Power Rankings: Top Post-Draft Offenses (11-15)
Oct 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) breaks up a pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) in the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Jets won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons 4-12
Last Season’s Rankings: #14 Overall Offense (343.1 total yards per game) #7 Passing Offense (265.2 passing yards per game) #32 Rushing Offense (77.9 rushing yards per game)
Last Season
In 2012, the Flacons almost reached the pinnacle with a spot in the NFC Championship game. Flash forward another year and the Falcons finish the regular season 4-12 (their worst record in years). Of course a lot of things happened in order to see that result, not just a bad offensive showing. For example, WR Julio Jones and RB Steven Jackson both suffered injuries, except Jones’s injury was season-ending. More importantly though, in 2013 the Falcons saw the underperformance of multiple players ranging from Jackson to Roddy White. This season the Falcons are back with most of their offensive players returning. Despite Jones being injured, the Falcons still somehow manage to rank seventh in the league in passing. Unfortunately, the likes of Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers ranked dead last in the league in rushing with only 77.9 yards per game. In the off-season though they did draft OT Jake Mathews who should help both sides of the offense. Last year was a gimme year for the Falcons. 2014 spells redemption: A-T-L-A-N-T-A.
Run Offense
If you live in Atlanta or at least follow the Falcons, you know of their big problems was their running game. In his first season from St. Louis, Steven Jackson was supposed to be the face of the Falcons’ running game after Michael Turner left. Unfortunately though, Jackson was not that face in 2013. After rushing for eight straight 1,000 yard seasons as a Ram, 2013 was a tad bit disappointing to say the least. As for back-up Jacquizz Rodgers, he wasn’t much better, rushing for just 332 yards on 96 carries (3.5 yards per carry). Now I am not here to talk about how poorly the Falcons played last season, but rather to show how they will be next season. Last year Jackson sustained multiple injuries and thus was hampered in the running game. As well, the Falcons defense caused the offense to constantly play the pass in order to catch up. Florida State rookie RB Devonta Freeman (1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2013) and OT Jake Mathews should prove to be motivators or at least help out Jackson and Rodgers to play much better in 2014. Perhaps Mathews and Freeman are exactly what the Falcons need to resurrect their last-place rushing offense back from the dead.
Pass Offense
For Matt Ryan the 2013 season looked bright at first, however after the season-ending injury of Julio Jones, things looked bleak indeed. Despite poor circumstances though, Ryan was able to throw for 4,515 yards, ranking seventh in the league in 2013. The Falcons’ aerial attack is one of the primary reasons why they have their 15th ranking on my Power Rankings. With Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas, the Falcons have one of the league’s best receiving corps. Last year Douglas caught for 1,067 yards and two touchdowns on 85 receptions as White caught 711 yards and three touchdowns on 63 receptions. After just four games Julio Jones had astronomically good numbers, catching 41 passes for 580 yards (average of 116 yards per game). Unfortunately though, he got injured just as his 2013 season was just starting to soar. One knock I would have on this passing offense would have to be that TE Tony Gonzalez (caught for 89 receptions for 853 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013) won’t be returning next season. This leaves a huge 119 target void that somebody will have to fill. Whether it be Jones, White or Douglas only time will tell. As well OT Jake Mathews will prove to be invaluable for the Falcons in 2014. With his great pass blocking abilities and size, Matthews has been known for his ability to protect the Quarterback. Under Johnny Manziel and Ryan Tannehill, Matthews played extremely well. Out of Texas A&M, Mathews has played superlative football protecting Johnny Manziel for both his freshman and sophomore seasons. At 6’5″, 305, Mathews is a big and punishing lineman, many times able to plow through opposing defensive lines with his long arms alone. As a Senior he has protected the best QBs in Dolphin’s QB Ryan Tannehill and Johnny Manziel. With pass blocking and healthy receivers, the ball is now in Matt Ryan’s hands.
In The End
Now reason why I have the Falcons falling is not just because of their running game, but also because of their passing game. While they’ll be welcoming WR Julio Jones back to the roster, they will also be losing TE Tony Gonzalez who was a big part of their offense last season when Jones went down due to injury. Gonzalez caught many touchdown passes for the Falcons last season and in times when the running game couldn’t punch it in, Gonzalez was there to score six in the red zone. I do think that the Falcons can survive next season without Gonzalez, however I think that some other players such as Roddy White and Stephen Jackson are going to have to step it up. After catching for 2,157 yards during his first two years as a Falcon, Jones seemed to take away from White’s valuable targets. As well because White initially was the better receiver, secondary’s concentrated on White more, thus giving Jones more opportunities to gain yards deep. In 2014 I think that White does in fact step up his game, otherwise the Falcons are going to have to rely heavily on Jones and Harry Douglas. Regardless of roles in the offense, I think the Falcons will improve, not necessarily in the passing game per se, but rather as an offense overall. Their defensive draft picks will assure them of a better back end, thus giving Matt Ryan more time to work his magic. Because the Falcons were playing from behind most of the year, the running game didn’t really have much of an opportunity to do anything. Look for 2014 to be an improvement not just for the Falcons passing, but also for the Falcons’ running game.