The Atlanta Falcons cleaned house in many key areas of their football operation heading into this season.
They hired a new head coach in Arthur Smith to give their offense some creativity and new life.
They brought in running back Mike Davis from the division rival Carolina Panthers in order to provide a boost catching passes out of the backfield.
The franchise drafted super tight end prospect Kyle Pitts in order to lock down that position for the next 10-15 years.
While those were all prudent moves at the time, it might not be enough for Atlanta to avoid bottom-feeder status in the NFC South this season.
Atlanta’s 32-6 defeat at home to the Philadelphia Eagles is a cause for concern moving forward, and things might not get much better for them in the ensuing weeks and months.
Is Matt Ryan Finished?
Atlanta’s chances to make the playoffs in 2021 centered around aging quarterback Matt Ryan’s ability to have a great year with some different weapons around him.
Week 1 was not a good start for him, as he was not able to get anything going down the field.
Calvin Ridley led the team in receiving with 51 yards, which sheds light on the type of day it was for Ryan and the Falcons offense.
Ryan isn’t the type of player who’s going to extend plays with his legs or make something out of nothing.
If what he expects to see is not present during the final step of his three, five, or seven-step drop, it makes life difficult for Atlanta.
The offensive line didn’t do him many favors, as they allowed Ryan to get hit eight times on Sunday, including three sacks.
Was Arthur Smith Overhyped?
Former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Smith has been heralded as one of the more brilliant and promising minds on that side of the ball in the NFL.
His name had been mentioned in the last couple of head coaching search cycles, and he was able to land his first job with Atlanta.
Smith’s game-planning with Tennessee the last couple of seasons made them a threat in the AFC, but we didn’t see much in the way of adjustments of creativity against Philadelphia.
Keep in mind that the other head coach in that game, Nick Sirianni, was also head coaching his first NFL contest, so it wasn’t like Smith was pitted against a sage veteran.
Smith had the benefit of keeping game plans simple in Tennessee by allowing Derrick Henry to wear down defenses, but he doesn’t have that luxury in Atlanta.
It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts next week against Tampa Bay.
Will Their Defense Be Able To Improve?
Atlanta’s defense was one of the worst in the NFL last season.
They conceded the most passing yards, the third-most passing touchdowns, and were toward the bottom of the league in sacks.
Against a largely unknown quantity in Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Falcons did not put up much resistance.
Hurts largely did whatever he wanted, and threw for three touchdowns.
If the Falcons offense isn’t able to bounce back, they’ll need their defense to provide some toughness, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether that will happen.
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