If the Saints didn’t get the full dose of Falcons running back Devonta Freeman last week, it may have been more because of circumstance than design.
The Titans, who’ve been vulnerable against the run, likely won’t catch such a break when the Falcons (5-1) visit Sunday.
“We’re anticipating us getting back on track, and playing the style that we like to play,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
For the Falcons over the first five games, that meant an increasingly run-first philosophy. Freeman emerged as one of the more productive backs in the league, and the Falcons gradually shifted their focus from constantly targeting wide receiver Julio Jones to feeding Freeman.
That plan didn’t develop against the Saints because the Falcons were down 14-0 early and never had the lead. The Falcons got “out of whack” with their offensive balance, Quinn said, and now they’ll seek to get it back against the Titans (1-4).
Freeman is a tough and physical runner, and he figures to be fresh after he got just 21 touches against the Saints. He said he felt rejuvenated after getting the weekend off following the Thursday game against the Saints.
“You get crammed up with so much football, sometimes you have to get away a couple days mentally,” Freeman said. “Physically, it’s just get that soreness out and unwinding a little bit. Now I’m turning it back on and getting ready for football again.”
The statistics suggest Freeman, the NFL’s touchdown leader and No. 2 rusher, is primed for a big day against the Titans. Perhaps no team in the NFL runs the ball as effectively as the Falcons, and not many struggle to stop the run as much as the Titans.
The Falcons rank No. 1 in the league in rushing yards per game and No. 5 in yards per rush. The Titans’ defense is No. 28 in rushing yards allowed per game and No. 26 in rushing yards allowed per play.
Adjust the stats according to opponent and situation, as Football Outsiders does, and it looks even more promising for the Falcons. The advanced-statistics web site ranks the Falcons as the second-most efficient rushing team in the league and ranks Tennessee’s run defense as the worst in the NFL.
The Dolphins struggled to run the ball until they erupted for 180 yards on 32 carries in a 38-10 victory Sunday. The Titans were without inside linebacker Avery Williamson for that game, and he’s expected to play against the Falcons. But the run defense hasn’t been much better with Williamson in the lineup.
Certainly the Falcons’ offensive game plan is designed to take advantage of the apparent mismatch in the run game. Freeman, though, said he expects resistance.
“You ain’t going to find no team in the NFL that’s horrible or bad,” Freeman said. “Everybody is good. I feel like everybody is the same. It’s just the team that can be good on the details.”
The Titans could decide to focus on slowing Freeman, but that’s been difficult to do for most Falcons opponents because of the threat of Jones on the outside. Jones was slowed by a hamstring in the past two games, but hasn’t appeared on the injury report this week.
With Jones at full speed and attracting defensive attention, Freeman should find chances to hammer at Tennessee’s weak run defense.
“The quarterback is playing really well and obviously Julio is an outstanding football player,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “When you add that running back and the way they are running the football that makes them a diverse offense. It will be a big challenge for us.”
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