1. The no-spin zone: The Falcons’ offensive line depth has been tested this season.
The backup swing tackle, the backup guard and the backup center have all had to play key snaps over the first eight games of the season.
Storm Norton had to sub in at right tackle for Kaleb McGary. Ryan Neuzil has had to sub in for Drew Dalman at center. Over the past two games, Kyle Hinton has played at left guard and at right guard.
“It’s been a real pleasant surprise,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “Neuzil jumps in at center, takes over for a couple of games, and you didn’t really notice. Hinton’s been able to go in there the last two weeks and play really well and doesn’t really (get) notice. Storm had to start a game for us and go out there and play for (McGary), you definitely (didn’t) notice.”
If a backup lineman doesn’t get noticed, that’s a good thing. That means they are blocking and not getting exposed by the defense.
“Our starting line, when they’re out there in full strength, they play the right way,” Morris said. “And that’s got to be a credit to the coaching staff in Led (Dwayne Ledford), it’s got to be a credit to (general manager) Terry (Fontenot) and his people who are going out there acquiring the talent that you need to go out there and do it.”
If the line gets exposed, the whole offensive operation can sink.
“Because, as you know, you get hurt up front and things of that nature can be disastrous,” Morris said. “These guys are really going out there and play really well for us with the help of (assistant offensive line coach) Shawn (Flaherty) and (assistant offensive line coach) Nick (Jones).
In the 31-16 win over the Bucs, right guard Chris Lindstrom missed some time with a right foot injury. The week before against Seattle, left guard Matt Bergeron left the game with a neck injury.
Hinton, a seventh-round pick by the Vikings in 2020, played 22 offensive snaps (35%) against the Bucs, who featured defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. He played 38 offensive snaps (52%) against Seattle.
Center Drew Dalman (ankle) is close to returning from injured reserve.
“Dalman is definitely progressing back toward health,” Morris said. “So, I really feel good about him. Had a couple good workouts with him, with the trainer and things of that nature, so we’ll see where that goes.”
2. Pass-rush woes: The Falcons did not have a sack nor a quarterback hit against the Bucs on 50 pass attempts. The Falcons are last in the league with six sacks.
“Yeah, it’s not good enough,” Morris said of the pass rush. “You know, we got to get better at pass rush. It’s something that we had an emphasis on. It’s something that we put the finger on and really dove into.”
Defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said the pass rush is evolving. He even used the “moving him off the spot” language that surfaced back in the 2010s.
“Like, I don’t really fear talking about it when it’s not good enough because we got to get it better,” Morris said. “You know, what you wanted to do is you want to find a way to make it better. So it doesn’t hinder you from winning enough football games that you want to win. That’s the most important thing to me. How can we get it better so when we really need it, it shows up for us.”
3. Q&A with Nate Landman, inside linebacker: Here’s what Nate Landman had to say after the last Bucs game:
On the win: “It’s huge. You got 2-0 against the Bucs in the division. Come here, steal a win on the road, it’s huge. Be undefeated in our division. It’s a testament to our team and what we are doing. It’s a great steppingstone on to the next week.”
On him going in and out of the lineup (has a shoulder injury): “We’re all good here. "
On the Hail Mary pass: “We knew they were going to take a shot at the end zone. We just had to press those guys and make sure they ... it takes a long time for them to get to the end zone. Then we have to box them out when the ball is coming. We knew the ball was going to be in the air. That’s why we had those DBs back there playing the ball for the jump ball.”
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4. Will Parsons return? The Cowboys are up next and their defense has played without linebacker Micah Parsons for the past four games.
Parsons has missed the last four games and has yet to return to practice. Former Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn moved Parsons around the defense. Current defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was just figuring out how he wanted to deploy Parson over the first four games when he suffered a high ankle sprain. He was projected to miss four to six weeks.
“I got to go look at it more,” Morris said about how Parsons was used earlier this season. “I’ve got to look at more and what they’re doing and what’s happening with those guys and what has not been happening for Micah. I know he’s been out what, four games? I’m not even sure, but we’ll see.”
The Falcons believe Parsons is close to returning.
“He’s still playing,” Morris said. “Micah, if he comes back and is ready to go, we definitely got to have some attention brought to him and think of some of the things that we need to do.”
5. Trevon Diggs vs. Drake London: The Cowboys also have cornerback Trevon Diggs. The former Alabama standout has one interception. He led the league with 11 in 2021.
He’ll likely be matched up with the Falcons’ top receiver Drake London.
6. Prescott and Lamb: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has completed 167 of 262 passes (63.7%) for 1,845 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a passer rating of 84.5.
The Cowboys’ offense has been plagued by a weak rushing attack and poor route-running. Former QB great Troy Aikman blasted the receivers recently.
CeeDee Lamb has 45 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns.
“On offense, Dak and CeeDee, (we’ve seen) what they’ve been able to do and how impressive they are,” Morris said.
7. Series history: This will be the 29th meeting. The Cowboys lead the series 17-11. The Cowboys won the last meeting 43-3 on Nov. 14, 2021 and they won the last meeting in Atlanta, 22-19, on Nov. 18, 2018.
8. Where to watch, listen, livestream Falcons at Bucs:
The game: Cowboys (3-4) at Falcons (5-3), 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
TV: Fox 5 – Play-by-Play: Adam Amin. Analyst: Greg Olsen. Sideline reporter: Pam Oliver.
Local radio: 92.9 The Game. Play-by-play: Wes Durham. Analyst: Dave Archer. Executive producer: Beau Morgan. Engineer: Jake Cook. Pregame/Postgame show – Hosts: Chris Goforth and Mike Johnson. Dylan Matthews and Orin Romain (studio producers). Dylan Matthews (network studio producer) and Chris Thomas (local studio producer).
Satellite radio: SiriusXM NFL Radio. Falcons channel 228. Cowboys channel 383 and on the App.
Livestream: Streaming inside the Atlanta market: Fans in the Atlanta market can stream the game on the Atlanta Falcons app. NFL app (subscription required). Out of the country: GamePass International. There are several other subscription services.
9. Depth chart: Here’s a look at the Falcons’ official 53-man depth chart heading into Sunday’s game with the Cowboys:
OFFENSE
QB: Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr.
RB: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Avery Williams, Jase McClellan
WR: Drake London
WR: Darnell Mooney, Casey Washington
SWR: Ray-Ray McCloud, KhaDarel Hodge
TE: Kyle Pitts
TE: Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley
LT: Jake Matthews, Brandon Parker
LG: Matthew Bergeron, Kyle Hinton, Elijah Wilkinson
C: Ryan Neuzil, Matt Hennessy, Jovaughn Gwyn
RG: Chris Lindstrom, Kyle Hinton
RT: Kaleb McGary, Storm Norton
DEFENSE
ROLB: James Smith-Williams, DeAngelo Malone
DE: Grady Jarrett, Kentavious Street, Eddie Goldman
NT: David Onyemata, Ruke Orhorhoro
DE: Zach Harrison, Ta’Quon Graham, Brandon Dorlus
LOLB: Matthew Judon, Arnold Ebiketie
IL: Kaden Elliss, JD Bertrand
ILB: Troy Andersen, Nate Landman
LCB: A.J. Terrell, Kevin King
RCB: Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III
NCB: Dee Alford, Antonio Hamilton Sr.
SS: Justin Simmons, Richie Grant
FS: Jessie Bates III
Special teams
K: Younghoe Koo
P: Bradley Pinion
LS: Liam McCullough
KR: Avery Williams, Ray-Ray McCloud, Mike Hughes
PR: Avery Williams, Mike Hughes
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