Atlanta Falcons Preparing for Washington Commanders 'Great' Defense

Ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcon's head coach Arthur Smith was complimentary of his opponent's defense.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was complimentary of his opposition’s defensive line ahead of his team's game against the Washington Commanders.

“[They have a] Great front,” Smith said. “They’ve invested a lot in it, four first-rounders. They’ve doubled down on the interior two guys in [Daron] Payne and [Jonathan] Allen. Very talented football team. When you come off a loss like that, we know they had more time to prepare; they’ve had to sit with it. We’ll get their best shot here Sunday.”

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur SMith was complimentary of the impact that Daron Payne has on the Washington Commander's defensive line / Geoff Burke - USA Today Sports

The Commanders enter this game after a 40-20 loss to the Chicago Bears last Thursday and will be hungry for a win as they look to bounce back with a win.

Despite all the talent Washington has in the trenches, they have given up the ninth-most rushing yards in the league so far, which means running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier could have some room to get the Falcons run game more involved than it was a week ago.

Last week, the Falcons bounced back with a win against the Houston Texans thanks to quarterback Desmond Ridder stepping up as a passer and throwing for over 300 yards for the first time this season.

The Commanders' focus will likely be to make Ridder try to beat them, considering his play has been up to down to begin the season, with many feeling that he still hasn’t proven himself as Atlanta’s long-term starter.

The Falcons and Commanders are set to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday.