Falconsroach7
Starter
Sitting at the 1/3 mark of the NFL 2016 season, the Atlanta Falcons are 6-0. This is a team that has taken away many of the negatives from their 2015 season and improved upon the positives of that year to lead them to an undefeated record. While it's still a long trek to the end of the regular season, this article was assess the performances of each offensive group thus far this year in helping Atlanta remain undefeated.
Quarterbacks:
There's only one man who has played QB for Atlanta this season; and, so far, he's been one bad man. And not in the typical bad Way. Ryan has tossed the football for 1475 yards, 19 touchdowns and 6 picks and a completion percentage of 70% for a passer rating of 123.0. While the picks are slightly troublesome, Ryan has been playing the best football of his career, completely leading this team anytime a game was in doubt. The falcons' success this season is 100% a reflection of Ryan's fantastic season.
Grade: A
Running Backs
After a scorching start, the RB corps has cooled off a bit. Tevin Coleman is still having a great year averaging 6.0 yards per carry with 545 yards, but he has been slowed a bit in the past two games. Meanwhile, Monte ball has looked very ineffective after an impressive preseason, managing a measley 3.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns to his name. Bensly taylor has surpassed him as the #2 option on the offense as his number of touches has increased over the course of the past couple weeks, and he's been taking advantage by averaging 4.5 YPC with a TD to his name. Look for continued production from Coleman and more opportunities for Taylor while Ball becomes more limited
Grade: A-
Wide Receivers
When was the last time Julio Jones didn't lead this team in every category? Can't remember? Me neither, but this is a new Era. Rookie Avery Reed has been absolutely sensational. While teams have double teamed Julio, Reed has been incredibly capable of dominating defenders one-on-one to the tune of 434 yards off 26 receptions and 7 touchdowns. Julio is still getting his, as he's nabbed 6 touchdowns off 29 catches for 386 yards. What we've seen is Julio running underneath routes and Reed blowing the top off the defense, an interesting turn that resembles Julio and Roddy in JJ's first season. While not a critical part of the offense, new-addition Marvin Jones has helping out the offense by hauling in 5 TDs. Overall, this group is the direct beneficiary of Matt Ryan's excellence.
Grade: A
Offensive line
The offensive line has been good enough, but not as great as they should be. They've allowed a total of 9 sacks, with 3 going to RG Jon Asamoah who has seen his production dip this season. It's tough to grade a group like this on stats alone, so you must watch the games to really see the work they're putting in. In most scenarios, Ryan has all day in the pocket and the Running Backs have wide open holes to burst to the second level through. However, when one man gets beat, the line has a tendency to crumble altogether and the play becomes a disaster. For the remainder of the season, the goal of this group is to learn how to recover in the middle of a play and salvage it rather than losing 7 yards automatically.
Grade: B+
Overall, the offense has been productive and efficient. They're ranked #2 in the NFL, and for good cause, as they are playing lights out. In the next edition of players' review, we will analyze the defensive groups and determine their grades.
Quarterbacks:
There's only one man who has played QB for Atlanta this season; and, so far, he's been one bad man. And not in the typical bad Way. Ryan has tossed the football for 1475 yards, 19 touchdowns and 6 picks and a completion percentage of 70% for a passer rating of 123.0. While the picks are slightly troublesome, Ryan has been playing the best football of his career, completely leading this team anytime a game was in doubt. The falcons' success this season is 100% a reflection of Ryan's fantastic season.
Grade: A
Running Backs
After a scorching start, the RB corps has cooled off a bit. Tevin Coleman is still having a great year averaging 6.0 yards per carry with 545 yards, but he has been slowed a bit in the past two games. Meanwhile, Monte ball has looked very ineffective after an impressive preseason, managing a measley 3.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns to his name. Bensly taylor has surpassed him as the #2 option on the offense as his number of touches has increased over the course of the past couple weeks, and he's been taking advantage by averaging 4.5 YPC with a TD to his name. Look for continued production from Coleman and more opportunities for Taylor while Ball becomes more limited
Grade: A-
Wide Receivers
When was the last time Julio Jones didn't lead this team in every category? Can't remember? Me neither, but this is a new Era. Rookie Avery Reed has been absolutely sensational. While teams have double teamed Julio, Reed has been incredibly capable of dominating defenders one-on-one to the tune of 434 yards off 26 receptions and 7 touchdowns. Julio is still getting his, as he's nabbed 6 touchdowns off 29 catches for 386 yards. What we've seen is Julio running underneath routes and Reed blowing the top off the defense, an interesting turn that resembles Julio and Roddy in JJ's first season. While not a critical part of the offense, new-addition Marvin Jones has helping out the offense by hauling in 5 TDs. Overall, this group is the direct beneficiary of Matt Ryan's excellence.
Grade: A
Offensive line
The offensive line has been good enough, but not as great as they should be. They've allowed a total of 9 sacks, with 3 going to RG Jon Asamoah who has seen his production dip this season. It's tough to grade a group like this on stats alone, so you must watch the games to really see the work they're putting in. In most scenarios, Ryan has all day in the pocket and the Running Backs have wide open holes to burst to the second level through. However, when one man gets beat, the line has a tendency to crumble altogether and the play becomes a disaster. For the remainder of the season, the goal of this group is to learn how to recover in the middle of a play and salvage it rather than losing 7 yards automatically.
Grade: B+
Overall, the offense has been productive and efficient. They're ranked #2 in the NFL, and for good cause, as they are playing lights out. In the next edition of players' review, we will analyze the defensive groups and determine their grades.