Post by Guvmintcheeze on Oct 19, 2014 23:51:05 GMT
Falcons have no chance if offense continues to struggle like Sunday
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- A while back, wide receiver Roddy White said he believed his Atlanta Falcons had enough firepower to average 30 points per game.
White should have put this disclaimer behind his statement: only if Matt Ryan has adequate time to throw and get the offense into a rhythm.
Such was far from the case during Sunday's 29-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This high-octane Falcons offense looked rather pedestrian in scoring 20.3 points less than their season average. Ryan, who completed 29 of 44 passes for season-low 228 yards and a touchdown, was sacked a season-high five times and was hit nine times. The Falcons managed a mere four-of-15 on third down. And the third-ranked offensive in the league set a new season-low with 254 total yards.
``We've got to play ahead of the sticks, and we're not doing that right now,'' said White, who has nine catches for a season-high 100 yards in defeat. ``It's frustrating because we're going out there and we're digging holes and we're basically putting ourselves in them. We aren't getting out of them. It's hurting our defense. It's hurting our team.
``Right now, we're just not that good on offense.''
The line took its share of the blame of the woes. Losing center Peter Konz was far from the main reason for the protection issues.
``We didn't give Matt enough of a chance to make things happen down the field,'' said left guard Justin Blalock. (The Ravens) played well. They played very, very well. They got after us, were able to exploit some things in protection. And obviously, they are very good players on top of that. They came out and played their asses off today.''
Coach Mike Smith was asked if the Ravens speed or physicality contributed to the line woes.
``They won the line of scrimmage both with their strength and with their quickness,'' Smith said. ``They beat us cleanly off the edge a couple of times. We didn't pass some games inside. And Matt was under duress by games and then the one-on-one pass rush as well. And again, when you're down and having to throw the football, it makes it even more difficult for your offensive line.''
The Falcons sit a 2-5 and have lost four in a row as they prepare for a week-long stay in London for next Sunday's matchup with the Lions. Any hope of ending the losing skid depends on fixing the sudden issues on offense, particularly if the defense shows the type of improvement it did Sunday.
Ryan really had no chance against a strong Ravens defensive front that swarmed from all directions.
``When you go out there and get beat soundly, I think everybody knows we've got to play better across the board,'' Ryan said. ``We've all played football for long enough to know when you're getting your butt kicked, you've got to do something different and something better.
``I think across the board -- offense, offensive line, running backs, tight ends, wide receivers -- we've got to do this together. We've got to become better today. Hopefully, we're able to find a way to get that done this week.''
Twice in the third quarter, the Falcons failed on fourth-down plays as they trailed 20-0. One was a four-and-7 play from the Ravens' 37-yard line which resulted in Ryan getting sacked for a 12-yard loss. The other was a fourth-and-1 play on the very next drive when Ryan threw a short pass to Devonta Feeman, who got thrown down for no gain.
``The first fourth down that we had, we had a little drive going and it was right out of the half,'' White said. ``I felt like if we would have got that and could have just gone down and scored a touchdown, we would have been A-Ok.
``It's frustrating, especially when your coach is pushing the pedal to the metal. Smitty is giving us an opportunity on offense, going for it on fourth down instead of kicking field goals. He's giving us chances that we have to go out there and execute. That's not on the head coach. That's not on the coaching staff. That's on the players.''
The season continues to look like a lost one as the Falcons play their next three games away from the Georgia Dome. They haven't won a road game since Week 13 of last season against Buffalo in Toronto. The only thing working in their favor is a weak NFC South, with none of the four teams above .500.
``It's tough, but nothing is impossible though,'' receiver Julio Jones said. ``We just have to keep fighting. We can turn this thing around, if we get going. We can be 11-5, you know that though? We can be 11-5.''
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- A while back, wide receiver Roddy White said he believed his Atlanta Falcons had enough firepower to average 30 points per game.
White should have put this disclaimer behind his statement: only if Matt Ryan has adequate time to throw and get the offense into a rhythm.
Such was far from the case during Sunday's 29-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This high-octane Falcons offense looked rather pedestrian in scoring 20.3 points less than their season average. Ryan, who completed 29 of 44 passes for season-low 228 yards and a touchdown, was sacked a season-high five times and was hit nine times. The Falcons managed a mere four-of-15 on third down. And the third-ranked offensive in the league set a new season-low with 254 total yards.
``We've got to play ahead of the sticks, and we're not doing that right now,'' said White, who has nine catches for a season-high 100 yards in defeat. ``It's frustrating because we're going out there and we're digging holes and we're basically putting ourselves in them. We aren't getting out of them. It's hurting our defense. It's hurting our team.
``Right now, we're just not that good on offense.''
The line took its share of the blame of the woes. Losing center Peter Konz was far from the main reason for the protection issues.
``We didn't give Matt enough of a chance to make things happen down the field,'' said left guard Justin Blalock. (The Ravens) played well. They played very, very well. They got after us, were able to exploit some things in protection. And obviously, they are very good players on top of that. They came out and played their asses off today.''
Coach Mike Smith was asked if the Ravens speed or physicality contributed to the line woes.
``They won the line of scrimmage both with their strength and with their quickness,'' Smith said. ``They beat us cleanly off the edge a couple of times. We didn't pass some games inside. And Matt was under duress by games and then the one-on-one pass rush as well. And again, when you're down and having to throw the football, it makes it even more difficult for your offensive line.''
The Falcons sit a 2-5 and have lost four in a row as they prepare for a week-long stay in London for next Sunday's matchup with the Lions. Any hope of ending the losing skid depends on fixing the sudden issues on offense, particularly if the defense shows the type of improvement it did Sunday.
Ryan really had no chance against a strong Ravens defensive front that swarmed from all directions.
``When you go out there and get beat soundly, I think everybody knows we've got to play better across the board,'' Ryan said. ``We've all played football for long enough to know when you're getting your butt kicked, you've got to do something different and something better.
``I think across the board -- offense, offensive line, running backs, tight ends, wide receivers -- we've got to do this together. We've got to become better today. Hopefully, we're able to find a way to get that done this week.''
Twice in the third quarter, the Falcons failed on fourth-down plays as they trailed 20-0. One was a four-and-7 play from the Ravens' 37-yard line which resulted in Ryan getting sacked for a 12-yard loss. The other was a fourth-and-1 play on the very next drive when Ryan threw a short pass to Devonta Feeman, who got thrown down for no gain.
``The first fourth down that we had, we had a little drive going and it was right out of the half,'' White said. ``I felt like if we would have got that and could have just gone down and scored a touchdown, we would have been A-Ok.
``It's frustrating, especially when your coach is pushing the pedal to the metal. Smitty is giving us an opportunity on offense, going for it on fourth down instead of kicking field goals. He's giving us chances that we have to go out there and execute. That's not on the head coach. That's not on the coaching staff. That's on the players.''
The season continues to look like a lost one as the Falcons play their next three games away from the Georgia Dome. They haven't won a road game since Week 13 of last season against Buffalo in Toronto. The only thing working in their favor is a weak NFC South, with none of the four teams above .500.
``It's tough, but nothing is impossible though,'' receiver Julio Jones said. ``We just have to keep fighting. We can turn this thing around, if we get going. We can be 11-5, you know that though? We can be 11-5.''
