The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons look to rebound this week against the Seattle Seahawks after a disappointing loss to the New York Jets. If the Falcons are going to challenge a Seahawks team in the midst of vying for the top seed in the NFC playoff race, they’ll need to see several players step up. But only five Falcons can ever be named, and I’ve identified those at the forefront of needing to be better this Sunday.
Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is once again poised to lead the Falcons in receiving this week with wide receiver Drake London out of the lineup. Pitts has led the team in receiving in two of the three games that London has missed so far. But he’s going to need to be even better this week if the Falcons want to take the soaring Seahawks. Fortunately, he should have a favorable matchup given that the Seahawks have been one of the NFL’s worst teams this season at containing tight ends.
They rank 30th in yards allowed to tight ends this year, one of Seattle’s few defensive weaknesses, while they are the league’s top-ranked unit according to DVOA and second-ranked in expected points added (EPA) per play. But if the Falcons offense is going to do damage, Pitts will need to produce more than usual, averaging six catches and 55 yards in the games that London has missed so far this year. Instead, he may need to have a career day against the Seahawks if this Falcons offense hopes to exploit this singular weakness. A fourth career 100-yard receiving day or the second multi-touchdown game of his career would be welcome.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney also will need to step up alongside Pitts if the Falcons hope to have success against the Seahawks. The Seahawks sport the NFL’s top run defense according to both DVOA and EPA. This makes it unlikely that running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier will have a field day on the ground. Instead, the Falcons’ passing game will have to do the bulk of the heavy lifting against one of the NFL’s best pass defenses. But while the potential has been there the entire season with Mooney, he has failed to deliver. The Falcons’ two starters in Mooney and David Sills last week combined for four catches and 40 yards on nine targets. Since Sills is a journeyman injury replacement stepping in for London, expecting more out of him is probably a pipe dream. Instead, it’s on Mooney to do a lot more heavy lifting if the Falcons’ passing attack is going to do any damage.
Defensively, the Falcons will need a lot more out of defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro if they hope to slow down the Seahawks’ offense. While rookie edge-rushers like Jalon Walker and James Pearce have shone brightly in recent games, the Falcons need more from their interior players like Orhorhoro. Especially this week with [Brandon Dorlus out of...
