Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 (edited) I've been doing some reading around the interwebs and listening to the talking heads. There's a common theme out there. The Falcons' defense sucks! I don't think most have been paying attention lately. Since the bye here are the numbers Yards allowed per game: 321 which would be the 6th best defense in the NFL if extrapolated over the season. Points allowed per game: 15.6 (I'm excluding the 13 pts the offense and special teams allowed to KC, otherwise it's 18.2 pts as a team). The 15.6 points allowed would be numero uno in the NFL if extrapolated over the entire season. The 18.2 would be third, if extrapolated over the season. Turnovers per game: 2 In order, Falcons have faced the 6th, 23rd, 32nd, 29th, and 19th offenses during this stretch which isn't impressive. These teams average 326 yards per game and 21.8 points per game. The Falcons held these teams a full 6 pts below their averages which I believe is impressive. Why is this important you ask? The potential offenses the Falcons could face in the NFC playoffs (based on current standings) #4 Dallas 390 yards per game 26.1 pts per game. #10 Green Bay 364 yards per game 26.7 pts per game #15 Seattle 356 yards per game 21.9 pts per game #22 Detroit 335 yards per game 21.5 pts per game #24 New York 331 yards per game 19.4 pts per game The only offense in this group that may give the defense problems is Green Bay and if you remember correctly, the defense held Rogers in check in the second half of the game earlier in the season. I know, I know Dallas definitely could give the defense problems, but I wouldn't call Dallas a high powered offense. My point is the defense is performing at, or above, a top 15 defensive level going into the playoffs and with the Falcons' offense, we could be feeling Super in February! (God don't let this sentence jinx them) Edited December 26, 2016 by Marco102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Dallas is 100% a 'high-powered' offense. Two ROY/MVP candidates in the backfield, stud wideout(s), wily future HOF TE, and all-world offensive line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew4719 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Yeah, all I keep hearing is "well their defense still sucks". It's okay, we'll catch them off guard in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuego Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 These talking heads are lazy and don't do any homework. They just keep repeating the stats from before the bye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 3 minutes ago, Borat said: Dallas is 100% a 'high-powered' offense. Two ROY/MVP candidates in the backfield, stud wideout(s), wily future HOF TE, and all-world offensive line. I guess the better term is quick strike offense. If the Falcon's were to get up 21 pts on Dallas could that offense as currently constructed keep up? I'm not so sure, but I know Green Bay probably could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsd56 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 7 minutes ago, Borat said: Dallas is 100% a 'high-powered' offense. Two ROY/MVP candidates in the backfield, stud wideout(s), wily future HOF TE, and all-world offensive line. I do not consider them high powered. They are a good team but they are more interested in winning the top battle and letting their oline wear teams down. That said if we do play then we need to make sure that we are on point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayOzOne Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I figured that the defense would be better at the end of the season. Starting two (and then three when Neal got healthy) rookies was bound to result in growing pains. I'm glad we withstood losing Spoon, Shelby, and Clayborn as well as we have. Quinn is a freaking genius and a leader of high order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcndave Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Before the bye, we played some high powered offenses. Our defense truly did suck wind, at least in terms of yardage. After the bye, we have played a parade of iffy offenses and our defensive numbers reflect improvement. It really is hard to know if the defense is better, or the opponents are just worse. All that said, our defense has been able to make big plays at the right moment. In GB, AR was rolling. In the 3rd quarter, our defense came up with 3rd down sacks on consecutive series. That stemmed the tide when Green Bay seemed poised to grab all of the momentum. That game is our defense. You can gain yardage, but don't get to comfortable. Timely sacks and defensive TDs might just ruin your day. Next week will be an excellent measuring stick for our defense. NO's offense is a playoff level test. My guess is we will give up yards, but probably pick up a pick or two along the way. If will be fun to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyicefalcon Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 35 minutes ago, Marco102 said: I've been doing some reading around the interwebs and listening to the talking heads. There's a common theme out there. The Falcons' defense sucks! I don't think most have been paying attention lately. Since the bye here are the numbers Yards allowed per game: 321 which would be the 6th best defense in the NFL if extrapolated over the season. Points allowed per game: 15.6 (I'm excluding the 13 pts the offense and special teams allowed to KC, otherwise it's 18.2 pts as a team). The 15.6 points allowed would be numero uno in the NFL if extrapolated over the entire season. The 18.2 would be third, if extrapolated over the season. Turnovers per game: 2 In order, Falcons have faced the 6th, 23rd, 32nd, 29th, and 19th offenses during this stretch which isn't impressive. These teams average 326 yards per game and 21.8 points per game. The Falcons held these teams a full 6 pts below their averages which I believe is impressive. Why is this important you ask? The potential offenses the Falcons could face in the NFC playoffs (based on current standings) #4 Dallas 390 yards per game 26.1 pts per game. #10 Green Bay 364 yards per game 26.7 pts per game #15 Seattle 356 yards per game 21.9 pts per game #22 Detroit 335 yards per game 21.5 pts per game #24 New York 331 yards per game 19.4 pts per game The only offense in this group that may give the defense problems is Green Bay and if you remember correctly, the defense held Rogers in check in the second half of the game earlier in the season. I know, I know Dallas definitely could give the defense problems, but I wouldn't call Dallas a high powered offense. My point is the defense is performing at, or above, a top 15 defensive level going into the playoffs and with the Falcons' offense, we could be feeling Super in February! (God don't let this sentence jinx them) So you are basically saying we are 2009 Saints? