Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons: Complete Week 15 Preview for Atlanta
The 8-5 Pittsburgh Steelers come to town to face the 5-8 NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Atlanta is fighting for it playoff life and a division title. Pittsburgh is also close to a division lead, as it is just a half-game out of the AFC North crown.
Atlanta has lost to every AFC North team that it has played so far this season. However, the Falcons do have a shot to prevent the sweep this week if they can somehow stop the Steelers in the Georgia Dome. Atlanta can also potentially save Mike Smith's job if it can win every remaining game.
If the team can go 8-8 and win the NFC South after going 4-12 last year, there would be enough improvement to warrant giving Smith another shot. The Falcons will have to take it one game at a time, and with a win this week, the Falcons would be one step closer to another division title.
Atlanta Falcons Week 14 Recap
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The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Green Bay Packers 43-37 on Monday night despite staging one of the best comebacks they have ever had in the Mike Smith era. They went from a halftime deficit of 24 points to losing by just six.
By turning the team around at halftime, Smith might have finally figured out how to adjust the game plan and compete in the second half of games. Ideally, the offensive production won't slow down against Pittsburgh, and Atlanta can ride its new balance on offense to a win.
The biggest question from that loss comes from the injuries to William Moore and Julio Jones. Moore looks like he might be out this week. Jones has a hip injury, and even if he does play, he could be limited. Atlanta will have to continue its solid safety play without Moore and hope the receivers can step up and replace Jones for the week.
However, if the Falcons can somehow continue to play with multiple options in the passing game, have some solid run support from the tailbacks and turn in an average-level defensive effort in every game for the rest of the season, they could look like a dangerous team in the playoffs.
News and Notes
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Jonathan Massaquoi to the Coaching Staff: "Play Me!"
Jonathan Massaquoi has been underused by the Atlanta Falcons this season. Despite production on a per-snap basis close to Cameron Wake, the Falcons pass-rusher has been limited in action the past four weeks with an average of 12 snaps per week.
That needs to change. Massaquoi has shown that he deserves at least 40 snaps per game and has voiced his opinion about it. ESPN.com Atlanta Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure quoted the Falcons edge-rusher about his playing time against Green Bay:
"Should I have gotten more snaps? Absolutely. Was that my call? No. Did we almost still win the game? Yes. So regardless of it’s me or Biermann or whoever else, the coaches are going to make the right decision. That’s all I can do as a player right now is continue to be supportive, keep high spirits, and keep working.
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There's a ton of good information in Vaughn's article about Massaquoi. The biggest issue right now with the Falcons defense is the inability to get after the quarterback. Their best three pass-rushers are Massaquoi, Kroy Biermann and Osi Umenyiora.
So why does Jonathan Babineaux see more than 50 percent of the snaps at right defensive end in four-man fronts? Atlanta needs to fix the pass rush, and the only way to do it is to involve Massaquoi. With the team likely heading to the playoffs, he could be the difference-maker the team needs up front—even if he did go to the media a couple of times about his lack of playing time.
Falcons Just Need to Win to Win the Division
It's as simple as that. Atlanta controls its own destiny. If the Falcons win all three of their remaining games, including against New Orleans (second place in division) and Carolina (third place), there wouldn't be any confusion as to who the NFC South champion is.
Unfortunately, the Falcons shouldn't even be in this position. Veteran Falcons receiver Roddy White was quoted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter about how the team has given away some games this year:
"It’s been crazy because we feel like we’ve put ourselves in such a bad position this season just doing crazy stuff,” White said. “We have been just giving away games that we think we should have won.”
But White knows he can’t dwell on those losses now.
“Instead of just feeling that way, just go out there and play and win these last three games and we’ll have a home playoff game,” White said. “We can go from there.
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It's that simple. White wants what every Atlanta fan has wanted since the beginning of the season—a division championship. Before the season, a prediction of 10-6 with a shot at the division title felt right for the team.
Unfortunately, Atlanta gave up two games due to poor clock management decisions and another three due to poor offensive line play that hindered all offensive production. With the current offensive line finally helping the Falcons to win games, they could be a hot team heading into the playoffs.
