One of the many issues that have plagued the Falcons this year has been their inability to protect Matt Ryan. In fact, for a while now, this issue has been a persistent detriment to this team’s success. Since 2017, the team has been ninth, third, and sixth in QB hits allowed.
Through the first 13 weeks of the season, Atlanta has allowed the most QB hits in the NFL (65). The next worst is the Indianapolis Colts at 61, but there becomes a steep drop off after these two teams. Additionally, while the Falcons do have the highest QB hits total allowed, they are eighth in total pressures (123) and fifth in pressure rate (26.2).
“It’s part of the game, you know,” said Ryan. “It’s part of this profession, it’s tough. Mentally, for me, it’s always bounce up and go on to the next play; what do we got to do next.”
Ryan is a professional and he won’t publicly speak in a manner that demeans his offensive line. With the way this Falcons’ season has gone, though, you can tell he’s frustrated. How could he not be?
Not only is Ryan playing behind a suspect offensive line but the players he has been relying on in the passing game have also contributed to his hit total. While Ryan has missed on some reads and left some opportunities on the field, his receivers are simply not getting open. This forces Ryan to hold onto the ball longer.
You could make the case that he needs to simply get rid of the ball quicker, but Ryan knows he has to make something happen for the team to have a chance to win. Plus, sometimes plays need more than the average 2.5 seconds to develop, but this offensive line rarely provides Ryan with that much time.
Getting offensive line help could be a tricky task next year. The team could get a left guard via the NFL draft or free agency. By going the route of the draft, Atlanta would be adding another rookie to protect Ryan and that’s not an effective model for success. You can opt for free agency, but to get a quality blocker, you may have to miss out on re-signing a number of players, which could include Cordarrelle Patterson.
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