FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons are averaging 87.8 yards rushing per game, which ranked 27th of 32 teams in the NFL heading into Week 8. The Falcons don’t have a run of more than 17 yards on the season.
Cordarrelle Patterson had 14 carries to Mike Davis’ 13 carries in the win over the Jets in London on Oct. 10. Last week against Miami, Patterson had 14 carries to Davis’ four. In the first four games, Davis had more carries than Patterson (15 to 7 vs. Eagles; 9 to 7 vs. Tampa Bay, 12 to 7 vs. Giants and 13 to 6 vs. Washington FT).
The shift makes sense because Patterson has been more productive with 55 carries for 233 yards (4.2 per carry) and two touchdowns. Davis, who signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract this offseason in free agency, has 66 carries for 214 yards and a touchdown.
The offensive line has a role to play while the backs need to find the holes as they try to find some explosive plays.
“It’s always hard to tell,” Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom said when asked if they were close to breaking some big plays. “The biggest thing is making sure that we are assignment sound. That’s a big thing that comes in with a week of preparation.”
Lindstrom believes it’s a three-step process.
“When you are assignment sound and finishing your blocks, hanging on to your blocks you never know when those big explosive runs (are going to come),” Lindstrom said. “A 2-yard run could be explosive. That’s the thing, you never know.”
Lindstrom and quarterback Matt Ryan both pointed out that all 11 players make the runs work, and the running backs may get too much of the blame.
“The consistency of having to do your job every play and finishing down the field, you see like when the receivers do such a great job blocking down on the second level, when you see that across the league, a lot of those big time runs, sometimes, it takes all 11 to run the ball,” Lindstrom said. “That really has meaning to it.”
Davis and Ryan have runs of 17 yards, the longest of the season. The wide receivers have not come into play much.
“Those receivers can spring a guy by blocking a guy down, the backside corner, backside safety,” Lindstrom said. “On the (offensive) line, you never know if straining that extra half of second can spring it. It’s such a fine line, and you never really know, but you just have to keep your head down, keep grinding every day and make sure that you’re finishing all of your blocks.”
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Panthers at Falcons, 1 p.m., Sunday, October 31
Falcons at Saints, 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 7
Falcons at Cowboys, 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14
Patriots at Falcons, 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18
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