FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons' defense has risen to be ranked No. 1 against the run in the league.
The Falcons held the Colts to 74 yards rushing in their last outing and are now giving up just 87.4 yards per game. New England is second at 88.8 yards a game followed by the New York Jets at 91.6 per game. Cleveland, which is giving up 138.8 yards rushing per game, is 32nd in the league.
It’s a dramatic turnaround under first-year coach Dan Quinn, from a unit that couldn’t get off the field last season. The Falcons finished last season ranked 21st against the run (118.4 yards rushing per game).
This season, the Falcons defense has slowed down Philadelphia’s DeMarco Murray (eight carries for 9 yards), Houston’s Arian Foster (8 for 10), Washington’s Alfred Morris (8 for 15), New Orleans’ Mark Ingram (20 for 46) and Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin (23 for 71).
Dallas (127), Tampa Bay (117) and San Francisco (133) were the only teams to crack the 100-yard mark against the Falcons this season.
Overall, the defense is ranked 10th in the league (335.7 total yards per game). They are 18th against the pass (248.3 yards per game) and 12th in scoring (21.4 points per game).
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