcons have to start putting the clamps on opposing running games if they are going to make things more competitive in the coming weeks. The Falcons defense needs to step up, because the offense can't be relied upon to score many points.
And that defensive improvement will start with the ability to contain opposing rushing attacks.
Worrilow Is Impressive in Debut at Middle Linebacker
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Despite the team's struggles against the run, one of the positives of the game was another impressive performance from linebacker Paul Worrilow. Worrilow followed up a pair of 19-tackle performances the past two weeks with 16 tackles against Tampa Bay.
He was moved into the starting lineup on Sunday at middle linebacker, supplanting Akeem Dent. Worrilow had spent the past several weeks playing weak-side linebacker as an injury replacement for Sean Weatherspoon, who made a successful return on Sunday with nine tackles.
Due to the Bucs' success rushing on the ground, it wasn't a perfect game for Worrilow, as many of the big runs by Rainey came right up the middle. But his performance was indicative of two things.
First, playing him at MLB is beneficial to the short-term success of the Falcons defense because Worrilow has clearly outplayed Dent this season. His insertion into the lineup despite the defensive struggles should improve the defense for the remainder of this year.
But second, it also indicates that the future is bright for Worrilow. While tackles are far from an end-all, be-all statistic for linebackers, in the case of Worrilow, it does reflect the positive traits he possesses.
He's an instinctual defender who has a nose for the ball, and that is something that the Falcons can build off long-term with him in the middle.
Changes in Secondary Could Be Forthcoming
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Due to the big lead the Bucs were able to build in the second half, the Falcons began to pull a number of starters in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Asante Samuel and free safety Thomas DeCoud got two of the quicker hooks. Neither player had a great game. Both got exposed on a pair of big catches downfield by Vincent Jackson.
That potentially raises questions on whether the Falcons will continue to shuffle their lineup and secondary down the road with either player being benched. While it's doubtful the Falcons would do so on the upcoming short week against the Saints, if either player struggles again, it becomes a possibility in future weeks.
Rookie cornerback Robert Alford has played well in the nickel role and could supplant Samuel on the outside. The Falcons could also get Robert McClain back into the mix in nickel situations after his early-season struggles.
Rookie safety Zeke Motta supplanted DeCoud and has made a couple of nice plays in limited action, particularly against the run. Whether Motta is ready to handle the coverage calls that are DeCoud's responsibility remains to be seen.
But in both veterans' cases, the Falcons might try to mix in their younger counterparts a bit more in the upcoming weeks to see if it results in better play on defense.
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