Atlanta Falcons Eye 'Spark' in Cordarrelle Patterson's Injury Return

Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson returned to the field for the first time this season Sunday but played only one offensive snap. That said, Falcons coach Arthur Smith believes getting Patterson back may be what the offense needs to get back on track.

The Atlanta Falcons received a welcomed development prior to the start of last Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as running back Cordarrelle Patterson was active for the first time this season.

Patterson, who missed the first three games of the season with a thigh injury suffered in the middle of August, was questionable entering Week 4 after being limited in practice.

But the 32-year-old Patterson ended up playing ... though he saw just one offensive snap, coming late in the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach.

Why?

Falcons coach Arthur Smith pointed to Atlanta's slow start - trailing 17-0 at halftime and picking up one first down through the first three drives - as the reason for Patterson's lack of involvement, though he did say there were packages in place for the versatile playmaker.

“We had some things for him, but when you start that slow ... it was a lot of time for him to be on the bench," Smith said. "He got in for a play late, but that’s the thing. As CP continues to get healthy, where he can be more of a part of it. We had a couple of things for him.

“The way it flowed early on, didn’t get to it."

Atlanta's rushing offense, which ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season at just under 160 yards per game, has taken a step back thus far, sitting at No. 11 with 128 yards per contest.

With second-year standout Tyler Allgeier having a difficult two-week stretch in which he's recorded only 28 yards on 14 carries, much of the burden has fallen on rookie running back Bijan Robinson.

Of Atlanta's 512 rushing yards, Robinson has 318, or 62 percent. In the last two games, the first-round pick has collected 138 of the Falcons' 171 rushing yards, equating to just over 80 percent of the production.

There's belief in Flowery Branch that Patterson can help turn the tide; after all, he's proven to be consistently valuable in each of his first two years with the Falcons.

"We had some things for him," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said of running back Cordarrelle Patterson's limited debut

In 2021, Patterson became the first player in franchise history to reach 500 rushing and receiving yards in the same season. He followed suit by posting higher marks as a runner in yards (695) and touchdowns (eight) despite taking nine fewer carries and playing in three less games.

Smith shared over the summer that he intends on utilizing Patterson more in the manner of 2021 than 2022, putting him at various spots within the formation and getting him more involved as a receiver.

Patterson's absence, which wasn't initially expected to be this lengthy, has meant that his role still isn't clearly defined. He's also not fully healthy.

But Smith believes both of those problems can be solved in the weeks to come - and could bring life to an offense that's posted only 13 points and one touchdown in the past two games.

“Would hope to continue to take another step this week because if you get a healthy CP out there, that can certainly help our offense," Smith said. “You talk about a spark. That could certainly help, too.”

The term "jumpstart" has quickly become commonplace in Smith's press conferences; his offense has scored 19 first half points this season, an average of 4.75 such points per game.

Atlanta needs more - and Patterson's "spark" may just be able to provide it, starting Sunday against the Houston Texans, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.