Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Full Report-Card Grades for Atlanta
Atlanta went up to Cincinnati on Sunday, and the Falcons got schooled by the Bengals on how to be a good NFL team. The Falcons didn't look like a team that was tough, explosive or anything. They looked like the 2013 Falcons all over again.
However, there are some bright spots for the Falcons. They did improve the running game, but stopping the run was a huge issue. The Falcons need to make some big changes before the game on Thursday both schematically and in their personnel packages for them to have a shot at beating the Buccaneers.
Quarterbacks
1 of 10
The last time Matt Ryan looked as bad as he did versus the Bengals was when the Falcons played the Cardinals in Arizona last year. He always has one early-season game that makes him look like a middling-level quarterback in the NFL.
This week just happened to be that game. He barely broke 60 yards in the first half. His second half is the only reason why he broke 230 yards on the game, and he did perform better with just one interception in the second half and the lone touchdown he threw.
Even when Ryan looked awful, the Falcons could still move the ball reasonably well after they found their groove in the second half. It was just too little, too late, and the Falcons quarterback gets the worst grade he'll likely receive all year.
Grade: D
Running Backs
2 of 10
The lone bright spot on offense came out of the backfield. Atlanta has seemingly found a solid running game in the form of Jacquizz Rodgers and Steven Jackson. Matt Ryan even got in on the act with his legs, gaining 28 yards on scrambles.
The backs even helped out through the air, as Devonta Freeman, Antone Smith and Jackson combined for five catches and 48 yards. Atlanta didn't get any big plays, but it did move the chains and get yards in chunks when the running backs touched it.
The tailbacks never made it into the end zone, but they did provide some well-needed production on an offense that didn't have much of it. The running backs could be a strength for the Falcons offense this year for the first time since the 2011 season.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Julio Jones should have had a much better game than he did versus a banged-up Bengals secondary. However, he still wasn't terrible with his seven catches for 88 yards and the lone Falcons touchdown of the game. He didn't come back to the ball like he used to, and that caused some incompletions on crucial third downs.
Roddy White and Harry Douglas both had solid days with a couple of catches for around 40 yards apiece. They both dropped crucial third-down passes at times that would have extended drives. Douglas also had a horrible miscommunication with Matt Ryan that led to Ryan's second interception.
Levine Toilolo had a solid day as a blocker but was a liability as a receiver. His two catches were for minimal yardage, but a tipped ball on his second target of the day was Ryan's first interception. Devin Hester was noticeably absent in the offense.
Grade: C
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Offensive Linemen
4 of 10
The pass blocking was mediocre against the Bengals. Lamar Holmes struggled against Carlos Dunlap without the normal help that he sees as a right tackle in the Falcons offense. Gabe Carimi held up decently well, but Matt Ryan saw way too much pressure throughout the day.
One play that did make fans feel good about the offensive line was when Ryan took a late hit from Dunlap and Holmes, and Joe Hawley came up and basically lit Dunlap up for doing so. Atlanta might have a bit of a nasty streak on the offensive line again.
That nasty streak has been showing up in the running game already. The line has been able to create holes for the running backs to sneak through. Atlanta is averaging better than four yards on designed runs this season, and that's a huge improvement from 2013.
Grade: C
Defensive Linemen and Edge Players
5 of 10
Pressure on Andy Dalton was non-existent. And it wasn't just a horrible pass rush; the Falcons only hit Dalton one time all game. Atlanta needs to figure out that it's not just a lack of talent and experience that's hurting the pass rush—it's a schematic thing.
How do the Falcons expect to get any pressure when they continually only rush three defensive tackles every play? How do the Falcons expect to get any pressure playing Jonathan Babineaux at defensive end in a four-man alignment?
This isn't even helping the run defense. Whenever the Bengals needed yardage, they got it. They may have only averaged 3.8 yards per rush, but they did that almost every run. It's never a good day when your defense allows 170 yards on the ground.
Grade: F
Linebackers
6 of 10
Paul Worrilow is a tackling machine. He rarely misses tackles and has shown a ton of improvement against the run this year. Against the pass is a different story. He needs to improve his timing during blitzes, and his coverage in zones has improved but still isn't there yet.
Joplo Bartu has improved, but he was out of position quite a bit. He did wind up with nine tackles including some good stops at the line. But coverage was irrelevant for him, as he was rarely targeted. When he was, it was normally a huge gain for a running back.
Prince Shembo looked solid throughout the game. He's looking much better as an inside linebacker than he projected as an outside linebacker. He was stuffed on the few times he blitzed, but he did look good in coverage and even snuffed out a couple of screens.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Desmond Trufant looked good throughout the game outside of the one deep throw to Brandon Tate that he allowed. It was a trick play, and Mohamed Sanu threw the ball perfectly to beat both Trufant and Dwight Lowery. After that play, Trufant didn't allow another pass by him.
On the flip side, Lowery, Robert Alford and William Moore were abused by the short-area speed of the Bengals' slot receivers and tailbacks. Atlanta allowed too many yards through the air due to poor secondary play that allowed too many big plays.
Atlanta has a goal to stop explosive plays, but it can't figure out how to actually game-plan or execute the game plan to stop it. Running the bland and vanilla coverage schemes is only going to force the Falcons to try and out-talent teams. That's not something they can do with Lowery as a starter.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Devin Hester had some solid returns versus the Bengals but was unable to break one for a touchdown. The only negative thing that Hester did was continually let the Bengals down the ball inside the Falcons' 10-yard line on punts instead of fair catching it around the 10-15.
Matt Bryant kicked his two attempts on the game through easily. His field goal was right down the middle, and the lone extra point is always a chip shot for him. Bryant is one of the best kickers in the NFL, and the Falcons need to make sure they give him as many opportunities as possible.
Matt Bosher punted too often in the game. However, that's not his fault. When he did punt, he regularly booted it hard and deep. He did end up knocking two inside the 20-yard line and averaging more than 44 yards per punt to give the Bengals poor field position all game. His kickoffs were regularly in the end zone too.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
If there was ever a game that makes Atlanta Falcons fans want to see Mike Smith fired, it would be this one. He had horrible game management with a punt late in the fourth quarter, and he was unable to get good halftime adjustments to end up having a shot to win the game.
Mike Nolan had a terrible game plan on defense that was playing way too much nickel. Atlanta needs to establish a base defense and not this weird three-defensive tackle, one edge player, two linebackers alignment in the nickel sets.
Dirk Koetter called a decent game, but the protection designs were a total failure. The Falcons might catch a break in their next game, but against the Bengals, there was too much heat on Matt Ryan. It led to a horrible day all around.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| Quarterbacks | D |
| Running Backs | B |
| Wide Receivers and Tight Ends | C |
| Offensive Linemen | C |
| Defensive Linemen | F |
| Edge Players | F |
| Linebackers | C |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | F |
| Cumulative Grade | D |
Atlanta didn't lead in the game at any point. The Falcons also didn't have any turnovers or any real shot at ending up in the lead. They had a game that should have never happened versus the Bengals. They looked unprepared, untalented and irrelevant.
It's time for some big changes to be made between this game and Thursday's versus the Buccaneers. Hopefully, this was just a product of playing against a team that has the potential to win the Super Bowl this season if the Bengals can play like they did versus the Falcons.
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro-day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.
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