Falcons last in league in third-down defense

Against the Panthers, the Falcons tried just about every defense in their playbook. They blitzed and rushed seven players. They rushed four players and dropped seven into coverage. They rushed three players and dropped eight into coverage.

“We are trying and we keep scratching where it’s itching, and right now we’ve got hives all over in terms of our third-down defense,” Smith said. “We have not been effective or efficient on third downs and where we are statistically is not where we want to be.”

During the Carolina game, Smith and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder were seen having a discussion after yet another Panthers’ conversion.

“We threw a lot at the quarterback [Sunday] and he was able to make some plays,” Smith said. “Third-and-10s, third-and-9s, third-and-13s, which I believe they converted in those situations. Those are situations that statistically you should be able to win.”

The Panthers converted four consecutive third downs in the third quarter before defensive end Ray Edwards broke through to sack Carolina quarterback Cam Newton for an 8-yard loss.

Newton completed 6 of 7 passes on third downs for 84 yards. The Panthers ran four times on third down and averaged 10 yards a carry (four for 41 yards) and scored a touchdown.

“I think we did a poor job of getting off the field on third downs,” defensive tackle Corey Peters said. “We have to do a better job of stepping up and making the plays when they are available.”

Smith and VanGorder have made it a point of emphasis for the defense to get a stop and leave the field following third down.

“You’ve got to put pressure on the quarterback on third downs,” Smith said. “There have been a number of different things. At this point in time we are not playing very good third-down defense. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

When the Falcons blitz, they sometimes get to the quarterback, but they haven't been able to wrestle him to the ground. Newton escaped from defensive John Abrham and ran through the arms of defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux in the first quarter on Sunday.

Other times, Newton didn’t get any pressure, sat in the pocket and delivered passes down field to wide receiver Legedu Naanee.

“It’s inches,” Smith said. “It’s a foot here, an inch there. That’s what this game is all about. You watch games, and I don’t know how many times you see it, but you see a ball go right over somebody’s hands. If it’s another inch, the ball is going to be deflected.”

The defense will have a chance to get better against Detroit’s offense, which is ranked near the bottom in converting third downs. The Lions have converted 25 of 82 third downs (30 percent), which was 28th in the league before the Monday night game.

“Right now, we are not playing very good,” Smith said. “That is going to continue to be an emphasis point; we have got to affect the quarterback on third downs.”

The defense started the season out respectably on third downs. They held Chicago (38 percent), Philadelphia (45 percent) and Tampa Bay (36 percent) to decent numbers.

Over the past three games, the problem exacerbated against Carolina (67 percent), Green Bay (60 percent) and Seattle (55 percent).

One thing that has helped the Falcons is the defense has played strong in the red zone. They have had three interceptions in the end zone, including two against Carolina; safety Thomas DeCoud and cornerback Brent Grimes came up with interceptions in the end zone.

DeCoud also had an interception in the end zone against Tampa Bay.

“We pride ourselves on getting the ball back,” DeCoud said.

Smith clearly would like to have a few more three-and-outs from his defense and fewer interceptions in the end zone.