Falcons' Offensive Performance, Playoff Hopes Hinge on Line Play

When Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is granted time to throw the football, he can shred a defense. When running back Steven Jackson is provided with holes to run through, he can still gain chunks of yardage. And when Julio Jones is given the green light to go deep, he is extremely dangerous.

All of these are dependent on the play of the Falcons' offensive line.

The group of five up front played arguably its best game of the season Sunday against the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals.

The undermanned unit previously suffered numerous well-documented injuries to the point where a rookie was forced to start at left tackle and the third-string options at center and right tackle are now in the starting lineup.

The team's current starting five has grown together over the past six weeks, and the group continues to improve.

Continuity and reliability are major factors in offensive line play. Trust must be formed between the man or men next to each blocker up front. This allows the entire group to make line calls without mistakes, have a better feel for each other when double-teaming a defender and know exactly who to pick up on passing downs.

These levels level of communication and reliability can't be achieved overnight. They're established over weeks and months of a group playing together. It's impossible to manufacture over the short term.

Once the big boys up front start clicking, though, a big difference can be seen throughout the entire offense.

Atlanta's skill positions benefited tremendously from the improved play up front, particularly against the Cardinals' stingy defense.

Despite owning one of the NFL's worst rushing offenses, head coach Mike Smith and his offensive staff decided to establish the team's ground game to set the tone against a very physical defensive front.

It fell on the offensive line to play with a new level of intensity, and the group passed the test with flying colors.

Smith told reporters on Monday that he was very pleased with the group's effort:

"

The offensive line, I really think that they’re starting to come together in regards to understanding what the other guy is going to be doing. As I said many times, that unit has to play together as a unit, and there is some cohesion there over the last couple of weeks, and it was good to get the running game going.

"

Four plays into the game, the Falcons sent a message when running back Steven Jackson rumbled for 55 yards to the Cardinals' 1-yard line.

It was Jackson's longest run since Sept. 20, 2009, when he ripped of a 58-yard scamper against the Washington Redskins as a member of the St. Louis Rams.

With the hole the offensive line opened, even a running back in his 10th season could rip off a big run:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The entire right side of the offensive line did its job effectively.

Tight end Levine Toilolo was brought in motion prior to the snap and effectively neutralized the defensive end. Center James Stone hooked the front-side defensive tackle. Right guard Jon Asamoah originally worked to the second level before the linebacker took an underneath route and the lineman doubled the defensive tackle with Stone. Right tackle Ryan Schraeder reached the play-side linebacker and drove him out of the way to open a gaping hole for an aging back to effectively run through and gain optimal yardage.

Jackson, who signed with the Falcons during the 2013 offseason, finished the contest with 101 rushing yards. It was his first 100-yard game as a member of the team.

The effort was also the first 100-yard rushing game for any Falcons running back this season.

The last Falcons running back to run for 100 yards or more in a game was Michael Turner over two years ago. Turner ran for 102 yards on Nov. 4, 2012 against the Dallas Cowboys.

In total, Jackson and crew ran for 142 total yards. It was the Falcons' second-highest output this season, and the team's rebuilt offensive line deserves the lion's share of the credit.

Let's take a step back for a second and rewind to six weeks ago. The final pieces of the puzzle fell into place when Schraeder, a second-year player from Valdosta State, and Stone, an undrafted free agent from Tennessee, were inserted into the lineup.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Schraeder's performance against the Cardinals was the best single-game performance by a Falcons offensive linemen this season, according to Pro Football Talk (subscription required).

"Finally some semblance of quality play from a Falcon offensive tackle," Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner wrote. "Schraeder had been playing fairly average since taking over as starter in Week 8 (still major step up from Gabe Carimi), but Sunday was a career day. Schraeder allowed just two pressures and had a clean sheet in the running game."

Schraeder isn't the only blocker among the front five to improve dramatically in recent weeks.

Ryan's blind side is being protected better by rookie Jake Matthews. After struggling mightily through stretches of this season, the first-year left tackle received two of his top grades this season from Pro Football Focus over the past two weeks.

Stone continues to struggle, but he doesn't look completely out of place. Arizona nose tackle Dan Williams is a load to handle. The young blocker survived, and he'll continue to learn form his experiences as a first-time starter.

Smith discussed his young offensive linemen, the job they're doing and the overall improvement up front:

"

I think that Coach [Mike] Tice has done a good job. He and Coach Wade Harman work with our offensive line. This is a group that we’re starting a college free agent at the center position, a second year player at offensive tackle, and a rookie draft pick. It says a lot about those guys getting them ready to be prepared to play, and I think each week they’ve improved. I think over the last three or four weeks, Jake Matthews has played some really good football for us. James Stone is a guy that’s very smart, and has a good understanding of what we’re trying to get done. He’s strong, he’s got good girth and he’s playing well. I think we’re starting to get some cohesiveness in that group, and when you have that you’re going to have an opportunity to win the line of scrimmage. We definitely won the line of scrimmage yesterday in the ball game.

"

Clearly, there is still room from improvement from each of these young players, but the Falcons now have something to build upon as this season continues.

Meanwhile, Justin Blalock and Asamoah are rocks at guard. Blalock, who is in his eighth season with the Falcons, is the leader of the group, and Asamoah is the only lineman on the roster to start every game this season.

There is still talent on Atlanta's offensive line. It just took time for the entire group to start playing well as a unit.

As it continues to work together, areas within the Falcons offense will also expand.

By effectively establishing the run, it opens up play action and bootlegs for Ryan.

During Jones' 41-yard reception, for example, Ryan faked a handoff on a simple zone left before rolling to his right and completing the long pass downfield to one of his talented receivers.

This is what Ryan saw before he uncorked the sideline bomb to Jones:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

All of that room Ryan enjoyed during that particular pass was set up by a strong running attack earlier in the contest.

Ryan praised the play of his offensive line during the postgame press conference:

"

I think our group up front played really, really well. They played physical, they played smart. One of the things when you go up against Arizona, they give you a bunch of different looks. Identification and making sure you get the guys in the right spot is huge. We did a great job of that up front, but I also think they competed. They opened up some lanes for our runners and our guys in the back field did a fantastic job of getting downhill. That’s probably about as good as we run it in a while. That’s good for us moving forward.

"

The run game may have set up the play-action passing attack, but it also slowed the Cardinals' pass rush. The offensive line responded by providing sound protection for Ryan.

Outcome	Sacks	QB hits	QB hurries
Wins	6	7	43
Losses	10	19	64

Ryan dropped back to pass 41 times. He was only hit twice by a very good and aggressive Cardinals defense.

More time to stand tall in the pocket increases the chances of wide receivers getting open against tight coverage. The Cardinals own one of the NFL's top pass defenses. Ryan torched it for 361 yards.

Over half of those yards went to Julio Jones, who set a new career high with 189 receiving yards.

A strong front wall makes a talented pocket passer even better. Once that passer is given time to throw, the talent at the skill positions can shine. Wide receivers start posting 100-yard games and running backs find more space to run.

That symbiotic relationship was clearly on display Sunday for the Falcons.

Atlanta has all the talent it needs at quarterback, wide receiver and even running back to win at a high level. However, the team is only 5-7 this season. That's because the offensive line was in shambles. But it's not coincidence that the team has won three of its last four games since having the same starting five in place.

While the big boys up front never get the credit they rightly deserve, the Falcons' improving offensive line is the primary reason behind the team's recent turnaround and the driving force behind a potential playoff surge.

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