The Falcons need a resurgent pass rush down the stretch of the season.
After a strong start piling up sacks, there was a dip in the key defensive statistic after injuries to Vic Beasley, Jack Crawford and Courtney Upshaw. Beasley led the NFL in sacks last season with 15.5. Yet he only has four this season.
There’s nothing like an eight-sack performance -- six by Adrian Clayborn -- to boost your numbers. Clayborn was named the NFC’s defensive player of the week Wednesday for his showing against Dallas on Sunday.
The strong need to take down the opposing quarterback continues this week. The Falcons (5-4) face Seattle (6-3) at 8:30 p.m. on Monday Night Football at CenturyLink Field.
The Falcons have 26 sacks this season, which ranks tied for seventh in the NFL. Jacksonville (35) leads the league, followed by Carolina (29), Los Angeles Chargers (29), Pittsburgh (29) and Dallas (28). Chicago and Cincinnati also have 26 sacks.
However, the Falcons need to harass quarterbacks even more. Their pass-rush quotient of 136 (26 sacks, 65 hurries and 45 hits) ranks 16th in the league, according to Stats, LLC.
After Clayborn posted a franchise-record six sacks against the Cowboys, he was quick to point out that he had a lot of help from the rest of the defensive linemen. Brooks Reed and Dontari Poe each had a sack. The Falcons also had nine tackles for losses in the game.
“I feel like these last couple of weeks our whole defensive line has been playing a lot better,” Clayborn said. “We have owned our gaps in the run, with the exception of Cam Newton; you know how he does. Other than that, owning our gaps in the run (and) playing together, so it’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here.”
Here’s how the sacks and hits break down according to the Falcons’ stats: Clayborn (eight sacks and 11 quarterback hits), Reed (four and six), Beasley (four and four), DeVondre Campbell (two and four), Takk McKinley (two and five), Poe (one and a half and four), Brian Poole (one and three), Derrick Shelby (one and two), Desmond Trufant (one and one), Deion Jones (one and one), Grady Jarrett (one-half and four).
Also, Crawford had three hits before going on injured reserve. Ahtyba Rubin and Upshaw each have one hit.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said that Poe, the team’s major offseason pickup, played his best game of the season against the Cowboys.
“We knew it was going to be a line-of-scrimmage game,” Quinn said. “Both teams have good lines of scrimmage. They’re able to run it. We like running it. They have pass rushers. We have pass rushers.”
Quinn felt despite a week after the defense gave up 201 yards rushing to the Panthers, that the unit would be ready for the Cowboys. He wasn’t concerned that the Cowboys played without suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott.
“So for us to answer that challenge on the defensive side (was great),” Quinn said.
Quinn knows that the Falcons, who are chasing the Saints (7-2) and the Panthers (7-3) in the NFC South, must continue to be stout up front and harass quarterbacks to finish strong and get into the playoffs.
Against the Seahawks, Quinn said the team must approach each play like two separate plays. It must defend the scripted start and then the playground portion when quarterback Russell Wilson gets out of the pocket and looks to pass downfield in scramble mode.
The Falcons’ defensive linemen felt their in-game communication was strong against the Cowboys, a key to the success.
“As we shift into the second half (of the season), I’ve always felt that team chemistry, that’s an important part of it, and that type of communication can really kind of set you free in terms of where you want to go to as a group,” Quinn said. “It’s not just the defensive line or the linebackers or the secondary, but they’ve made significant improvements in some areas.”
The sacks certainly helped the Falcons get off the field against the Cowboys, as three came on third down.
“We’re still going to work third down like crazy, and that’s how the rush and the coverage work in concert together, and then the turnover margin,” Quinn said.
Which brings us to turnovers.
Quinn wants to eliminate penalties overall, but especially those that erase turnovers. Against the Cowboys, Beasley jumped offside and negated an interception by cornerback Desmond Trufant. It wasn’t the first time the Falcons were doubly-penalized.
“We had another penalty taken back from a takeaway,” Quinn said. “That is a trend that has to go the other way because we’ve had, I don’t know, four at least, that (were called back) due to a penalty.”
The Falcons will need every turnover they get against the Seahawks, who rank first in the league with a plus-20 turnover ratio. The Falcons ranked 24th at minus-7.
"It's kind of like on the offense, you never know which play could be the one to spring, so same thing from the defensive side, let's make sure we're playing with great discipline, so those things lead (to turnovers)," Quinn said. "But tackling has improved. We're playing tighter in terms of some of the zones that we play in terms of coverage."
With the defensive line making strides, Quinn believes there's still room for improvement.
“Yeah, I think there’s another tick to go for the group, but that team chemistry, that connection they have amongst one another, that’ll help them get to a new spot,” Quinn said.
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