QB Matt Ryan Needs Help If Atlanta Falcons Plan to Improve This Season

The Atlanta Falcons are 6-16 over the past 22 games, and the team is getting progressively worse—particularly on the offensive side of the football.

After a 27-13 home loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Falcons head coach Mike Smith felt prompted to say, "Our young players, our old players have all contributed to this, and we have to get it fixed, and nothing is off the table in regards to what we have to do to be better."

The biggest changes Smith and his staff can make at this point in the season require a shift in offensive philosophy and potential shakeups in personnel.

Each move must be made with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in mind.

Ryan was playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL at the start of the season. However, the signal-caller has been under constant barrage in recent weeks. Only by changing what the team does on offense can Ryan regain the confidence seen at the onset of the season.

The most concerning aspect of the Falcons' fumbling offense is how it performed against some of the NFL's worst defenses.

Only the Minnesota Vikings are currently ranked in the top of the league in yards surrendered per game. The Falcons' other five opponents are located in the bottom half of the league.

Opponent	Points	Total Yards	Rushing Yards	Passing Yards
Saints	37	568	123	445
Bengals	10	309	97	212
Buccaneers	56	488	144	344
Vikings	28	411	123	288
Giants	20	397	90	307
Bears	13	287	42	245

The discrepancy in the performances displays a deficiency in talent that the Falcons must overcome each and every week.

Atlanta's offensive line is currently the team's biggest problem area.

Despite the return of left guard Justin Blalock after missing the previous week, the unit still couldn't adequately protect its franchise quarterback.

Team	Sacks	QB hits	QB hurries
Saints	1	0	12
Bengals	0	6	9
Buccaneers	1	1	3
Vikings	0	2	12
Giants	1	6	10
Bears	4	4	9

As the stats above show, Ryan was harassed at least 14 times in each of the team's losses. The offensive line provided better protection during the team's two wins.

The problems start at offensive tackle.

After Sam Baker was lost due to a season-ending knee injury, rookie Jake Matthews was inserted at left tackle. The Texas A&M product was considered the most polished offensive line prospect in this year's NFL draft, which led to him becoming the sixth overall pick by the Falcons.

However, being college football's most polished pass protector doesn't automatically equate to instant NFL success, nor does it prepare him for playing against veterans like the Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul and the Bears' Jared Allen.

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Matthews' inexperience showed against two of the league's best pass-rushers.

After a strong start to his rookie campaign, Matthews has been exploited in the past two weeks. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the neophyte blindside protector was abused by the aforementioned edge-rushers.

Matthews' worst pass-blocking grade so far came against Allen. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end was able to regularly exploit Matthews' lack of lower-body strength and bull-rush his way to Ryan.

The Falcons staff should have anticipated Allen taking advantage of a young player and planned accordingly. They didn't.

A week earlier, the Falcons used creative blocking schemes to keep some pressure off Ryan. The play-calling of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter needs to be more conservative since Matthews isn't the team's only problem along the offensive line.

At right tackle, veteran Gabe Carimi hasn't fared much better than Matthews while filling in for the injured Lamar Holmes. Carimi's best position may be guard, but he's been forced to start at tackle due to multiple injuries. 

Bears defensive end Willie Young gave Carimi a hard time throughout Sunday's contest, and the defender finished with a pair of sacks.

Since the Falcons are already depleted up front, a different offensive approach needs to be taken.

Despite averaging 4.3 yards per carry, the Falcons have thrown the ball 62 percent of the time this season.

Ryan said after Sunday's game that the team's decision to pass the ball more is due to situation:

"

When you get in third and long situations it’s tough to run the ball. Also, in some of the situations we put ourselves behind schedule in first and second down penalties and mistakes put us in some tough down and distant situations where when you’re first and 30 you are going to have to throw it three times to try and pick it up. We can’t keep putting ourselves behind the sticks.

"

The quarterback's version of events is slightly misleading. The Falcons abandoned the run on first down once the second quarter started and before they trailed by a large margin.

During the opening frame, the Falcons ran the ball four times on first down. Koetter called a running play on first down only four more times in the following 20 chances. When the Falcons received the ball in the second quarter, the score was tied 3-3.

Being behind wasn't an issue.

The best way to keep any quarterback upright is by running the ball effectively throughout the game and capitalizing on play-action passes. It slows the pass rush and creates more space in the secondary for a quarterback to take advantage of.

In an attempt to put the best players on the field and adjust personnel, third-string running back Antone Smith deserves more touches.

Smith's contributions have been highly impressive, as Sports Talk 790's Lance Zierlein noted:

Outside of Julio Jones, Smith continually proves he's the most explosive player on the field for the Falcons. For a team that desperately needs its athletes to step up and make more plays, an increased workload for Smith is only logical.

An improved running game will also take some of the pressure off the Falcons' receiving targets.

Ryan has been let down by what was generally considered an elite receiving corps. Jones has continued to produce, but Sporting Charts indicates Roddy White has already dropped four passes this season.

The Falcons quarterback remained upbeat after the game despite the drops:

"

Those kinds of things happen. It’s tough when those things happen multiple times in one game. I’ve made plenty of poor throws myself. You have got to shake those off and move past them. You have to go back out there and make the play next time it presents itself.

"

With Harry Douglas injured and Devin Hester's inconsistency, Ryan isn't blessed with the plethora of weapons originally envisioned at the start of the season.

Another major sore spot for the Falcons offense is the tight end position. Levine Toilolo's performance has been as disappointing as that of any single player on the roster.

The 6'8", 265-pound tight end should be a constant mismatch for the Falcons. However, Toilolo only has 11 receptions and a couple of glaring drops this season.

Forget about trying to replace Tony Gonzalez. Toilolo simply isn't a reliable receiver or blocker. Of the 58 tight ends graded by Pro Football Focus, Toilolo received the website's worst grade (subscription required) through six contests.

To his credit, Toilolo understands and takes full blame for his poor play.

It's time for backup tight end Bear Pascoe to become a bigger part of the offense. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff also has the option of promoting second-year tight end Kyle Miller from the practice squad to the active roster to potentially contribute.

The Falcons' coaching staff can't continue to expect different results by doing the same things on offense. Change is needed at multiple levels.

If the team is going to realize its potential this season, its No. 1 priority is protecting Ryan by relying on a strong running game and helping its offensive line as much as possible. If those two aspects can be achieved, the Falcons offense will get back on track.

Otherwise, it will be another lost season in Atlanta, and Ryan may have to adjust to a new coaching staff and surrounding cast next year.