NFC SOUTH FALCONS 2014 STRENGTHS: • Explosive receiving corps, quarterback leadership, dependable place-kicking Falcons Offense Last season, everything started—and pretty much ended— RICK STEWART/GETTY IMAGES SPORT up front. The offensive line was unable to establish any kind of running game, Atlanta averaged an NFL-low 77.9 yards per game on the ground, or protect the quarterback, as the Falcons allowed 44 sacks. That ineffectiveness, along with the injuries that slowed running back Steven Jackson and decimated the receiving corps, resulted in Atlanta finishing 20th in scoring (22.1 ppg). Atlanta lost seven one-possession games and at least one other that was in effect a one-possession game. Quarterback Matt Ryan, one of the NFL’s elite leaders, stood tall despite being almost constantly under duress or on his back. Ryan, without his top two receivers, still completed 67.4 percent of his throws with 26 TDs. The pressure and injuries took their toll as Ryan threw a career-high 17 interceptions, and had a 89.6 QB rating, his lowest in four years. The line has been addressed, via first-round pick tackle Jake Matthews, the latest of the blocking Matthews family, free agent RG Jon Asamoah, a return to health of T Sam Baker and fiery new offensive line coach Mike Tice. Jackson needs to prove he can still deliver as a feature back. 2014 WEAKNESSES: • Lack of a feature running back, new faces in secondary, lack of pass rush ATLANTA He’ll be pushed by fourth-round pick Devonta Freeman. Whoever gets the lion’s share of carries will have the luxury of bruising fullback Patrick DiMarco leading the way for him. There should be plenty of big-play options out wide with Julio Jones, who is recovered from a pair of surgeries on his right foot that limited him to five games in 2013, a newly extended Roddy White, who played through a highankle sprain that cost him his streak of six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Harry Douglas and FA signee Devin Hester. Bear Pascoe is a good block-first tight end in the unenviable position of replacing future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Offensive Player to Watch Julio Jones is an explosive talent. The former first-round pick (No. 6 overall in 2011) enters his fourth NFL season with a chip on his shoulder, and, the Falcons hope, no more pain in his foot. A right-foot injury that required a pair of surgeries limited Jones to five games in 2013, during which he managed 41 catches for 580 yards and a pair of TDs. Jones is healthy and will be a dependable 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown guy, who also opens up the field for White. When Ryan can go to No. 11, it raises the entire Falcons passing attack—one of the best in the NFL in 2012, when it finished sixth in the League in passing and seventh in scoring. Falcons Defense In 2013, about the only time there was no rush hour in Atlanta was on Sunday afternoons. The Falcons were 27th in total defense, and, while they were 21st in passing defense, that was primarily because opponents didn’t have to pass, as they were 31st against the run. Free agents Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson as well as humongous rookie Ra’Shede Hageman should Matt Ryan
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