Falcons Not Making Coordinator Change as Defense Struggles

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris confirmed his confidence in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.

The Atlanta Falcons' defense ranks among the NFL's worst in many categories. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

One look at the stat sheet may not be needed to understand the Atlanta Falcons' defensive struggles, but it certainly doesn't hurt to check.

The Falcons are last in the NFL in sacks (19), opponent completion percentage (72%), passer rating against (105.5), and touchdowns (26). They're allowing 229.1 passing yards and 25.6 points per game, both 25th league-wide. Atlanta is 23rd in total defense, giving up 349.8 yards per game, and tied for 23rd in takeaways with 11. It ranks No. 17 in the NFL in run defense, as opponents average 120.8 rushing yards per game.

But the Falcons are sticking with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who's in his first year calling plays at the NFL level.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who has experience as an assistant on both sides of the ball, said he's helped the offense and defense in recent weeks, which has led to progress in several areas.

"I'm always able to be helpful on both sides of the ball," said Morris this week. "I've obviously intervened on both, and it's been a lot of really good things that's come out of that. Whether it's been the pass rush, trying to help improving those things, which we've done over the last couple of weeks. Getting about nine sacks in the last two weeks, which was non-existent, which we had to work on to get it better. That's going to help with our passer rating and things of that nature."

Perhaps most importantly, Morris deflected praise from himself toward Lake and assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray.

"I'm so proud of the guys and the coaches that do that, whether it be Jimmy Lake or whether it be Jerry Gray," Morris said Monday.

Yet while Atlanta's defense has taken noticeable steps forward rushing the passer, its secondary fell apart in last Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who completed four plays of at least 40 yards.

Such long plays -- two of which resulted in Vikings touchdowns -- were paired with an inability to get off the field on third downs, as the Falcons allowed Minnesota to convert 8-of-12 tries.

Morris, naturally, wants the Falcons to eliminate the big plays they gave up in Minnesota, tackle better and lower opponents' third down rates on a consistent basis. They're 30th in the NFL in third-down conversions.

The Falcons will give Lake a chance to fix those issues -- and Lake, a former defensive back who spent several years coaching the position at both the college and NFL level, was hired to be an invaluable resource as Atlanta seeks to put a stronger seal on the back line of its defense.

"You’ve got to play tighter coverage, which we did (Sunday)," Morris said. "We gave up a couple long shots. And when you give a couple long shots, some of those one-on-one contested balls, you don't help to complete the percentage."

Morris thought the Falcons did that against Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert the week prior, as Herbert completed only 16-for-23 passes for 147 yards. Los Angeles converted only 3-of-11 tries on third down, as well.

However, taking on an injured rookie Ladd McConkey and inconsistent second-year pro Quinton Johnston led to some false positives against the Chargers.

Moving forward, the Falcons want consistency. It starts at the top, where Lake will continue getting opportunities to prove Morris correct in his belief.

How much Lake delivers may ultimately decide Atlanta's postseason hopes and his future with the Falcons beyond this season.