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 2 minutes ago, falcndave said: Next week will be an excellent measuring stick for our defense. NO's offense is a playoff level test. My guess is we will give up yards, but probably pick up a pick or two along the way. If will be fun to find out. I agree. Like I said, there are no really high powered (quick strike) offenses in the NFC playoffs other than Green Bay. New Orleans is better than any offense the Falcons could possibly face in the NFC portion of the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Just now, mattyicefalcon said: So you are basically saying we are 2009 Saints? Hoping for the same results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoic Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 4 minutes ago, mattyicefalcon said: So you are basically saying we are 2009 Saints? GOD NO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, falconsd56 said: I do not consider them high powered. They are a good team but they are more interested in winning the top battle and letting their oline wear teams down. That said if we do play then we need to make sure that we are on point. Your threshold for 'high-powered' is higher than mine, then. #6 in YPG (#4 in yards per play) and #4 in PPG does it for me. Edited December 26, 2016 by Borat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 10 hours ago, Borat said: Your threshold for 'high-powered' is higher than mine, then. #6 in YPG (#4 in yards per play) and #4 in PPG does it for me. I don't think anyone is saying Dallas does not have a good offense. It's just not a quick strike offense. If someone gets up on Dallas pretty quickly, which no one has really done this season, how does that offense respond? Will it still be as efficient or will it fall apart? I say the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rightsaidfred Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Over the last 4-5 games, i think the D has played pretty good I'd say the only thing that sucks is KO coverage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedBlack&Red Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 11 hours ago, Borat said: Dallas is 100% a 'high-powered' offense. Two ROY/MVP candidates in the backfield, stud wideout(s), wily future HOF TE, and all-world offensive line. Witten is definitely living off his name. I would know he is on my fantasy team. The guy has like 3 TDs this whole season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karst41 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Dallas has put up some good numbers and their KEY Advantage has been the ROOK QB. Th kid has been good and I'll give him that, but please keep in mind what Bill Walsh stated "you do not know what you really have until he has played two seasons". The league simply does not have enough tape on Dak but the numbers are compiling quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 29 minutes ago, Marco102 said: I don't think anyone is saying Dallas does not have a good offense. It's just not a quick strike offense. If someone gets up on Dallas pretty quickly, which no one has really done this season, how does that offense respond? Will it still be as efficient or will it fall apart? I say the latter. Why? The team is fast with tons of offensive weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco102 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 1 minute ago, Borat said: Why? The team is fast with tons of offensive weapons. Have you seen Dak do it consistently? No, speed is only one element of a quick strike offense. You need speed, excellent play design, and a QB to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Just now, Marco102 said: Have you seen Dak do it consistently? No, speed is only one element of a quick strike offense. You need speed, excellent play design, and a QB to do it. They haven't really had to because they're 12-2. Don't =\= can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuego Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 11 hours ago, mattyicefalcon said: So you are basically saying we are 2009 Saints? We don't have Katrina refs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lornoth Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 11 hours ago, JayOzOne said: I figured that the defense would be better at the end of the season. Starting two (and then three when Neal got healthy) rookies was bound to result in growing pains. I'm glad we withstood losing Spoon, Shelby, and Clayborn as well as we have. Quinn is a freaking genius and a leader of high order. Debo, Campbell, Neal, Poole, Reynolds, and Olatoye got some playing time. That's a lot of rookies. It was a forgone conclusion we would end a lot better than we started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm_falcons Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 This a very young and very talented D. Would it not make sense that the upshot is indeed a real thing? In other words....we are seeing the Falcons D go from below avg to avg over the course of this season. Maybe even a touch above avg? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiruz Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I think our defense has gotten a little bit better since the bye. Debo and our dbs are playing much better and it shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIRDLAND 2.0 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 16 hours ago, Marco102 said: I've been doing some reading around the interwebs and listening to the talking heads. There's a common theme out there. The Falcons' defense sucks! I don't think most have been paying attention lately. Since the bye here are the numbers Yards allowed per game: 321 which would be the 6th best defense in the NFL if extrapolated over the season. Points allowed per game: 15.6 (I'm excluding the 13 pts the offense and special teams allowed to KC, otherwise it's 18.2 pts as a team). The 15.6 points allowed would be numero uno in the NFL if extrapolated over the entire season. The 18.2 would be third, if extrapolated over the season. Turnovers per game: 2 In order, Falcons have faced the 6th, 23rd, 32nd, 29th, and 19th offenses during this stretch which isn't impressive. These teams average 326 yards per game and 21.8 points per game. The Falcons held these teams a full 6 pts below their averages which I believe is impressive. Why is this important you ask? The potential offenses the Falcons could face in the NFC playoffs (based on current standings) #4 Dallas 390 yards per game 26.1 pts per game. #10 Green Bay 364 yards per game 26.7 pts per game #15 Seattle 356 yards per game 21.9 pts per game #22 Detroit 335 yards per game 21.5 pts per game #24 New York 331 yards per game 19.4 pts per game The only offense in this group that may give the defense problems is Green Bay and if you remember correctly, the defense held Rogers in check in the second half of the game earlier in the season. I know, I know Dallas definitely could give the defense problems, but I wouldn't call Dallas a high powered offense. My point is the defense is performing at, or above, a top 15 defensive level going into the playoffs and with the Falcons' offense, we could be feeling Super in February! (God don't let this sentence jinx them) Great cognizant point on defense spread out across season. Thanks, makes feel even better about coaching and player scheme learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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