The Atlanta Falcons season got off to a rough start. The team was unprepared and looked out of sync. Losing the turnover battle will almost guarantee a loss. Often times this puts the team behind and can hinder the gameplan.
The Minnesota Vikings defense is well-coached and has great chemistry. They returned nine of eleven starters on their defense. This showed up on Sunday when they controlled the tempo of the game.
The Falcons struggled on both sides of the ball. The offensive line looked outmatched and out of sync. The Vikings held the Falcons to 73 rushing yards and were after Matt Ryan all game. The star quarterback was sacked four times. Keeping relentless pressure on Ryan causing him to make bad decisions with the football.
Chris Lindstrom
The loss of starting guard Chris Lindstrom will be a huge void to fill. Lindstrom was able to finish an entire drive with a broken foot. It’s a huge blow to the Falcons offensive line, but they invested during the offseason for this. This is a position group that will no longer lack depth; although, it may lack chemistry. Jamon Brown will rotate over to Right Gaurd and get the start against Philadelphia
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Defensive Line
The Defensive line has been a problem for the Falcons for a few years now. They lack size and the Vikings were able to take advantage of that. They ran the ball 38 times as a team. Dalvin Cook had over 100 yards rushing and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Kirk Cousins only needed ten pass attempts against the lackadaisical defense in Atlanta. Minnesota took advantage of a unit that is deficient in size. The only defensive lineman that showed up was Grady Jarrett, but he can’t be the only guy teams fear on our defensive line.
Bottom Line
The Falcons next opponent is the Philadephia Eagles, who will be another test for the guys protecting Matt Ryan. This is a defensive line that has played well against Atlanta in the past. Can we expect improvement upfront?
If not, how much trouble is this football team in?
