Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons: Full Report Card Grades for Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons lost a close one to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final minutes after a poor call by the referees on a pick play by Antonio Brown was called a hold on Desmond Trufant. That's how this season has been for the Falcons, though.
Losing 27-20 because they just can't get the breaks in the game comes down to coaching issues. Atlanta's coaching is the biggest thing that hurt the Falcons during this game. Too many crucial calls were just poor play designs, poor play calls or just awful calls in the first place. This is the game that should have sealed Mike Smith's fate. He should be fired following his second straight losing season.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Matt Ryan had a pair of throws that could have gone a different way to really help the Falcons on their first drive. He also had an interception that eventually became the final margin for the game. However, Ryan was also 26-of-37 (70.3 percent) for 310 yards and threw for two touchdowns.
He also provided some rushing ability, as he had to scramble on a trio of plays that he wound up gaining first downs on. His three scrambles resulted in 27 yards and showed that he does have the ability to make something happen with his legs in emergency situations.
Outside of the pick-six, it was another solid outing for Matty Ice. On the final drive, he was unable to lead the Falcons down the field for a score, and there were some questionable red-zone throws. But, he also had a dime on a pass to Devin Hester for a touchdown. He does need to get Levine Toilolo involved a bit more, though.
Grade: B
Running Backs and Fullbacks
2 of 10
Steven Jackson was able to get things going quickly and maintain a solid pace throughout the game. His 11 carries for 46 yards and one catch for 11 yards gave him the kind of production that he should be seeing as his career winds down.
Devonta Freeman provided a solid option as his change of pace, gaining 30 yards on his five touches. Add in the 15 yards on Jacquizz Rodgers' three touches and the three backs combined for a total of 102 yards on the 20 touches among the three of them.
They did a great job on blocking blitzers as well. Despite Matt Ryan getting hit four times, none of those was due to the running backs failing to pick up the blitz. Atlanta's really gotten the pass protection out of its running backs that it has needed throughout the season.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
A key drop on the first drive by Roddy White and a pick play toward the end zone on another drive by Harry Douglas were the main errors by the Falcons wide receivers. Douglas also poorly ran a dig route that led to Ryan's interception toss.
However, outside of those three plays, the Falcons wide receivers played an excellent game. With Julio Jones out, Douglas was able to step up and gain 131 yards through the air. Devin Hester also provided some receiving ability with his 85 yards and a touchdown.
White had a solid game catching mainly the underneath and intermediate routes on his seven catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. Atlanta needs to get Levine Toilolo more involved in the offense, though. His inability to get more than one catch a game is going to hurt the Falcons if they do end up in the playoffs.
Grade: B
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Offensive Linemen
4 of 10
Atlanta's offensive line continues to play some of its best football with the configuration of Jake Matthews at left tackle, Justin Blalock at left guard, James Stone at center, Jon Asamoah at right guard and Ryan Schraeder at right tackle.
Schraeder and Matthews had another good game this week, holding up well against the talented edge rush that Pittsburgh has. The issue was handling interior pressure once Asamoah went out with a back injury toward the middle of the second quarter.
Gabe Carimi did a solid job when he was in, though. The Falcons were able to protect Matt Ryan from being hit on all but four dropbacks. Add in averaging 4.1 yards per design run and the Falcons had one of their best games up front all season.
Grade: B
Defensive Linemen and Edge Players
5 of 10
Atlanta's edge players and defensive linemen had one of their best games. Everyone contributed to the team's overall best game in run defense all season. They allowed just 47 yards on the ground due to great run fits and good penetration against a solid run-blocking offensive line.
The bigger issue was the lack of a pass rush. Kroy Biermann missed Ben Roethlisberger twice in the backfield and was unable to wrap him up on another one. Paul Soliai and Prince Shembo didn't miss, though. The Falcons were able to create a ton of pressure on interior stunts.
