NFL Offense Rankings: Falcons Forging 'Unique Identity'

The Atlanta Falcons might run the football more than any other team in the NFL.

Jeremy Brener | May 15, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons' offense is a massive question mark coming into the 2023 season.

Even though the team has drafted a top-10 pick in each of the past three seasons on a skill player, the Falcons still have a question mark at quarterback. Given the team's quarterback struggles, Atlanta seeks to win games with the rushing attack ... one that hopes to be among the league's best.

With the team's shaky passing game but effective rushing attack, the Falcons ranked 16th in Bleacher Report's offensive rankings.

"Arthur Smith is the right guy to bring this personnel together," Bleacher Report writes. "At Tennessee, he helped build offenses around Derrick Henry that went to, and had success in, the playoffs. The biggest question is whether Desmond Ridder can be the quarterback who makes it work. This team isn't going to approach offense the same as most of the league. They are well-equipped to forge a unique identity, though."

It remains to be seen how much the Falcons will commit to the run, but drafting Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick in the draft could mean Atlanta will run the ball more than any other team in the league. Teaming Robinson up with Tyler Allgeier, who broke the franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie in 2022, could create one of the league's most dynamic duos.

While the rest of the league plans to advance the ball with more emphasis through the air, the Falcons hope to turn back the clock with traditional, smash mouth football ... and if it works, Atlanta could be one of the league's biggest surprises in the upcoming season.

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Published May 15, 2023

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.