Falcons Pass Rush Shows Massive Improvement vs. Saints
The Atlanta Falcons are picking up the pieces after the team's 27-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints Sunday at home, but they still can hang their hat on a few details during the game.
One of the biggest points of emphasis this offseason was to improve the pass rush after logging just 18 sacks as a team all of last season. In their opening game yesterday, the team recorded four sacks, 22% of last year's total.
Grady Jarrett recorded 1.5 sacks, more than he had all of last season. Veteran free agent signee Lorenzo Carter combined on a half sack with Jarrett.
Second-round rookie Arnold Ebiketie recorded his first NFL sack, while linebacker Mykal Walker also made his presence known, tallying two tackles for loss and a sack in the box score.
What the box score doesn't show is all of the other times the Falcons nearly added to that total. The pressure was on Jameis Winston and the Saints for most of the game, but once the Falcons reverted to a soft zone in the fourth quarter, it allowed their opponent to creep back in the game.
The defense played with a tenacity unlike one we saw last year, which alludes to what defensive coordinator Dean Pees said about the defense before the season started.
“We’re changing the culture around this dadgum place,” Pees said. “It’s not going to be mediocre. It’s not going to be average. It’s not going to be in the bottom half of the league like it’s been 15 of the last 20 years. Sick of that crap. We’ve got to take charge, and it’s not going to be anyone else to do it but us."
What we saw from the Falcons pass rush in the first game is a sign of the culture changing, but also a baby step of progress rather than a leap.
The pass rush will look to take another step forward Sunday when it faces the defending champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
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