The Falcoholic
Stewing over that one and not sure how to distract yourself? Snap counts may help, so we’ve got ‘em hot and fresh.
Michael Penix: 76
Jake Matthews: 76
Matthew Bergeron: 76
Ryan Neuzil: 76
Chris Lindstrom: 76
Elijah Wilkinson: 76
Casey Washington: 72
Drake London: 67
Bijan Robinson: 63
Kyle Pitts: 59
Ray-Ray McCloud: 55
Charlie Woerner: 32
Tyler Allgeier: 19
KhaDarel Hodge: 8
Teagan Quitoriano: 2
David Sills: 2
Feleipe Franks: 1
Few surprises here. KhaDarel Hodge is still the man who steps in when Drake London is hurt, Bijan still outsnaps Allgeier by a huge degree even if their carries are pretty even, and the Falcons still use Pitts more often than Woerner. Pitts, I thought, threw some nice blocks yesterday that more than justified that work alongside his production as a receiver.
I thought we might see a little more run for the backup tight ends, especially in the run game with so little working, but that was not an avenue Zac Robinson seemed particularly keen to explore. That and Allgeier’s workload—10 carries on 19 snaps, making it fairly obvious it was going to be a run when he was in the game—made Atlanta’s struggles to run the ball even more pronounced. I’ll be curious to see how that personnel use changes, if it does, against the Vikings. One quality note? Elijah Wilkinson was one of the team’s better run-blocking offensive linemen yesterday.
Otherwise, the only intrigue here is what will happen to Casey Washington when Darnell Mooney returns, potentially as soon as Week 2. I thought he played quite well, but his opportunities are likely to be limited if everyone is healthy.
Jessie Bates: 58
Kaden Elliss: 58
AJ Terrell: 58
Xavier Watts: 58
Mike Hughes: 58
Divine Deablo: 57
Billy Bowman Jr.: 47
Zach Harrison: 36
Leonard Floyd: 34
David Onyemata: 31
Brandon Dorlus: 29
Jalon Walker: 26
Ruke Orhorhoro: 25
Arnold Ebiketie: 25
James Pearce Jr.: 23
LaCale London: 14
Jordan Fuller: 1
No real surprises here, either, though Harrison leading the way for defensive linemen qualifies. He was one of three Falcons credited with three or more pressures on Sunday, joining James Pearce Jr. (4) and Divine Deablo (3) in making Baker Mayfield uncomfortable. It’s the sort of outsized role we’ve been clamoring for given that Harrison has consistently been a useful player.
If there’s any three safety looks to come, they’re probably not going to involve Jordan Fuller, who played just a single snap. DeMarcco Hellams might be able to force his way onto the field when he’s healthy, though. The secondary was rife with impressive performances from Terrell, Bowman, Bates, and Watts, which was especially cool given that two those guys are rookies.
The biggest highlight of all? Deablo played as a full-time starter and looked terrific, exactly like the kind of player the Falcons hoped they were signing, which is a massive early season relief with the team’s depth seeming shaky after the summer....
