Falcons 'Like the Direction' NFL-Worst Pass Rush is Headed

The Atlanta Falcons have an NFL-low five sacks this season, but head coach Raheem Morris is optimistic about the trajectory of the team's pass rush.

Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie is still searching for his first sack this season. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton two things on Monday: Red Rifle, an oft-used nickname for the red-headed Dalton, and a Michael Vick lookalike in Sunday's 38-20 Falcons victory.

Morris's comparison between Dalton and Vick -- done with a good-natured smile -- centered around Dalton's pocket mobility and the frequency with which he escaped pressure from Atlanta's defensive front.

The 36-year-old Dalton isn't known for his ability to extend plays -- but the Falcons' defense hasn't exactly earned a reputation for sacking quarterbacks.

Atlanta has an NFL-worst five sacks, and only six other teams are still in single digits. Four of those six have played one fewer game than the Falcons. Six individual players have more sacks than Atlanta.

Yet Morris believes the Falcons, who failed to sack Dalton, are trending in the right direction -- and merely need to find ways to finish when pressure gets home.

"I do like where we're going," Morris said Monday. "The pressure rate and ... the actual knocking the quarterback down has gotten better. We have missed some layups, and we've got to make those layups and some of the sacks. We missed a couple (Sunday). We've got to make those.

"If you make those, that gets your sack rates up."

Morris noted the Falcons missed roughly three sacks or other opportunities to drop Dalton to the ground, but Atlanta hit him three times and generated pressure on 30% of its attempts, according to Next Gen Stats.

Finishing is the next step. For now, Morris, a defensive-minded coach at heart, finds solace in the progress -- but he remains cognizant that Atlanta's pass rush is far from where it needs to be.

"It's getting better," Morris said. "Still not good enough, make no mistake about it. But I do like where we're going. I do like the direction. I do like the uptick and the fact that we can do it. I do like finding different pass rush units that can get out there and get a four-man rush for you, that can be able to get some more stats.

"But for the most part, I like where the team's going as far as what we're doing and what we're trying to get done."

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The Falcons have long struggled rushing the passer. They totaled just 39 sacks from 2021-22 before a breakthrough 42-sack season in 2023 that still ranked 21st in the NFL. But many key faces from that unit are gone, including defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the team's sack leaders, Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, who had 6.5 apiece and signed elsewhere this past offseason.

Their difficulties pre-date 2021, and Morris, who was on staff from 2015-20 when the Falcons ranked outside the top 20 in sacks four times in a six-year span, is well aware.

It's why when Morris spoke at league owners' meetings in March he said he'd always prioritize pass rush for as long as he was the Falcons' head coach.

Atlanta bypassed drafting an edge rusher at No. 8 overall, instead selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but the Falcons still committed capital to addressing the position. They drafted outside linebacker Bralen Trice in the third round and traded a 2025 third-round pick to the New England Patriots for four-time Pro Bowler Matt Judon.

Trice, however, tore his ACL during the preseason opener and Judon has collected only 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits while trying to get acclimated in Atlanta.

The Falcons expected steps forward from third-year outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie and second-year defensive end Zach Harrison, neither of whom have recorded sacks this season. Ebiketie is second on the team with four quarterback hits, though he's yet to build toward besting last year's five sacks.

Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has been Atlanta's best pass rusher. He's tied with Judon for the team lead in sacks with 1.5 while boasting seven quarterback hits. But Jarrett coming off a season-ending ACL injury, who's often been a bright spot on pass rush-challenged Falcons defenses, knows the unit needs to be better overall.

"We've got to keep working and keep pushing, and we can’t get discouraged," Jarrett said postgame. "At the end of the day, it’s an area we have to be better in and there’s no hiding it. The only way you’re going to get better is by continuing to work and continuing to press, and that’s what we’re going to do."

Part of Atlanta's lack of production stems from its opponents -- defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake noted Oct. 10 the Falcons have played several quarterbacks who prioritize getting the ball out quickly, thus reducing the team Atlanta's pass rush has to get home.

Morris pointed to another factor: The Falcons need to be better on first and second downs to put opposing offenses in obvious passing situations. In Carolina, they did that -- but still failed to finish, which is ultimately Morris's biggest gripe entering Week 7.

"Just getting the guys out there in the prime situations to be able to go out there and get it done," Morris said about solving the pass rush. "(Sunday), we had a couple of prime situations and some sack opportunities to rush the passer on known passing downs and we missed some of those layups. You've got to make those layups."

Those opportunities weren't going to come in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Morris said, because it simply wasn't going to be that type of game. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields and Philadelphia Eagles signal caller Jalen Hurts are each difficult to bring down due to their athleticism and ability to maneuver the pocket.

Still, Atlanta left its first two games with three sacks. Pass rush productivity has struggled in the four games since.

Dalton and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are more apt to stand in the pocket and prioritize throwing the ball -- something they do at a high level because they know precisely what's asked of them on each play. The Falcons didn't sack either.

Atlanta recorded one sack apiece on New Orleans Saints passer Derek Carr in Week 4 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield in Week 5. Mayfield had a strong game as a scrambler, totaling a season-high 42 yards on six attempts.

And so, be it because of the types of quarterbacks the Falcons have faced or the disadvantageous down-and-distance spots they've been in, Atlanta's first six games culminated in a league-worst sack tally.

But Morris is adamant the unit is trending up. He said pass rushing is about putting players in the right spot in the right moments to maximize their talent -- and Atlanta's first-year coaching staff is still trying to learn how its players perform when bullets are flying.

Yet as the Falcons have found more about their players, Morris believes the team's pass rush efficiency has improved, even if the number of sacks hasn't.

"I think we're heading in the right direction because of what we've done in the second halves of ballgames," Morris said. "Limiting the Bucs to six points and limiting (Carolina) to three, that puts you in the right spot. We've just got to finish off the deal with sacks. We've got to finish off the deal with some of the production that you would justify more.

"The pressure rate and quarterback hits have gone up. Now we've got to get the quarterback sacks, the quarterback pressures, the forced fumbles, and that will be able to break some of these games open."

Despite its struggles sacking quarterbacks, Atlanta's pass defense has been strong.

The Falcons allow completions on 73.2% of opposing pass attempts, the highest number in the NFL, but they rank No. 6 in yards per completion (6.3) and No. 9 in passing defense, holding opponents to 193 yards per game through the air.

Lake's unit has adopted a bend-but-don't-break style, one that has the Falcons at No. 15 league-wide in scoring defense at 22.5 points allowed per game. Atlanta still hasn't trailed by more than one possession, in large part because its defense has made timely stops and held opposing offenses to demoralizing field goals.

But for the Falcons, who have won three straight games and sit at 4-2 for the first time since 2016, to maximize a season trending toward postseason promise, they'll need more from the pass rush.

Morris knows it and plans to address it -- but he's pleased to be doing so while standing atop the NFC South.

"Obviously we'll talk about how 'do we get our pass rush better?' and all those things and we'll do those things," Morris said postgame. "And you have a chance to keep working at those things while you're winning, and that's always a good thing that we want to do."

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