X-Factor: The Falcons’ run defense needs to step up

Over the past three games, all losses, the Falcons have given up 117, 138 and 162 yards to drop from ninth in the rankings to 16th.

The New York Jets, who feature running backs Bilal Powell (4.7 per carry), Matt Forte (4.4 per carry) and Elijah McGuire (4.0 per carry), average 103.3 rushing yards per game, which is ranked 19th in the league.

“They are actually all very similar,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said of his running backs. “They all can run, catch and block at the same time. Forte has great vision. Bilal is explosive inside and out, and Elijah, he’s just very smooth. He just kind of glides so to speak and he’s still uncovering all of his talents. Between the three of them we try to get it done.”

The Falcons are struggling on the interior of the line in the wake of the season-ending injury to Jack Crawford and Courtney Upshaw (ankle) not being 100 percent. The Falcons signed 10-year veteran tackle Ahtyba Rubin, a 310-pounder, to clog things up.

“At times, it looks like they’ve played the hot hand,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of the Jets’ running backs. “They definitely utilize all three. It seems for years that Forte has been somebody that has that slip and slide ability, can set up a block and then put his foot in the ground and get vertical.”

The Jets are running a version of the zone blocking system where the running backs really attack the line of scrimmage.

In a 23-20 win over Jacksonville, Powell had a 75-yard touchdown run, and McGuire had a 69-yard touchdown run.

“He was somebody that as we were evaluating the running backs we held in high regard,” Quinn said of McGuire, who’s a sixth-round pick from Louisiana-Lafayette selected after the Falcons tabbed Brian Hill in the fifth round.