Winning the last three games after either winning or having a one-score loss throughout their final nine games of the season could give Atlanta the one thing it needs in the playoffs: confidence. A confident Falcons team that knows how to win games could shock the world and win some playoff games this year.
Atlanta Needs to Scrounge Up a Pass Rush and Tackle When They Do Get in the Backfield
The Falcons have the worst pass rush in the NFL, as they are tied for last in the NFL in sacks with just 15 on the season. Fortunately, they have some talent to get some pressure in Massaquoi, Umenyiora and Biermann.
However, to get the pass-rush results needed, the players need to make sure they tackle the quarterback when they create that pressure. ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure quoted Falcons safety Dwight Lowery about how the Pittsburgh quarterback creates matchup issues:
"He's similar to Rodgers as far as his ability to escape and extending plays. He has more strength, where Rodgers is more elusive. But Roethlisberger presents the same type of problems that if the play breaks down. They just have different personnel with what they want to do on offense.
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Atlanta was able to create penetration against a good offensive line in Green Bay. However, the players were unable to tackle Aaron Rodgers back there and either missed tackles or got completely juked out by him when they did get some pressure on him.
However, Ben Roethlisberger is a bit of a different guy. He's bigger, but he's not too much different from Cam Newton when it comes to bringing him to the ground. The Falcons need to make sure that when if they do create pressure, Roethlisberger hits the ground. Otherwise, that pressure is wasted.
Preliminary Pro Bowl Results Are Misleading, but Players Understand That
Early Pro Bowl voting results have come in and multiple Atlanta Falcons are in the top 10 of their respective lists. Julio Jones has the ninth-most votes among all voters at wide receiver, and Devin Hester is near the top for return specialist.
AtlantaFalcons.com's Reid Ferrin quoted Falcons captain and second-year starting middle linebacker Paul Worrilow about his inclusion near the top of the voting list for inside linebackers—he was listed eighth out of the top 10. "That's awesome (that) people are voting for me," Worrilow said. "I'm glad there are fans out there who like me enough to do that. I appreciate that and thank them, but I still have so much I need to work on."
While Worrilow probably hasn't been close to the Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker that the fan voting suggests, he has been a solid linebacker in the middle of the defense who has been asked to do too much for his current skill set.
The best part of his quote, though, is that he's admitting that the Falcons need to get more out of him. His improvement moving forward will be huge for the overall development of the defense. Worrilow may never be a Sean Weatherspoon-level linebacker, but he is developing into a guy that every defense would be happy to have in the middle.
Injury Report
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| Pos | Name | Injury | Wed | Thu | Fri | Status |
| FB | Patrick DiMarco | Illness | FP | FP | DNP | Questionable |
| WR | Julio Jones | Hip | DNP | DNP | DNP | Questionable |
| WR | Roddy White | Ankle | LP | LP | FP | Probable |
| WR | Harry Douglas | Foot | LP | LP | FP | Probable |
| OG | Justin Blalock | Back | LP | LP | FP | Probable |
| OG | Jon Asamoah | Back | LP | LP | FP | Probable |
| DT | Paul Soliai | Shoulder | LP | LP | FP | Probable |
| DE | Stansly Maponga | Elbow/Not Injury Related | FP | DNP | FP | Probable |
| CB | Robert Alford | Wrist | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| S | William Moore | Foot | DNP | DNP | DNP | Questionable |
*All injury statuses from the Atlanta Falcons official website.
DNP: Did Not Practice
LP: Limited Participation in Practice
FP: Full Participation in Practice
Robert McClain will have to take over for Robert Alford once again this week with Alford still out nursing his wrist. Alford has been out for four straight weeks, and the Falcons could use him against the Saints and Panthers to close the season out if he's able to come back. McClain has struggled in coverage and should be replaced by Javier Arenas unless he steps it up.
