Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson Playing Best Football of His Career
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The Atlanta Falcons (1-2) are celebrating their first win of the season this week after a 27-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks (1-2) at Lumen Field. One of the biggest reasons behind the victory came from running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
Through three weeks, Patterson has 302 rushing yards and ranks second in the league in the category behind only Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. On Sunday, his 141 rushing yards marked a career-high, beating his previous best of 120 ... which he set two weeks ago.
Head coach Arthur Smith credits Patterson's evolution behind his early-season success.
"Like I tell folks all the time, it’s not just speaking words," Smith said. I mean, even though he’s 31, he’s continuing to evolve, and he works to improve. And it’s fun to coach him."
Last season, Patterson's breakout year was a surprise. Used as primarily a return specialist and wide receiver in his first eight NFL seasons, Patterson saw limited success, but it's safe to say he's found a second wind with his role in Atlanta.
Despite trailing 20-17 at halftime, the Falcons stuck with the running game in the second half ... and the risk paid off. But Patterson doesn't deserve all of the credit for his breakout performance on Sunday.
"We pride ourselves on it takes all 11, and Marcus [Mariota] in certain areas, and he’s legitimate," Smith said. "You gotta account for him. So that could change your number count. But we pride ourselves on everybody is out there and blocking part of our game. We don’t have receivers that take plays off. That’s not our mindset. Going out there just like the linemen it’s a coordinated effort, and those guys were finishing, and they sprung that big run by C.P. So really good effort by our team."
Through three games, the Falcons have scored 27 points in each contest, but remain a 1-2 football team. If the defense can make the same strides Patterson and the offense is making, more tallies will appear in the win column.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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