• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cold Wire

Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment, TV, Tech ...

  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • MLB
  • Entertainment
  • World News
  • Cold Hard Facts
  • About
You are here: Home / Sports / NFL / Matt Ryan And Falcons Could Be A Bottom-Feeder This Season

Matt Ryan And Falcons Could Be A Bottom-Feeder This Season

By Andrew Pistone September 14, 2021

Kyle Pitts #8 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on during pregame warmups prior to facing the Cleveland Browns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 29, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

 

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.

We must improve from Week 1. pic.twitter.com/j52xBYK3nE

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 13, 2021

 

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.

Arthur Smith spoke to the media following the loss to the Eagles. pic.twitter.com/EeFB66pHKY

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 13, 2021

 

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.

    Get ALL the latest NFL news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Cold Wire NFL newsletter here!    

Recent News

Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up during a joint practice with the Cleveland Browns at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on August 18, 2022 in Berea, Ohio.
The Eagles Took It To The Browns In A Joint Practice
Sam Howell #14 of the Washington Commanders attempts a pass against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of the preseason game at FedExField on August 13, 2022 in Landover, Maryland.
Sam Howell Is Getting First-Team Reps In Washington
Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears looks to pass in the first half during the preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears at Lumen Field on August 18, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.
Justin Fields Is Ready To Change The Bears

Filed Under: Atlanta Falcons Rumors and News (Updated Daily), NFL Tagged With: Atlanta Falcons

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow The Cold Wire!

Primary Sidebar

Search The Cold Wire

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Editorial Guidelines

Contact Us

Sitemap

Advertise

Follow us on

Copyright © 2022 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ·TheColdWire.com

Suggest a Correction

Matt Ryan And Falcons Could Be A Bottom-Feeder This Season

1000 characters remaining