Falcon Report

Falcons Pass Rush Shows Massive Improvement vs. Saints

The Falcons looked a lot better in the front seven Sunday.

Jeremy Brener

Falcons Pass Rush Shows Massive Improvement vs. Saints
Falcons Pass Rush Shows Massive Improvement vs. Saints /
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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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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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