Five things to know about the Chiefs’ next opponent: Atlanta Falcons
Falcons fans have had more than their fair share of heartache through the years, and we won’t even bring up that one particularly agonizing Super Bowl.
But this season has been particularly dreadful. The Falcons have a 4-10 record, but they have blown four leads in the fourth quarter and have seen three double-digit leads disappear in the second half.
Coach Dan Quinn was fired after the Falcons’ 0-5 start, and Atlanta is playing better (4-5 record) under interim coach Raheem Morris, the former K-State defensive coordinator. But the Falcons coughed up a 17-point lead late in the third quarter on Sunday and lost 31-27 to the Buccaneers in Atlanta.
Each week I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are five things to know about the Falcons ahead of Sunday’s game, which kicks off at noon and will be broadcast on Fox (Ch. 4):
1. Pass defense troubles
The Falcons’ pass defense is one of the worst in the NFL, allowing 287.7 yards per game, ahead of only the Seattle Seahawks. Only three teams have fewer passes defended (44), and they have allowed 7.9 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 29th, per Pro Football Reference.
Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady threw for 390 yards on Sunday.
The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce has had an amazing season, and could be a top target Sunday. Opposing tight ends have 809 receiving yards, and only six NFL defenses have allowed more yardage this season to tight ends. The Falcons also have allowed nine touchdowns to opposing tight ends.
The Falcons are 19th in the NFL with 29 sacks, but they are fifth in quarterback knockdowns.
2. A former MVP
Quarterback Matt Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, has completed 64.2% of his passes this season for 4,016 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Ryan has struggled against AFC West opponents in 2020, throwing for 231 yards per game with six touchdowns and five interceptions. In the Falcons’ two true outdoor games (no retractable roof), Ryan has thrown one interception and no touchdowns and has an 89.4 quarterback rating, per Pro Football Reference.
However, Ryan can still put the ball in a tight spot:
3. Ridley’s breakout season
Receiver Julio Jones, who had six straight 1,000-yard seasons entering the season, has missed five games because of a hamstring injury.
Calvin Ridley has stepped into the top receiving spot and thrived. He had 163 receiving yards on Sunday, his third straight game with 100 or more yards. In the Falcons’ last three games, he has 23 receptions for 395 yards and two touchdowns.
For the season, Ridley has 77 receptions for 1,192 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns.
4. Running nowhere
Atlanta is 27th in rushing offense, with 93.9 yards per game. One glaring statistic: Falcons running backs have gained just 2.1 yards before contact per attempt, which is 29th in the NFL.
On Sunday, they had just 37 yards in 13 attempts, which could help explain why the Buccaneers were able to mount the comeback.
Former Rams star Todd Gurley leads the Falcons with 644 rushing yards, but he had just one attempt Sunday for negative-1 yard.
5. Zoning out
Atlanta has struggled in the red zone, ranking 30th on touchdown conversion percentage (50.98%), per Team Rankings. That includes Sunday’s game when the Falcons scored three touchdowns in the red zone.
