Falcons Coach Arthur Smith 'Very Pleased' With Offensive Line's Showing vs. Saints
What a difference a year makes.
In the 2021 season-opener, the Atlanta Falcons lost 32-6 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Atlanta's offensive line allowed three sacks on quarterback Matt Ryan, who was under fire seemingly all game.
Fast forward to last Sunday. While the end result - a 27-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints - remained the same, the performance from the group up front was entirely different.
The Falcons had two new starters in left guard Elijah Wilkinson and center Drew Dalman, replacing Jalen Mayfield and Matt Hennessy, respectively, to pair with returning starters Jake Matthews (left tackle), Chris Lindstrom (right guard) and Kaleb McGary (right tackle), and while the effort wasn't perfect, it was certainly a big step forward.
Throughout the contest, it was evident there were more running lanes available and fewer pressures in the backfield compared to a season ago. Granted, new Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota presents a much more mobile option than Ryan, but he was still given several clean pockets to work from.
However, the offensive line wasn't just stout visually. The unit fared well in several statistical measures, both standard and advanced.
Atlanta's front five didn't allow a sack, something it did just twice all of last season. The Falcons led the league with only one QB hit allowed and finished fourth in ESPN's pass block win rate.
Atlanta graded out seventh in run block win rate and carved open holes time and again vs. New Orleans. The Falcons ran for 201 yards on the ground as a team, the first time they've cleared the 200-yard mark since Dec. 16, 2018. 120 of those yards belonged to running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who averaged a staggering 5.5 yards per carry despite his longest run being just 15 yards, which speaks to his - and the line's - consistency.
The Falcons' offensive line passed the eye test and had the stats to back it up. Better yet? The group passed the biggest test of them all: head coach Arthur Smith's.
"The positives, I thought the lines of scrimmage played pretty well for the most part, wasn't perfect," Smith said after Atlanta's loss. "You run the ball 38 times for 200 yards, (it will) give you a chance most weeks. Felt we kept Marcus pretty clean."
One quarterback hit and zero sacks certainly qualifies as keeping the quarterback clean. However, a bigger challenge is lurking for the Falcons' blockers, as the team travels to take on the Los Angeles Rams and seven-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
If the Falcons are able to keep Donald relatively quiet and Mariota upright, it'll be another statement that the group has taken a significant step forward. In the meantime, Smith and the Falcons are focused on getting better each day and building on a development-filled offseason, which appears to be paying off by the day.
"Certainly, we made a lot of progress," said Smith. "Very pleased for the most part with how they played up front."
That progress will be put to the test Sunday when the Falcons face Donald and the Rams in Los Angeles. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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