FLOWERY BRANCH -- As the offensive line has started to show some continuity upfront, the Falcons have rushed the ball for more than 132 yards per game over the past three games.
“It’s good seeing it going and obviously the guys, and the work that they’re putting into it,” Falcons offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford said. “The big thing is just being consistent with it now. When you see those guys and they’re all working together, everything is in sync and going together, it looks good.”
The Falcons (6-7) will need a continued high level of offensive line play when they face the 49ers (7-6) at 4:05 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif on Sunday in a game with NFC playoff implications.
The 49ers give up 112.2 yards per game, which ranks 18th in the NFL.
In the last three games, the Falcons rushed for 149 yards against the Jaguars, 121 against the Buccaneers and 128 against the Panthers on Sunday. Before this stretch, they had only three 100-yard games and none consecutively.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who came over from Tennessee, which had a high-powered rushing attack, got tired of the meek run game.
“He honestly challenged us,” running back Qadree Ollison said. “He’s been on great teams, playoff teams that have went deep into the playoffs. He told us, straight up, if you want to make the playoffs in this league, if you want to go deep in to the playoffs, you have to be able to run the ball.”
Ollison said the whole unit took the message to heart.
“Especially, in this league, you can’t just line up and drop back 50 times, especially in our division and the NFC where the pass rushers (are great),” Ollison said. “You have to grind it out, make the game grimy and gritty. He challenged us. If we want to make the playoffs, you’ve got to run the ball. We all took that personal on offense, and that’s what we’ve been doing these last few weeks.”
The Falcons have been moving the line of scrimmage by firing off the ball and working in unison. The offensive linemen are doing a better job of making their combination blocks.
Now, that the Falcons have established a baseline for their rushing attack, they want to continue to build on the progress.
“(Smith) always talks about, you know, each week, what are the challenges this week?” Ledford said. “That’s something in our (meeting) room that we want to talk about week in and week out. How well are we going to be able to go out this week and execute our fundamentals that’s going to allow us to play well up front, both in run and also in protecting (quarterback) Matt Ryan.”
The line didn’t give up a sack against the Panthers, but allowed five quarterback hits. Ryan has been hit more than any other quarterback in the league, so there is still plenty of room for improvement in pass protection.
“That’s the challenge each week for us,” Ledford said. “When the guys, they go out and they have some success out there obviously, it’s nice that they get to see that, but for those guys up front, the best thing about it is all season long it’s been about just how can we get better.”
Vital to the improvement has been the development of rookie left guard Jalen Mayfield.
“You take a look back at Jalen back from training camp to all the (exhibition) season,” Ledford said. “He’s taken a lot of snaps, and I like the way that he’s progressed throughout the season. … We’ve seen him even at practice, developing better habits. He knows the things that he has to work on.”
Mayfield has a tough assignment each week.
“He’s gone against some great defensive tackles throughout the year,” Ledford said. “I mean, obviously it’s the NFL, but just in our division alone there’s a lot of really good three-techniques, interior lineman that he gets to go against, and you see development with him with his game improving.
Ledford noted that left tackle Jake Matthews and right guard Chris Lindstrom set the tone for the line.
“They really hone in on the things that they have to work on,” Ledford said. “And they strain at practice. They work hard. The way that they work is the thing that impresses me the most with this group.”
The Falcons have ditched their plan to rotate centers Matt Hennessy and rookie Drew Dalman. The Falcons went with Hennessy in the second half against Tampa Bay and the whole game against Carolina.
Also, right tackle Kaleb McGary held up against the Panthers.
Smith is not surprised by the improved play on the line.
“Well, it’s just a culmination of trying to improve and doing your job better,” Smith said. “I think that’s what you’re seeing. ... There’s nothing real flashy about it. ... We got a huge challenge this week, going out to San Francisco.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
For more content about The Atlanta Falcons
Follow me on Twitter @DOrlandoAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now
Atlanta Falcons coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons’ 2021 schedule features trip to London, January trip to Buffalo
Atlanta Falcons schedule and scores
Bye Week
Next four games
Tampa Bay at Falcons, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 5
Falcons at Carolina, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 12
Falcons at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 19
Detroit Lions at Falcons, 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26
About the Author
