Matt Ryan needs to help Falcons regain offensive swagger – Atlanta Falcons Blog

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PHILADELPHIA — The Atlanta Falcons were confident their offense would come to life once the regular season started and Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman returned to the lineup after sitting out in preseason.

Not exactly.

Thursday’s season-opener against the Eagles was about survival as both teams struggled offensively and turned the ball over. But from the Falcons’ perspective, it was far from the ideal way to start Year 2 under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

The 18-12 loss magnified the same red-zone issues that plagued the Falcons last season. The Falcons finished one for five in the red zone, and Ryan threw a red-zone interception. Early in the game, the Falcons didn’t even have Jones on the field during one red-zone opportunity that he set up with a long pass play.

Like last year’s divisional playoff game against these same Eagles, the Falcons had a chance to win it in the end. And just like what happened in that postseason game, the Falcons failed to score with four opportunities — make that five, following an Eagles defensive penalty –in a goal-line situation from the 5-yard line. Sarkisian went with a spread look on each play, but Matt Ryan was under duress and couldn’t find his safety net in Jones, or anyone else, for the game-winning score.

Ryan, facing higher expectations after signing a five-year, $150 million contract in the offseason, didn’t get into the rhythm he expected after the offense sputtered some in the preseason. Sure, Ryan had some success throwing to Jones, who caught 10 passes for 169 yards on 19 targets. But Jones was the only receiver that did anything, really.

And Tevin Coleman had the Falcons’ lone touchdown on a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Yes, the high-powered Falcons didn’t get into the end zone until the 9:53 mark of the fourth quarter. They were 4 for 15 on third down.

Ryan finished the game completing 21 of 43 passes for 251 yards with no touchdowns, the interception, and a passer rating of 57.4. Ryan was 0 for 2 when targeting Jones in the end zone. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Ryan is 1 for 20 when targeting Jones in the end zone the last two seasons, including the playoff.

The Falcons, a team that averaged a league-best 33.8 points per game two seasons ago, have way too many offensive weapons to struggle. If they don’t get it corrected quickly, they can forget about winning the NFC South, let alone competing for a Super Bowl bid at home inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.



Source : ESPN