The objective of both teams is to wear down their opponent at the line of scrimmage.
What is necessary for the Falcons to win?
The red helmets have returned. The Falcons have a perfect record after winning their home debut since the 2017 campaign.
In Sunday’s Week 1 victory over, Bijan Robinson and Jessie Bates III lived up to expectations. Carolina.
But with a new foe coming to town this Sunday, what happened against the Panthers isn’t really that important.
fresh week. new obstacles.
We can keep that since the triumphant return of the red helmets does mean a lot. The Falcons want to duplicate everything else in Week 2.
At 1 p.m., the Falcons face the Green Bay Packers.
m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
There are many positive aspects of this matchup.
It has the makings of being enjoyable.
So let’s have a conversation about it.
Observe those who are injured.
On Sunday, two potential starters could return, according to the Falcons.
Since the first few weeks of training camp, the Falcons have been without Cordarrelle Patterson and Jeff Okudah because Okudah has a foot injury and Patterson has a thigh injury.
Patterson could play on Sunday because he was designated for no game on Friday despite taking part fully in practice all week.
On the list of suspects was Okudah.
There is a realm where Okudah is active but doesn’t start, according to head coach Arthur Smith.
As kickoff nears, more information about his condition will become available.
Michael Pitre, the running backs coach for the Falcons, responded when asked about the possibility of Patterson returning, saying that his presence “doesn’t alter” the team’s running back strategy. Pitre claimed that it only gives the Falcons another weapon to take into account on defense. This is consistent with earlier discussions with Smith and Patterson during the first few weeks of training camp, during which both parties expressed a desire for Patterson’s role to resemble the multi-positional style from the 2021 season rather than 2022, when he would have to be used as a more conventional running back.
Four Packers players were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Atlanta: RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (hamstring), OT David Bakhtiari (knee), and LB Quay Walker (concussion).
When considering the following section of this article, Jones’ status may be extremely important.
Which running back squad rules the land?
With the aid of their running backs, the Packers and Falcons both hope to wear down their opponent.
Week 1 saw both teams accomplish that.
The Falcons last Sunday defeated the Panthers’ defense thanks to the explosive duo of Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson. Together, Robinson and Allgeier were responsible for 80.1% of Atlanta’s overall offense and all three of the Falcons’ touchdowns in the victory.
Although Jones, A., and the Packers’ other running backs are.
J.
Although Dillon and Patrick Taylor didn’t perform at that level of production, they still contributed significantly to the Packers’ victory over the Bears on Sunday.
to the Bears.
The Packers’ running backs contributed 56.2% of all offensive output for Green Bay.
Although it isn’t 80%, it is more than enough to warrant attention.
Which defense can stop the opposing team’s running backs will be crucial in this game.
On Sunday, the Falcons defense will be working to strengthen its run defense while we continue to monitor Jones’ game status.
Inside linebacker Troy Andersen, one of their top tacklers, won’t be able to help them.
Andersen has been going through the concussion protocol this week and was exempt from the game on Sunday, according to Smith.
Most likely, Nate Landman will collaborate with Kaden Elliss.
In their matchup with the Falcons last Sunday, the Panthers averaged 4 point 8 yards per carry.
On Sunday, this defense will try to lower that total.
But the good news is that last week against the Packers, the Bears averaged 4 points and 2 yards per carry when they ran the ball. The team that can alter these rushing totals the most may increase their chances of winning on Sunday.
No Love was lost in the defensive front attack.
In his first game as the Packers’ starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love didn’t miss a beat.
In order for Green Bay to begin the 2023 season with a victory, his performance on Sunday was crucial.
15 out of 27 were love-related. He did not turn the ball over while he completed three touchdown passes.
To attack Love in a way that they didn’t against Bryce Young, the Falcons defense must approach him earlier than they did against Bryce Young.
Yes, the Falcons defense put Young in an awkward position, but some of his worst moments occurred in the second half, particularly when Jessie Bates III’s mistakes kept leading to touchdowns for the offense as the Atlanta lead grew.
It should be a goal of the Falcons defense to make Love as uncomfortable as they did Young in the second half of the game on Sunday.
Will the Falcons be able to continue limiting explosive plays in Week 2?
The absence of explosive plays allowed in Week 1 was a triumph for this defense.
On Sunday, Young was pressured at the line of scrimmage and the back end’s tight coverage prevented him from completing passes farther than 14 yards.
Late in the game, even when the Panthers were in clear passing situations, they were unable to stretch the field as much as they would have liked. Young was 1-for-8 for 11 yards on throws between 10 and 19 and 20 or more air yards, as was noted in this week’s Nerdy Birds report.
This is always the aim of the Falcons defense, according to assistant head coach for defense Jerry Gray.
Eliminating explosive plays is one of the things we try to do, Grady said.
“If you look at the NFL, explosive plays often result in losses for you if you allow too many of them.
As defensive backs and a defense, we are acutely aware of this and comprehend that, “Hey, look.”.
You’ll have a better chance of making plays if you limit explosive plays and require the team to put in long hours.
‘ dot. We make an effort to make the team work hard over time.
A successful attempt would be to go 14, 15 plays.
“.
Like they did against Chicago, the Packers want to profit from big plays on Sunday.
Love’s completions of 51 yards to Jones, 37 yards to Luke Musgrave, and 30 yards to Jayden Reed in particular helped flip the field and put the Packers in advantageous field position.
The Falcons could maintain their strong defensive position if they can keep plays like this and other long runs in the run game to a minimum (Atlanta allowed five runs of over 10 yards against the Panthers last week).
It’s the big, ugly problem.
Nobody’s targets, or lack thereof, for Kyle Pitts and Drake London, has generated more discussion in the days following Sunday’s victory. Smith claimed following the contest that the Falcons aren’t concerned with fantasy football or specific statistics.
One thing is important to them, according to Smith: winning. They succeeded in winning despite not receiving a catch from London.
QB Desmond Ridder responded that he understands the frustration when asked about London’s (and Pitts’) targets during his press conference on Wednesday.
Ridder said, “I know I would definitely struggle if I played wide receiver out there and it happens like that.
However, my relationship with Drake has developed to the point where I can tell him, “Hey, we’ll find you the ball; the ball is going to get to you.
Do not be concerned.
It doesn’t matter how we win, I’ve said before, because of the culture we’ve developed here.
Everyone will be thrilled on Monday as long as we triumph.
“.
Ridder continued by saying that forcing the ball to a particular player can lead to quarterbacks getting into trouble.
He described it as “trying to create things, make things happen that aren’t there.”.
The Falcons were also successfully running the ball against Carolina on a regular basis. So, if something is working, keep doing it until it stops.
On Sunday, we’ll see what’s working for the Falcons.