Divine Deablo Takes Ownership of Falcons Run Defense Struggles vs. Ravens

Playing defense is a collective effort, but Atlanta Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo is willing to be a leader in accountability.

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo and his defense struggled to stop Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday night's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with the NFL's top-ranked run defense, but they struggled to contain Derrick Henry and Baltimore's rushing attack. 

The Ravens finished with 208 rushing yards on 35 carries, including 102 yards on 24 attempts from Henry, exposing weaknesses in a defense that had allowed just 48.3 rushing yards per game entering the contest. 

Following the loss, linebacker Divine Deablo took responsibility for the disappointing performance, acknowledging that Atlanta must improve both individually and collectively.

"Defensively, we just got to do better job of stopping the run. Clearly, they had 200. I'll put that on me for real. For real. We got to be better as a whole, but I definitely got to be better myself," Deablo said.

Deablo reflected on the frustration of a defense that had established itself as one of Atlanta's biggest strengths early in the season. 

Deablo pointed to one area that needs improvement from him.

"Sometimes trying to make a play. Getting out of my gap. I got to stay in my gap, make sure I do my job plus one," Deablo said.

Against a physical rushing attack like Baltimore's, maintaining gap integrity is critical. When defenders leave their assigned areas, it can create openings for offensive linemen to exploit and give running backs additional room to operate.

Deablo also explained the challenges of Atlanta's defensive scheme, which requires players to remain disciplined when defensive linemen move across the formation.

"We got, you know, we do different things sometimes. Sometimes we have movement. So, I'm imagining this guy is going to be here, but he might not make it over there. So, I just got to make sure I secure that gap before I make the move I want to make," Deablo said. "You secure your gap first and then go make a play."

That responsibility becomes especially important when offensive linemen climb to the second level and attempt to block linebackers. With defensive linemen focused on their individual gaps, linebackers must react quickly while maintaining their own assignments.

"Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Somebody's definitely climbing. So we got to, you know, secure our gap off of that climb and then still try to get to the ball. So, a little more challenging," Deablo said.

Deablo also evaluated Atlanta's efforts to contain Derrick Henry.

"For the most part, we did a great job [forcing Derrick Henry back inside]. We had a few mishaps where he got to our corner. But overall pretty good," Deablo said.

Despite those challenges, Deablo emphasized that execution remains the most important factor. 

"We had plenty of opportunities to make a play and we just didn't. So, at the end of the day, we just got to do our job," Deablo said.

Atlanta's performance against Baltimore was a significant setback for a defense that had been effective at limiting opposing rushing attacks. Moving forward, the Falcons must improve their gap discipline, execute their assignments and take advantage of opportunities to bring down ball carriers.

It won't take long to see if their corrections work, because they face the Chicago Bears and their No. 1-ranked rushing offense on Sunday.

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