There were plenty of variables that played into the Falcons’ Week 8 loss to the Panthers. The offense failed to get drives going, seven times running six plays or less. This includes four of their five drives in the second half. The defense opened the game with a forced fumble but didn’t do much after that.
A beard-less Arthur Smith took the podium Monday morning to address the local media per usual and noted that you have to win the line of scrimmage in order to win games. The Falcons didn’t get the push they need at times and it affected them on both sides of the football.
“The game doesn’t change,” said Smith. “You have to win the line of scrimmage. When you don’t win the line of scrimmage, it doesn’t matter what you call. You can call shot after shot and your quarterbacks can get throttled when you don’t win the line of scrimmage. If you come one dimensional and you’re playing a really good front, which most weeks you do, it’s going to be ugly and your quarterbacks going to get hit.”
Atlanta’s offensive line has struggled this season, although in recent weeks, this group was performing better. However, against Carolina, the Falcons’ pass protection allowed for three sacks and four QB hits.
“Until they change the rules of this game, when you lose the line of scrimmage, it’s hard to win,” said Smith. “Not saying you can’t, but it’s hard to win.”
Arthur Smith emphasizes that New Orleans will do all they can to get after the quarterback. With the loss of Jameis Winston, the Saints will lean heavily on their defense the rest of the season, a defense that has had its way with the Falcons in the past.
“We better fix it in a hurry because we are going down to a hornets nest in New Orleans. I could probably take an educated guess what their game plan is going to be. So we got to get ready to go.”
During the last two meetings between the Falcons and Saints, New Orleans was credited for 35 pressures with five sacks and 10 QB hits.
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