Atlanta Falcons: 3 Offseason moves to return to playoffs next season
3. Shore up the offensive line
One of the issues present throughout the season for the Falcons was the play of their offensive line and specifically their protection of veteran quarterback Matt Ryan.
The Atlanta offensive line didn’t perform that poorly in the grand scheme of things, but Ryan was pressured often throughout the regular season which put a halt to an offense that has often had the ability to air the ball out and take games over week-in and week-out.
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As an offensive line unit, the Falcons allowed a total of 50 sacks throughout the 16-game regular-season schedule, which was tied for fifth-most among teams in the NFL. Along with that total, Atlanta quarterbacks were hit a total of 135 times, which was the second-highest total in the league behind only the Miami Dolphins with 147.
With the fact that Ryan and other Falcons quarterbacks were pressured often throughout the year, the play of the offensive line is also important for the running game to pair alongside Ryan and the Atlanta passing attack on that side of the ball.
Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and the rest of their running back corps managed to rush for an average total of 85.1 yards on the ground during the 2019 campaign, which was the third-lowest average in the NFL behind the New York Jets (78.6) and the Dolphins (72.2). Freeman and the rest of the running back unit averaged 3.8 yards per carry, which was tied for the seventh-lowest average in the league.
When it comes to the firepower that lies within the Falcons offense, both in the passing game and in the rushing attack, there’s no reason that Atlanta shouldn’t be able to outscore opponents and put up large point totals on the scoreboard during the upcoming season and beyond.
But one thing that will need to be addressed in order for that to happen is Atlanta looking at shoring up its offensive line heading into the 2020 regular season.