The Falcons grinded and battled in their 17-14 win Sunday against the Giants. After being without their top cornerback A.J. Terrell, receiver Russell Gage and others, many players had to step up in their absence.
Players such as cornerbacks T.J. Green and Isaiah Oliver, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and tight end Lee Smith had big shoes to fill in Sunday’s game. In the end, they proved they were ready for the challenge.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith said he loved to see these guys perform well in action and step up when needed.
“T.J., Avery (Williams) and different guys at different times (stepped up),” Smith said. “Guys have to step up and go find a way to win the football game. They’ll build off that from last week. It’s good to see, and hopefully we can build off that.”
Green finished the game with eight tackles and one pass deflection. While Green saw more action, Oliver moved to right cornerback and played great as well. Oliver finished the game with two tackles, one pass deflection and a forced fumble.
On offense, quarterback Matt Ryan liked the contributions from his receivers. The roles for Zaccheaus and Smith were increased in this game with Gage being out and Cordarrelle Patterson increasing his role.
Ryan liked the performance from his receivers, especially Zaccheaus.
“I thought Olamide did a great job for us,” Ryan said. “I remember the catch he had over the middle in the red zone where he got drilled. For him to pop up and make that catch, that was huge for us and put us in a really good position.”
Ryan completed a 14-yard pass to Zaccheaus for a first down with 1:54 to go in the second quarter. An unnecessary-roughness penalty by the Giants put the Falcons in the red zone for the first time in the game at the Giants’ 7. After the Falcons were unsuccessful on their first two attempts, Ryan found Zaccheaus for the 4-yard touchdown pass.
Ryan loved Zaccheaus performance and effort all game.
“He (also) did a great job on the touchdown catch that he had,” Ryan said. “I thought he stepped up and I was proud of his effort.”
The other touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Ryan found Smith for a 1-yard touchdown pass. He gave credit not only to Smith but to Tajae Sharpe.
“I thought he converted one of the biggest third downs of the game for us,” Ryan said about Sharpe’s performance in Sunday’s game. “In a spot where he hadn’t had a target for the day and he’s fourth in progression, (he) wins on his route. That was huge for us.”
Sharpe finished the game with one catch for 6 yards.
As it relates to the next man being able to step up, Ryan does not want to take anything they did for granted.
“You can’t undervalue the role those guys play,” Ryan said. “They’re huge plays in the game for us, and none of them blinked when their number was called to make a play.