William Moore and Julio Jones are both listed as questionable but could end up playing. Both guys have been working with the athletic performance team all week, trying to get back up to game speed from their injuries. If Jones can't go, Atlanta will need Roddy White and Harry Douglas to step up and perform. At safety, the Falcons are already used to playing without Moore and should be fine there.
White and Douglas were on the report, but they look like they should go without issues. The same goes for offensive guards Jon Asamoah and Justin Blalock. They have been the strength of the offensive line this season. Stansly Maponga is another one who should be good to go despite missing a day in the middle of the week for an off-field paperwork concern.
Atlanta could be missing Patrick DiMarco this week. He's been one of the better blocking fullbacks in the NFL this year. Ideally, Bear Pascoe would replace him, but running more three- and four-wide receiver sets could be how the Falcons game-plan as well.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Desmond Trufant vs. Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. His 1,375 receiving yards on 105 catches for 11 touchdowns just scratches the surface of his talent. He's been consistently a great deep threat for the Steelers and is a key cog to their offense.
That's why Desmond Trufant is going to have to play one of his best games When he went against primarily Jordy Nelson this past week, he allowed just three passes to be completed on him for 14 yards. That was on just five targets. If the Falcons shadow Brown with Trufant, they could potentially neutralize him. Taking away the deep ball will be huge.
Atlanta's Offensive Line vs. Pittsburgh's Pass Rush
During the past six games, the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has been the best pass-blocking offensive line it has been since 2008. Matt Ryan has had a ton of time behind the O-line due to its ability to pick up blitzes, hold off a four-man rush and play stunts effectively.
As the linemen continue to get more comfortable with one another, they have shown they can handle any pass rush out there. Pittsburgh has excelled with its pass rush, which is based on heavy blitzing concepts in the front seven.
Pittsburgh's scheme is similar to Arizona's. According to Pro Football Focus, the line allowed just one hit, one sack and six hurries on 46 dropbacks for Ryan against the Cardinals in one of the unit's best games of the season. If Atlanta can duplicate its efforts from that game against the Steelers, it has a legitimate shot to win.
Paul Worrilow vs. Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Bell is on pace to have the best all-around season by a running back since Chris Johnson had 2,500 yards from scrimmage in 2009. The pace of 2,368 yards would be the fifth-best season in terms of yards from scrimmage in NFL history.
Paul Worrilow has his work cut out for him going against the Marshall Faulk clone. Bell has been able to run effectively between the tackles, but he excels is in open space. Worrilow has struggled to cover running backs out of the backfield all season, missing tackles or taking bad angles.
He might take on Bell quite a bit more than he's used to in this capacity. Hopefully, he doesn't add to his second-worst missed tackles in coverage total of 11, per Pro Football Focus. He's going to have to wrap up better than he did against teams earlier in the season.
Falcons' X-Factor of the Week: WR Roddy White
With Julio Jones dealing with a hip pointer, the Falcons need Roddy White to take the pressure off him. White looks like he's finally healthy after playing 64 of the 68 snaps during the Packers game and turning in a solid performance, catching three of his five targets for 42 yards and a touchdown.
White will have to attack a weak Pittsburgh secondary, but he could be a factor at every level of the defense with his mix of size, physicality and route-running prowess. If White can get it going, he could deliver more than 100 yards as Ryan's main target for the day.
Prediction
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The Atlanta Falcons look like they finally have their offense clicking. The offensive line seems to have finally jelled into the unit that it looked like it could have been earlier in the year. With the line protecting Ryan, he should have the time to pick apart Pittsburgh's weak secondary.
The question is whether the defense can somehow stop the Pittsburgh offense. Ideally, the Falcons will just focus on stopping one or two main aspects of the offense. If they can somehow limit Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell from gaining more than 100 yards apiece, the Falcons would stand a better shot at winning.
However, this has the feel of another shootout. And in the Georgia Dome, the Atlanta Falcons could turn in a win. The only question at this point is whether the Falcons can play a turnover-free game on offense while also creating turnovers on defense. If they can play a clean game, the Falcons win this one.
Prediction: Falcons 35, Steelers 31
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.
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