New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: Full Report Card Grades for Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons took on the New Orleans Saints and beat them in spectacular fashion in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Matt Bryant's field goals were the highlight of the day, but the Falcons looked great overall on a day that they weren't expected by most analysts to even compete.
The game was close the same way the Falcons and Saints games almost always are. Atlanta's offense was nearly flawless in a lot of ways, but the defense needs some work. Each unit showed strengths in some ways and weaknesses in others.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Matt Ryan had the best day he's ever had in the NFL. He attacked the Saints at all of their different levels. He especially liked attacking the deep areas of the Saints defense that he hadn't been able to attack in previous years because of a lack of protection—protection that he now has.
Ryan also showed excellent pocket presence and that pesky scrambling style that helped him gain some positive yardage on the ground, including two first-down runs at crucial moments. His improvement in a muddled pocket was likely a product of 2013 forcing him to see it every game.
Ryan's final stat line was the best of his career. His 31-for-43 (72.1 percent) for 448 yards and three touchdowns was amazing. Even more amazing was the fact that he didn't throw any interceptions or have any fumbles. Ryan should be a FedEx Air Player of the Week nominee at a minimum.
Grade: A+
Running Backs
2 of 10
The Falcons running backs averaged 4.9 yards per carry on a day when they needed to provide a reliable running game. They gave the Falcons just enough balance to keep the offense effective, efficient and keep the chains moving.
The real value of the Falcons running backs came in their blitz pickups. Rob Ryan would try to throw multiple looks at the Falcons offensive line to test their pass protections, but with multiple rub, chip and straight blocking schemes, the Falcons running backs helped slow down the talented Saints blitzes.
Adding to their value, the Falcons running backs combined for five catches, 73 yards and a touchdown. Antone Smith had his amazing long touchdown catch to spark the Falcons' momentum surge while Devonta Freeman was clutch as a receiver, gaining 15 yards on a 3rd-and-13 near the goalline.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Atlanta had four different receivers catch five or more passes and gain 69 or more yards. Add in two touchdowns, multiple third-down conversions and Matt Ryan looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the past 40 years, and the Falcons receivers did more than their jobs today.
Roddy White was the old reliable mid-to-deep option. Julio Jones looked like the foot injury from 2013 never even happened. Devin Hester looked like he was a legitimate third target in the offense, and Harry Douglas was that reliable chain-mover, similar to what Tony Gonzalez was in 2009-2013 for the Falcons.
The only real negative was the fumble by Julio Jones after his long catch in the first half near the goalline. Had he not fumbled, the Falcons would have been able to keep the game close right from the beginning instead of having to fight back from a deficit early.
Grade: B+
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Linemen
4 of 10
Matt Ryan was sacked just once all game. He was hit just two other times, including once on a blitz up the middle where it was seven versus six and Curtis Lofton hit Ryan right after he released the ball. Lamar Holmes, Joe Hawley, Jon Asamoah and Justin Blalock didn't allow a hit or a sack between the four of them.
The Falcons also averaged 4.9 yards per carry on the ground. Even more than that, the Falcons running backs were never stopped for a loss in the backfield. Gaining one or two yards on a carry is much better than losing three, and the offense kept moving because of the newfound rushing ability.
It's tough to grade an offensive line unit without advanced statistics, but the Falcons offensive line had a great day against one of the best pass-rushing groups they'll see all year. Add in run success for the first time since 2010, and this could be the best Falcons line in years.
Grade: A
Defensive Linemen and Edge Players
5 of 10
Atlanta was unable to get to Drew Brees regularly because the pass rushing from Osi Umenyiora and Kroy Biermann couldn't bend around the edge effectively. There also wasn't much pass-rush ability coming inside as the Falcons couldn't collapse the pocket from the interior.
There are methods to fix this, but it would hurt the run defense that improved as the day went on. Paul Soliai and Jonathan Babineaux did well on the interior, but the Falcons need to get Ra'Shede Hageman up to speed as both a pass-rusher and run defender due to Tyson Jackson's mediocrity.
On the edge, Jonathan Massaquoi and Stansly Maponga looked much quicker than Umenyiora and Biermann. They also had some solid coverage abilities, including jamming Jimmy Graham at the line on a couple of plays to negate him.
Grade: C
Linebackers
6 of 10
Joplo Bartu and Paul Worrilow are the only linebackers who looked to have even played in Sunday's game. Atlanta got great production from both players as they were able to combine for 25 tackles. More importantly, they didn't miss many tackles, if any.
The weaknesses that both Bartu and Worrilow have are always highlighted versus Jimmy Graham and the quick running backs New Orleans has. They have a tough time getting extended sideline-to-sideline, but it's normally only in coverage.
As a coaching issue, it was disheartening to see just one A-gap blitz with Worrilow in the game. He's got great abilities as a blitzer, and they don't give him a shot to utilize them against a guy like Brees. If the Falcons can start blitzing more, Worrilow and Bartu have infinitely more value.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford combined for three pass breakups and multiple other excellent coverages. Robert McClain also knocked away a pass, but he also intercepted one and had some key tackles in the running game.
The corners did a great job minimizing the damage created by Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston to 187 yards—most of that gained from matchup zones and not true man-to-man coverages. They also limited Jimmy Graham to a total of 82 yards on eight catches and kept him out of the end zone.
It wasn't just the corners who did a great job; the safeties also performed extremely well. Dwight Lowery had 11 tackles, but William Moore had a forced fumble in a crucial moment that sealed the game for the Falcons in overtime. That alone would have been worth the B grade.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Matt Bryant was perfect throughout the day. Sure, hitting four-of-four on extra points is no big deal since those aren't even 20-yard field goals. Hitting all three of the field goals he attempted—including the pair of 50-yard field goals—was the reason why the Falcons won.
Matt Bosher helping the Falcons control field position if their drives were stopped with a 50-plus yard average on his punts doesn't hurt either. Bosher also had great kickoffs through the back of the end zone, allowing only one to get returned.
As a returner, Devin Hester didn't do anything spectacular, as he didn't have many opportunities. The Falcons will hope to get a higher quantity of returns throughout the season. The coverage units looked good though and held the Saints to an average starting field position near their own 20-yard line.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Mike Smith and his coordinators Mike Nolan and Dirk Koetter had some mediocre game plans early on. However, when the Falcons came out after halftime, they looked 10 times better than they did in the first half. Adding Bryan Cox and Mike Tice helped out a ton too.
The quick turnaround at halftime says that the Falcons learned how to make halftime adjustments for schemes related to the day. The only way this grade could have been better is if the defense would have had some semblance of a pass rush during the game.
Blitzing linebackers would have been a good start, but the personnel packages would have to match. The Falcons have a ton of talent on the roster that it needs to rotate more. By keeping their defensive line fresh, they could have an even better interior rush.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| Quarterback | A+ |
| Running Backs | A |
| Wide Receivers and Tight Ends | B+ |
| Offensive Linemen | A |
| Defensive Linemen and Edge Players | C |
| Linebackers | C |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
The Falcons look like a real team on offense. They've got all the pieces already clicking like a well-oiled machine. The defense, on the other hand, still has some work to do. Atlanta does have more of an attitude on the lines that was missing in 2013.
The team does have the same look it had in 2012, too. Atlanta may not be a championship-caliber team, but they have a balanced, attacking offense. They also have a defense that seems to be opportunistic with a little bit of luck. Sometimes, that's all you need.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
