Youth Movement Provides Falcons with Much-Needed Boost to Contend for NFC South

No player is considered a rookie 16 weeks into the season. The young players on NFL rosters are asked to mature throughout the campaign and step up as their team's fate hangs in the balance.  

At the start of November, the Atlanta Falcons' season appeared to be dead in the water at 2-6 overall coming out of the team's bye week. Mike Smith's squad continued to scratch and claw its way into contention alongside the other subpar teams in the NFC South. 

The Falcons still needed a spark on offense and defense with their playoff hopes on the line Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and a pair of rookies provided it.

Running back Devonta Freeman and defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman played at another level than they had previously this season, and the Falcons are a better team because of their improved play. 

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Overall, the team won four of its last seven games, and it now has a chance to claim an NFC South title in a winner-take-all contest this weekend against the Carolina Panthers. 

Freeman's and Hageman's contributions could prove to be an important factor not only for this year's playoff run but over the long haul for the Falcons. 

Freeman, in particular, should receive more playing time due to an injury suffered by starting running back Steven Jackson. The 11-year veteran injured his quad during the second quarter of Sunday's contest. He's expected to return for the Panthers game, though, according to ESPN.com's Vaughan McClure. 

Throughout the season, Jackson remained the team's starter despite looking sluggish to the hole. He's played better in recent weeks, and the Falcons coaching staff prefers his reliability and physicality at the position. 

However, Freeman adds a completely different dynamic to an offense that lacks explosive plays from its running back. 

The first-year running back from Florida State burst onto the scene Sunday by proving to be a weapon in the passing game. 

Four plays into the Falcons' first possession, quarterback Matt Ryan found Freeman racing down the sideline with Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton trailing in coverage. Freeman created plenty of separation, and Ryan found his running back for a 36-yard gain courtesy of a well-timed wheel route. 

The play set the tone early since the Falcons would continue to challenge the Saints' Swiss cheese-like coverage. 

Freeman took his game to another level once Jackson was injured. All the young runner's carries came after Jackson left the game. Not only did he prove to be a explosive threat as a receiver, but he showed signs of being able to develop into the Falcons' primary ball-carrier.

The former fourth-round pick gained 36 yards on five carries. The bulk of that yardage came from Freeman's first rushing touchdown of his career, which was an impressive 31-yard scoring scamper. 

The rookie showed three different qualities during that run that are encouraging signs for the Falcons. 

First, Freeman was patient in allowing the hole to open. Second, he showed an ability to make a defender miss in the hole, which is vitally important at the NFL level. Finally, his speed to run away from defenders was clearly evident. 

Freeman has all the makings of eventually becoming the Falcons' starting running back.  

While Freeman was setting a new career high with 84 total yards, Hageman was putting in work on the defensive side of the ball.

The Falcons entered Sunday's contest as the worst team in the NFL rushing the passer. Atlanta only managed a league-low 16 sacks. Three individuals had more sacks entering this weekend's play than the Falcons as a team could muster.

Yet Saints quarterback Drew Brees was sacked five times.

What the Falcons effectively did was take advantage of the Saints' poor play along their offensive interior. Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan stacked the A-gaps (area between the center and guards) and blitzed the Saints' soft spot. Not only did he send linebackers and safeties up the middle against a 6'0" tall pocket passer, Hageman was consistently able to collapse the pocket during his limited opportunities. 

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hageman was only on the field for 11 snaps. Even in a limited role, the defensive lineman recorded a sack. He registered another quarterback pressure, two tackles and three defensive stops. 

At 6'6" and 310 pounds, Hageman is the best athlete among the Falcons' front seven. He has the power to overwhelm offensive linemen and the quickness to blow by them. 

Consistency was always the concern with the first-year professional from the University of Minnesota. Hageman is starting to show exactly why the Falcons coveted him in the second round of the draft, and teammate Corey Peters publicly acknowledged how well the rookie has played as of late: 

Hageman has come a long way compared to the player who was constantly berated by Falcons defensive line coach Bryan Cox during training camp.  

The next step for these two particular cases is to expand their roles within the team's scheme. Despite the impact each had during the game, Freeman and Hageman combined to play only 35 of 106 total snaps.

Freeman and Hageman weren't the only young players on the Falcons roster to step up when the team needed them the most. 

The Falcons secondary has been beset with injuries this season. Desmond Trufant has already developed into one of the league's best cornerbacks, but his bookend, Robert Alford, played in 10 games this season before ending up on injured reserve due to a wrist injury. Plus, the team's veteran leader in the secondary, William Moore, suffered a shoulder injury against the Saints. 

Moore will be evaluated throughout the week, and the team reported he'll receive further testing: 

Moore's injury forced safety Kemal Ishmael into a much bigger role than he was expected to play this season.

Ishmael, who is in his second year, is second on the team with 91 total tackles despite only starting nine games.

His contribution to the team was never more important than when he stripped the ball from Saints tight end Jimmy Graham at the goal line as New Orleans attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter. 

The call could have gone either way once the play was reviewed, but it was a heady play by a young defender that essentially ended the Saints' chances of rallying to win the game. 

“It was an effort play," Ishmael told AtlantaFalcons.com after the game. "I felt it came out clean on the strip, when it popped out. Jimmy Graham is a big guy. Once he caught the ball it was all about effort, and all I tried to do was hold him up and get the ball out.”

Freeman, Hageman, Ishmael, Trufant, left tackle Jake Matthews, center James Stone, right tackle Ryan Schraeder, tight end Levine Toilolo, defensive end Malliciah Goodman and middle linebacker Paul Worrilow are all in their first or second year in the league. Each made significant contributions to the Falcons this season. 

These players will become the foundation of Falcons football in the coming years. That foundation will start to be successfully built with a playoff appearance. To reach the playoffs, each of these young performers will need to step up and produce against the Panthers. 

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