The Falcoholic
Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s vision for an enhanced pass rush centered on a sustainable four-man rush. He said as much after the team’s dual first-round selections of edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce in this past year’s draft:
“The best defenses are the ones where they have four down, five down, they get down and they got guys that can just win. The people that are constantly fabricating defense and gimmicking things up…there’s good weeks, there’s bad weeks, there’s good weeks, there’s bad weeks. And we’re trying to create greatness here that can be sustained.”
The Falcons finally achieved that greatness in their Week 12 win over the New Orleans Saints, and hopefully, it’s the first of many more days like that to come.
The Falcons’ pass rush has already vastly improved this season, ranking third in the NFL with 39 sacks. But that improvement has been fueled by a dominant blitz. The Falcons have brought five or more pass rushers on 41 percent of opposing pass plays, which also ranks second-highest in the league according to Next Gen Stats. Their 18 percent sack rate on those blitzes leads the NFL, and their 51 percent pressure ranks fifth. The fact that linebacker Kaden Elliss was leading the team with 24 pressures (according to PFF) entering Week 12 is also a testament to their reliance on the blitz.
But things changed last Sunday against the Saints. The Falcons blitzed a season-low eight times, on just 15 percent of the Saints’ dropbacks. Yet they generated pressure 38 percent of the time, matching their season’s overall pressure rate. Entering the week, the Falcons had generated pressure on only 29 percent of their four-man rushes, ranking 27th.
That four-man rush on Sunday was led by Pearce, Arnold Ebiketie, and Leonard Floyd, who combined for 15 pressures against the Saints. Entering the week, Pearce had done most of his damage on blitzes, with 14 of his 23 pressures coming when the Falcons rushed five or more. But his ability to take advantage of a pair of subpar Saints offensive tackles is part of a big step in his development.
Pearce has seemingly turned a corner in recent weeks, pacing the Falcons with 15 pressures in their last four games. That has produced a pressure rate of 16 percent, more than double his 7 percent rate from the previous four outings. That, combined with a similar boost from Walker recently, suggests a bright future for the Falcons’ pass rush beyond 2025.
However, for the remainder of this season, the Falcons will likely still lean on a heavy rotation between their edge rushers. Even though Pearce and Walker are stepping up, Ebiketie and Floyd remain critical components. Flying under the radar is that Ebiketie led the Falcons with six pressures against the Saints. At the same time, Floyd...
