FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons tried to come out throwing the football in the opener Sunday versus the Panthers, but their spacing, rhythm and blocking were not up to par.
With the suspect blocking up front, coach Arthur Smith had to settle on some safe throws to get through the game. Quarterback Desmond Ridder did not push the ball down the field until late.
The Falcons (1-0) will need their passing attack to be more potent and diverse when they face the Packers (1-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons gave up four sacks in the first half and had to devote more blockers to try to slow Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown and linebacker Brian Burns. The Panthers were able to take away wide receiver Drake London, who had one target.
“Again, it depends on the game plan,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of mythology on offensive football. You could force a little screen to somebody that’s going to be a low-percentage (play) if it’s not the right look to get them a touch.”
But London led the Falcons with 71 receptions last season, and Ridder leaned on him heavily when he started the final four games of the season. The Panthers started rolling coverage to London after cornerback Jaycee Horn left the game Sunday with a hamstring injury.
“Again, when you call plays sometimes, they have a say,” Smith said. “So, if they’re rolling to him, or whatever, or again a lot of it comes in the game-plan opportunity. When you’re up and you feel in control of a game, maybe you don’t want to give them a chance to hold the ball on a seven-stepper for a sack-fumble to lose the game.”
The Falcons are ready to adjust. The blocking must improve, better spacing on their routes, and they want to stack some first downs to get into a better rhythm.
“Here’s what gives you a lot of confidence with Drake, Kyle (Pitts), Jonnu (Smith), Des is that there’s evidence in real games,” Smith said. “It’d be one thing if we were blowing smoke, saying, hey you’ve got comps, you’ve got belief, but when you actually have evidence, certainly helps.”
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