Ra'Shede Hageman also had his best game of the season with multiple plays in the backfield. He has shown that the Falcons need to play him more. Speaking of playing guys more, Jonathan Massaquoi was noticeably absent after speaking with ESPN's Vaughn McClure this week about playing time.
Grade: B
Linebackers
6 of 10
Paul Worrilow looked solid blitzing the quarterback. He registered two hits and a couple of hurries when he blitzed. He also was able to play the short zones effectively in coverage and was a big reason why the Falcons were able to limit Le'Veon Bell to just 47 yards rushing on 20 runs.
However, no Falcons running backs were able to limit plays on screens to Bell out of the backfield. He was always able to just sit there waiting on the checkdowns. Joplo Bartu and Prince Shembo alternated time at the spot next to Worrilow, but neither seemed to be effective covering Heath Miller.
The tight end went off for four catches and 68 yards, but he was open all day. Atlanta's play against the Steelers showed just how much it needs a linebacker who can cover the tight end and running backs out of the backfield like a safety can.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Despite allowing 360 yards through the air, the secondary did play a very solid game. They allowed way too many easy catches, but that was more because of the scheme design than the actual play. The secondary did lose Josh Wilson at one point in the game, but Javier Arenas was able to cover for him nicely.
The safety play was excellent throughout the game, as they were able to help stuff the run for just 47 yards. Outside of the 13-yard touchdown run, Le'Veon Bell rarely made it past the second level of the defense because the safeties were already there wrapping up.
Desmond Trufant had his worst game in recent memory allowing a big gain on a great play by Antonio Brown and allowing way too many yards. However, it was a tough matchup for him. Robert McClain did have an easier matchup and was picked on quite a bit on third downs.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Special teams turned in yet another solid effort against the Steelers. They were able to limit Markus Wheaton to just one big return of 32 yards and Antonio Brown to just two returns for 43 yards. On one of the Brown returns, a block in the back is what opened it up, too.
Atlanta's starting field position around its own 21 was a testament to solid special teams despite the defense hurting the overall position by allowing way too many yards. Matt Bosher's punts and kickoffs were exceptional, and the Steelers were able to start at their own 23 on average.
Bosher's 48-yard average on punts, with one landing inside the 20, was one of his best games. Matt Bryant was his normal solid self, making all four of his kicks. Both of his field goals were right down the middle, and his extra points were as well.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Mike Smith's poor coaching and inability to put his best players on the field at all times is what will be his downfall. It was his downfall against the Steelers, as the Falcons defensive line provided some of its best pass-rushing of the season while getting just one sack and five hits.
There were so many more opportunities out there for sacks, but not playing Jonathan Massaquoi really hindered his defense. Smith and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan need to swallow their pride and play their best players. Because as it sits right now, they aren't putting their best chances to win on the field.
Dirk Koetter needs to get out of the play-calling mix on offense. He does a solid job of scheming for teams, but poor play calls on third downs and in the red zone hindered the offense throughout the game. Smith's lack of willingness to go for it on a 4th-and-2 was a dumb one that could have lost the game.
Grade: D
Overall Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterbacks | B |
| Running Backs and Fullbacks | B |
| Wide Receivers and Tight Ends | B |
| Offensive Linemen | B |
| Defensive Linemen and Edge Players | B |
| Linebackers | C |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | D |
| Overall | B |
The Falcons turned in one of their best efforts defensively of the season. They were able to contain Antonio Brown for the most part and didn't get beat on deep balls but twice all game. They also were able to stuff the run extremely well.
On offense, they didn't turn in their best overall effort, but they were able to control the clock and score points in the second half. The real issue is that it has been taking the offense a full half to get it going the past couple of weeks.
Atlanta's inability to start strong is a big reason why the Falcons haven't been able to win games. Over the past seven seasons, they are just 5-31 when down by four or more points heading into the fourth quarter. The inability of Mike Smith to get the Falcons to come back from a touchdown or less the past two seasons will be what Arthur Blank fires him for.
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.
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