FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons have struggled to run the football for much of the season, but have put together back-to-back 100-yard games in their past two outings.
In their 30-17 loss Sunday to the Buccaneers, they rushed for 121 yards. Running back Cordarrelle Patterson led all Falcons rushers with 78 yards on 13 carries.
The Falcons enjoyed a degree of success, especially in the first half, against the Bucs, who had the No. 1-ranked rush defense in the NFL. In the previous game against Jacksonville, the Falcons rushed for a season-high 149 yards.
The Falcons (5-7) are set to play the Carolina Panthers (5-7) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., and will need their rushing attack.
The Falcons are averaging 88 rushing yards per game, which is tied for 27th in the league. Falcons coach Arthur Smith knows consistency in the run game will be important against the Panthers.
“(I’m) pleased with the progress there,” Smith said. “(I’m) not pleased with the fact you didn’t win the game. So, you can see both sides of it. The key is to continue it. As we get down in there, you get late in the year. Are we better? We have gotten better the last two weeks, but we’re 1-1 in those two games. Can we do it for a (third) week in a row and ultimately help us win?”
The Falcons have averaged 135 yards in their past two games.
“We thought we took a step in Jacksonville,” Smith said. “Obviously, more importantly, that resulted in a win for us as a team. Could we do it again against a pretty good rush front? We did.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Dave Ragone likes how the running game has been the past two weeks. Most important, he hopes it leads to more touchdowns.
“At the end of the day, regardless of how you do it, you have to score points,” Ragone said. “Having the ability to go and take advantage of certain situations in the red (zone is good). You don’t want to kick field goals, you want to score touchdowns. Running the football is important. It’s a mind-set and mentality (that’s) complementary to the passing game.”
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan knows a strong rushing attack will help the offense.
“We’ve made strides the last couple of weeks, and hopefully that’s something we can continue to hang our hat on,” Ryan said. “It helps, it does. You mentioned trying to slow down pass rushers and trying to do different things to keep them off balance when you can get the run going, it definitely helps.”
Running Mike Davis, who never had been a full-time starter, had been getting the bulk the carries.
Patterson rushed for 108 yards on 16 carries against Jacksonville. Davis gained 16 yards on five carries. Against the Bucs, Patterson gained 78 yards on 13 carries, and Davis rushed for 32 yards on four carries, including a nice 17-yard touchdown run.
On the season, Davis has rushed 100 times for 338 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Patterson, a former wide receiver, has rushed 106 times for 489 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns.
Davis mentioned how he was overthinking and second-guessing himself in the run game.
“Our guys came together,” Davis said. “We tried to eliminate as many mistakes as possible. In my mind, I just wanted to make a play for my teammates. I wanted to show my coaches that I could do it. I felt like in previous weeks I probably let them down, and I felt that.”
