Atlanta Falcons Analysis: Offensive Questions Are Answered

All offseason, the Atlanta Falcons had to listen to questions about why they fell short against the Green Bay Packers. There were multiple theories analyzing why the Falcons collapsed. Some believed it was the defense that fell short. Others pointed to the passing game; more accurately, the down field passing game.

Falcons management showed what they thought on draft day. The acquisition of Julio Jones proved that they believed the passing game had to improve.  

Ever since then, the Falcons have attempted to show the world their new weapon and the improvement of Matt Ryan.  

The first two passes of the preseason went to Jones, an obvious attempt to show him off.  Later in the preseason, analysts and fans alike were shocked to see Ryan throw 42 first half passes against the Steelers.  

That, however, was the preseason. It’s normal to try things you wouldn’t try in a regular season game. For that reason, this lack of balance was overlooked until the regular season.  

In the Falcons' inauspicious 2-2 start to the preseason, Mike Mularkey’s pass heavy play-calling has continued. This has contributed to the slow start in a major way.  

In Atlanta’s 30-12 Week 1 loss against the Bears, the play-calling looked nothing like the Falcons of old.  Ryan passed 47 times to only 12 rushing attempts.  

Such an imbalance can be alarming. As a result, the Falcons had a much more balanced attack against Philadelphia. A 29 to 28 pass to run ratio led to a much more efficient offense and a 35-31 win in Week 2. 

Against Tampa Bay, Mularkey and the Falcons once again abandoned the run game (47 passes to 15 rushes). Week 3 resulted in a 13-16 loss.  

The game against the Seahawks wasn’t the best team performance either, but the offense rebounded nicely. Atlanta returned to balance, scoring 30 points behind a 42 to 36 pass to run ratio.

Atlanta needed to improve in the passing game this season. However, you don’t improve by throwing the ball twice the amount you run. Successful teams throw more when it’s necessary to win. Winning is your only on-field responsibility as a head coach in the NFL.  

The Falcon’s success in recent years has been based on a physical, run-first offense. Mike Mularkey’s play calling this season has clearly gone away from this identity at times. How Mike Smith has allowed this is beyond me. He deserves blame for the slow start.  

The stats bear out the truth.  When this team plays run n’ gun, the offense becomes stagnant and the team suffers.  The coaching staff can try to turn Matt Ryan into Peyton Manning, but he isn’t. The Falcons won’t win many games pretending otherwise.  

The performance against the Seahawks raised serious questions about the defense, but hopefully it clarified how this team needs to play offense.  If the Falcons are to contend in the NFC, as they were expected to do, the offense will have to be balanced.

It may be a passing league, but that won’t solve the Falcons’ problems.