If we were to list all of the reasons the Falcons morphed from a potential Super Bowl contender to the flotsam and jetsam of the NFL this season, Steven Jackson’s exploding hamstring would not rank first or second. If a football team can block and tackle with any level of proficiency and consistency, losing even a starting running back for several weeks isn’t debilitating.
But in last week’s game against Washington, there was at least a glimpse of something the Falcons have been missing.
It was first and goal from the Redskins’ 3-yard line on the Falcons’ opening drive when quarterback Matt Ryan handed the ball to Jackson. The running back looked up to find only one obstacle between him and the goal line: Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson.
What played out was like watching a Winnebago flatten a moped. Jackson met Wilson at the 1, knocked him back into the end zone and hit him with such force that he did a backwards somersault.
“It reminded me of when I played video games as a kid and I hit the truck stick (on the remote control),” Justin Blalock said.
“I would’ve gotten out of the way,” Roddy White said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to make a business decision — and he (Wilson) didn’t make a business decision.”
Jackson ran for two touchdowns Sunday, although it still didn't qualify as a great day. The Falcons barely won (27-26) over an opponent that committed seven turnovers and Jackson averaged only 2.53 yards per carry (15 for 38). But the veteran, signed to give the team some semblance of a rushing threat, has looked better over the past few weeks after being slow to get up to speed following a hamstring injury suffered in Week 2 (which led to missing four games).
The Falcons visit San Francisco this week. Their last game against the 49ers was the impetus for signing Jackson. They blew leads of 17-0 and 24-14 in the NFC Championship game and lost 28-24. There were two reasons for that: 1) a defensive collapse; 2) an inability to effectively run the ball with Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers in the second half, which would've helped a struggling Ryan and allowed them to extend drives and take time off the clock.
Jackson isn’t real big on discussing his anything that happened five minutes ago. So he’s sensitive to any questions about the early season injury and the frustration that went with it.
“I’ve been playing so there’s no need to talk about that,” he said. “I have nothing to prove. There’s no reason for me to go into the past and talk about anything. Life unfolds the way it’s supposed to.”
(Sanity tip: Don’t ponder why the Falcons are “supposed to” be 4-10. Just add it to your list of questions in then afterlife.)
Jackson said his goals for the rest of the season are simple: “First 100-yard game. I want it in the next two weeks.”
Jackson rushed for 63 (New Orleans), 84 (Buffalo) and 71 yards (Green Bay) in the three games before Washington. But poor blocking, as well as a slow-healing injury like a hamstring pull, especially for a 240-pound running back, makes it difficult to assess his season.
“We haven’t done our part a majority for the year to allow him to do those things,” Blalock said. “We’ve done it sporadically but nowhere near consistently enough to allow him to play to his full potential.”
Falcons coach Mike Smith said he “has no doubt” the 30-year-old Jackson can still perform at a high level. There appears to be no question that the team will bring him back next season (the Falcons gave him a three-year, $12 million contract but the signing bonus was a salary cap-friendly $3.5 million).
“He’s gotten into the swing of the running game the last four or five weeks,” Smith said. “But our numbers aren’t where we want them to be for the season. We’ve got to do a better job of winning the line of scrimmage. At the core of it, it continues to be [the problem].”
That likely will be a problem again Monday at Candlestick Park. The 49ers are far more physical than the Falcons up front and better defensively than most of the teams they’ve played (possible exceptions: Seattle and Carolina).
Jackson would like to finish the season on a high note. Bowling over Wilson will be one of the few positive memories of this season.
“I was able to get low enough where I could get underneath him and that’s hard for me as a 6-2 running back,” he said. “I was happy because it was the home crowd and I know they wanted something to cheer about. That play provided that.”
It just figured to be more the norm than the exception this season.
