Falcons Must Game-Plan O-Line Help for Matt Ryan to Be Successful

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan started this season on fire and was playing as well as anyone in the NFL at his position.

However, the signal-caller's level of play quickly tapered as injuries along the offensive line put a damper on a once-promising outset.

Ryan and Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter were forced to adjust the team's scheme Sunday against the New York Giants to overcompensate for three starters being out of the lineup due to different maladies.

Despite the patchwork line, Ryan still threw for 316 yards and the offense accumulated 397 total yards. Falcons head coach Mike Smith said during his press conference Monday that he wasn't disappointed with the reworked front line:

"

Well, in terms of the offensive line I thought that they did a good job. In terms of the sacks, we only gave up one sack, albeit it was at a crucial time in the football game. We had too many pressures. I thought we were a little bit edgy, but for the group to come together in such a short time, I thought Coach [Mike] Tice and his guys did a very good job. I think we can be better, and we will be better moving forward.

"

As Smith correctly pointed out, the Falcons' offensive line "did a good job" based on lowered expectations.

It unfair to ask the same things of Gabe Carimi, Peter Konz and Harland Gunn as those players groomed as starters throughout preseason and the first few games of the regular season.

The Falcons didn't have any other options after center Joe Hawley and right tackle Lamar Holmes were lost for the season due to knee and foot injuries, while left guard Justin Blalock missed the Giants contest with a sore back. 

The unit received plenty of help from the Koetter's play-calling.

During the first half, the offensive coordinator varied formations and made sure to call plays which got the ball out of Ryan's hand quickly. The offensive line didn't have to hold its blocks as long because the Giants were unable to initially adjust.

The Falcons accumulated just over 50 percent of their total yards and 13 of their 20 points through the first two quarters of the game.

Personnel Groupings	First Half	Second Half
One RB, one TE	7	16
One RB, two TEs	4	3
Two RBs, one TE	3	0
One RB, no TE	8	4
No RB, one TE	1	2
No back	1	0

The Giants made adjustments at halftime, though. Tom Coughlin's squad became far more aggressive along the defensive line and utilized multiple blitz packages to take advantage of the Falcons' rickety offensive line.

Koetter countered with creative play-calling and various pass protections. Some proved to be effective. Others didn't.

Below is an example of the Falcons sacrificing targets in the passing game to keep Ryan upright:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The Falcons lined up in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). Both tight ends lined up to the short side of the field, while the running back chipped on the defensive end across from left tackle Jake Matthews. It was maximum protection for a two-man route to the wide side of the field.

Ryan found wide receiver Julio Jones open between the cornerback and safety for a 22-yard gain. It was the quarterback's second-longest completion of the afternoon—the longest being a 74-yard dump-off to running back Antone Smith—and was set up by the blocking scheme. 

As SI.com's Doug Farrar noted, Ryan's overall ability to threaten opposing defenses has been minimized in recent weeks:

Koetter even included the wide receivers to help the offensive line:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

As seen above, Devin Hester lined up in the slot with a nasty split—closer than a traditional split from the end of the line of scrimmage. Prior to running his route, the veteran wide receiver provided the right tackle with help by chipping on the defensive end before he ran to the flat area for a 10-yard reception.

Like all good things, however, Koetter's ability to keep extra blockers on the field came to an end as the game wore on.

Instead of continually allowing the running backs or tight ends to chip on the team's edge-rushers, the Giants started to bring pressure up the middle and put stress on the two new starters at center and left guard.

New York pressured Ryan throughout the contest. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the Giants manufactured 13 quarterback hurries and hit Ryan seven more times. But the defense had trouble actually bringing the Falcons quarterback down for a sack until late in the fourth quarter as Atlanta trailed 27-20:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Only one running back was kept in to help the offensive line, and Smith chipped on the defensive end opposite Carimi.

The rest of the offensive linemen were left one-on-one, except Konz at center, to deal with their assignments. Left guard Harland Gunn was cleanly beaten off the snap by Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and Ryan collapsed under the oncoming rush.

Since it was 4th-and-1 on the Falcons' 29-yard line, the game was essentially over due to Atlanta's inability to properly block the Giants' defensive front.

Nevertheless, ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure reported that the team and its quarterback wouldn't place the blame on the offensive line:

At this point, the Falcons simply have to make the best out of a bad situation. No team can effectively plan to replace five starting offensive linemen at any point during the season.

That's exactly what the Falcons have done with Hawley, Holmes and Sam Baker on injured reserve, Matthews moving from left tackle to right tackle and Blalock snapping his 102-game streak on Sunday.

Blalock should provide a boost this week, though, since McClure indicates he's ready to return to the practice field.

Otherwise, the Falcons must continue to do what they did against the Giants early in the game and not stray from it. Only by establishing the run, providing extra help in blocking schemes and getting the ball out of Ryan's hand quickly will a porous offensive line prove effective.

With those adjustments, Ryan can return to producing like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

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