The Falcons Young Defense May Be the next Super Bowl Heroes
After two great playoff performances, the Falcons defense are trying to prove that they’re up to the test
Two years ago, members of the 6–10 Atlanta Falcons were watching the 7–8–1 Carolina Panthers represent the NFC South in the playoffs. Today, they are in Houston for Super Bowl LI and looking to bring home their first Lombardi trophy.
There are major improvements that attribute to the Falcons success from 2014 to now: acquisition of free agent center Alex Mack, offensive line reconstruction, a strong running back committee, and a healthy Julio Jones. The common answer seems to point to the offense. The Falcons are No. 2 in total offense and carry MVP contender Matt Ryan.
However, head coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff have also worked hard to establish a new defensive scheme.
Dan Quinn was the mastermind behind the Seahawks defense starting in 2009. Since taking the head coaching job in Atlanta, Quinn has been slowly recreating what Carroll and GM John Schneider established in Seattle: a defense to match their high flying offense.
Previous head coach Mike Smith and current GM Thomas Dimitroff didn’t see eye to eye when it came to defense. And despite being the most successful coach in Falcons franchise history, Smith was let go (via Fox Sports). Since then, Dimitroff and Quinn have drafted six key defensive players: three rookies and three second year players.
Undrafted Florida rookie Brian Poole is starting at the nickelback position. Rookie strong safety Keanu Neal can be compared to Seattle’s Kam Chancellor, and leads the team in total tackles. Deion Jones, rookie middle linebacker, is No. 20 in tackles with 117.
However, the most impressive defensive player has to be second year veteran Vic Beasley Jr. Beasely had a difficult rookie season with 20 tackles and 4 sacks, but now leads the NFL with 15.5 sacks and almost double the tackles.
Despite the individual successes statistically, the defense is still unheralded. They’ve allowed 263.5 yards passing per game (No. 27), 104 yards rushing per game (No. 17) and 24 points per game (No. 20). With a cornerstone offense, the Falcons managed to gain the No. 2 seed in the NFC and secure home field advantage.
But it wasn’t until the playoffs that we were able to witness the success of Quinn’s defensive mindset that seemed to oust Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.
In the Divisional Round against the Seahawks, Quinn was able to keep his former quarterback, Russell Wilson in check. By keeping him in the pocket and avoiding his scrambling ability, Wilson faltered by a score of 20–36.
In the NFC Championship, Aaron Rodgers was blinded by the red jerseys in the zone blitz. The Packers were unable to score until the second half, when it was too late. The Packers were demolished 21–44.
Now, the Falcons will face the decorated New England Patriots. The key might be to put the pressure on Tom Brady, who struggled in the first half against the No. 1 Houston Texans defense.
Although their playoff run has shown great capabilities, this is the Falcons’ opportunity to match their offense by throwing Brady off his rhythm and taking him out of his comfort zone.
No.* describes a team or player’s ranking throughout the NFL.
