How the Falcons Can Get Even Better, Put Early Chokehold on NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons are tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South standings after three games, yet there is plenty of room for improvement within the Falcons roster.

Three particular positions need to play better for the Falcons to pull away from the Panthers as the top team in the division.

Tight end, right tackle and the team's pass rush continue to be problem areas for the Falcons. 

The Falcons offense is already dynamic with quarterback Matt Ryan and his slew of wide receivers. The unit could be downright dangerous, though, if second-year tight end Levine Toilolo can live up to his massive potential.

Instead, it's been a comedy of errors for Toilolo through three games, culminating with a reception and fumble against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.

Toilolo will never live up to the standards set by future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, but it's not too much to ask the young target to play to his stature.

At 6'8" and 265 pounds, Toilolo doesn't need to be the same athlete or nuanced route-runner as Gonzalez. He simply needs to use his size as an advantage as a legitimate target for Ryan on critical downs and in red-zone situations.

Toilolo doesn't haven't to play at an All-Pro level. The tight end simply needs to be a bigger part of the offense than he has been during the first three games of the season.

Player	Year	Targets Per Game	Yards Per Game
Tony Gonzalez	2009	8.4	54.2
	2010	6.9	41.0
	2011	7.3	54.7
	2012	7.8	58.1
	2013	7.4	53.7
Levine Toilolo	2014	3.7	19.0

One area where Toilolo is expected to be better than Gonzalez is run-blocking. Toilolo came out of a run-first offense at Stanford, and his size gives him a natural advantage as an in-line blocker.

However, the Stanford product has a minus-4.4 run blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Only two tight ends, New England's Michael Hoomanawanui and Jacksonville's Mickey Shuler, are currently graded worse.

If the Falcons can use Toilolo as more of a weapon in the passing game, he will create more space for the team's talented wide receivers. His run-blocking could also improve once defenders can't key on certain tendencies.

The Falcons' coaching staff also needs to commit to a starting right tackle.

Both Lamar Holmes and Gabe Carimi received repetitions on the strong side against the Buccaneers. Neither is an ideal starter since both were slated to provide depth this year until Sam Baker's season-ending surgery. 

This is hand the Falcons were dealt, though, and choosing between the two comes down to two factors. 

First, which of the two is a slightly better option?

Holmes received most of the reps at right tackle through the first three games, but the Southern Mississippi product was particularly putrid when matched up against Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap is one of the better defensive ends in the NFL, but Holmes couldn't even hold his own against him.

Holmes improved against the Buccaneers as a pass-blocker, but his run-blocking still wasn't up to snuff.

The right tackle might have only given up one quarterback hurry, but he received a minus-3.6 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. 

Meanwhile, Carimi played well at left tackle during Jake Matthews' absence but played poorly against the Buccaneers.

The second factor is building chemistry among the big boys up front. Continuity at the right tackle position will only help the rest of the offensive line. It's trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and the coaching staff's indecision as to which former backup should start only magnifies the problem.

A decision needs to be made. Whoever is officially named the starter can then settle into the position and allow the entire unit to gel.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons are one of the NFL's worst teams at applying pressure on the quarterback. Atlanta didn't get its first sack of the season until the 5:49 mark in the second quarter of the third game.

The primary issue for the Falcons is a lack of talent among their pass-rushers, who weren't acquired to play in defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's 3-4 scheme.

Veteran Kroy Biermann continues to struggle with the transition to outside linebacker.

Biermann is graded as the worst defender on the Falcons. The next worst? Fellow outside linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi. Osi Umenyiora isn't much better, but the veteran may be saved by the fact that he's only used as a part-time player.

These three have combined for one sack and 10 quarterback hurries. Their performance hasn't been good enough, and it comes down to the wrong system fit.

The solution may be for the Falcons to consider cutting playing time for the veterans to play a younger edge-rusher like Stansly Maponga. The Texas Christian product has the quickest first step of any defensive lineman on the roster, but he's seen fewer than half the snaps of any other pass-rusher on the team.

If the coaching staff isn't comfortable messing with its current defensive rotation, then Nolan will need to be far more creative to manufacture pressure against opposing quarterbacks.

After all, the Falcons have an opportunity Sunday to confuse first-time starter Teddy Bridgewater when the team travels to Minnesota. It's the perfect chance to rattle a rookie and inject some life into a listless pass rush.

This weekend's game is also important for the Falcons on another level.

Atlanta is 2-0 at the Georgia Dome but lost handily to the Bengals in Cincinnati. It's a chance to show that the Falcons offense can travel well against a solid Mike Zimmer defense.

After a 4-12 campaign in 2013, the Falcons need to prove themselves all over again. The team which took the field against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship Game earlier in 2013 is not the same one on the field today.

There are still issues with Atlanta's roster, but those can be addressed as the Falcons attempt to reclaim the NFC South.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.