On their final defensive series against the Detroit Lions, the Falcons elected against sending an extra defender toward quarterback Matthew Stafford. Relying on a four-man rush, Stafford completed four passes for 75 yards and the game-winning 11-yard touchdown. As a result, the Lions escaped with a 23-22 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
In totality against Detroit, none of the Falcons' defensive linemen recorded a sack. The Falcons did post two sacks, however, on blitzes by linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal. The loss to the Lions was a microcosm of the Falcons' pass rush as the defensive line hasn’t hit home too much.
In seven games, the Falcons have recorded only 10 sacks, which ranks tied for 24th in the NFL. In that total, 7.5 of the sacks are from defensive linemen.
As a result, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said his group has to figure out ways to manufacture a better pass rush if the defensive line is unable to get to the quarterback consistently.
“I think we got some guys who are good blitzers, and they’re getting better at it,” Ulbrich said. “I think Keanu has always been a good blitzer, and Deion’s trying to develop that part of his game, and it’s starting to come on a little bit. Finding opportunities to bring those two specifically, but just anybody. Being a little bit more unpredictable from a defensive standpoint and call-wise will help us, especially with the pass rush.”
After Sunday’s game ended, interim coach Raheem Morris pointed to the failure of the Falcons' two-minute defense at the end of both the second and fourth quarters. On those end-of-half situations, the Falcons allowed a combined 10 points. On the Lions' drive at the end of the second quarter that resulted in a field goal, the Falcons blitzed linebacker Foye Oluokun on what turned into an 18-yard passing play.
But that was the only time on eight combined plays (not counting the snaps when Stafford spiked the ball) that the Falcons sent an extra defender. But with Stafford having so much success against the four-man rush, Morris said sending extra pressure in those situations could be something to look at in coming games.
“You may have to go to that,” Morris said. “Primarily, you kind of want to rush the guys that rush and get the four guys the chance to rush against those five guys and let your guys go eat. It’s been traditional football for as long as we can remember, but we may have to go to some things to be a little more aggressive in that situation.”
When it comes to the defensive line, both Morris and Ulbrich like what they have seen from defensive end Dante Fowler over the past few weeks, even if the sacks haven’t materialized. Both pointed out his three tackles for losses, including a fourth-down stop at the goal line, that stood out against the Lions. And on the Lions' game-winning touchdown, Fowler ran over right tackle Tyrell Crosby and nearly got to Stafford, who stepped to his left and up in the pocket before delivering the ball to tight end T.J. Hockenson in the end zone.
After producing 11.5 sacks for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 and signing a three-year deal worth up to $48 million with the Falcons, Fowler has registered one sack this season. Ulbrich is hopeful the numbers will soon come for Fowler, who has been climbing toward better health after battling an early-season ankle injury.
“He had a couple moments this past game where he really flashed,” Ulbrich said. "He’s a guy, and I’ve said this before, he’s old-school. He had an injury that a lot of guys would not have played with. They would have been sitting on the sideline in pajamas the last three or four weeks. He absolutely feels it’s his duty and his role to be out there for us and put it on the line for us. Definitely he was not playing at full strength.
“This past week, he finally started to feel better. And then in this couple of days of prep, he’s looking better than he has. I’m excited to see a full-strength Dante Fowler.”
With Takk McKinley (groin) out for Thursday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and possibly on the trading block, the Falcons' coaching staff would like for another defensive lineman to consistently add pressure. Charles Harris, a former first-rounder the Falcons traded for this offseason, could be someone who sees some additional snaps in pass-rush situations.
Harris is second on the team with two sacks this season.
“Charles is a guy who I feel like is starting to come into his own,” Ulbrich said. “He’s starting to refine his rush and develop that part of his game. We loved him when he was coming out of Missouri, and it’s exciting to get an opportunity to work with him. I think he’s starting to really build some confidence as far as his game is concerned. He could be a guy who gets more rush (opportunities).”
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