Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is ready to throw the team over his shoulders and drag them kicking and screaming to the playoffs.
If he must win shootouts against Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Cam Newton or Derek Anderson, Ryan is ready to sling the football around like he did in the second half of the game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.
“Offensively, we can do whatever we need to do,” Ryan said. “We believe that. We go into every game with that mindset.”
Before the rash of injuries along the offensive line, the Falcons torched Tampa Bay for 56 points. But injures slowed down the attack and the Falcons have not been able to put together a full game of high octane offense.
They have been able to jump on teams in spurts. They opened a 21-0 lead against Detroit. They jumped out to 17-0 lead on Arizona.
Against the Packers, they dug out from a 24-point halftime deficit and cut the lead to six points.
But in order to win the NFC South and qualify for the playoffs, the Falcons, who boast the last-ranked defense in the league, may just need to win two of their final three games.
“Our defense, at different times, is going to bail us out, too,” Ryan said. “That’s just the dynamic of a team. But certainly, as an offense, we feel like we can go toe-to-toe and put up the points that we need to put up.”
The revamped offensive line is playing much better and the Falcons’ commitment to the running game has open things up. Even when they are not moving the ball, the haven’t skipped away from the rushing attack.
The Falcons have averaged 27 runs a game over the past six games. That has helped to slow down pass rushers and balance out the attack.
“Anytime that you can get the run game going, that’s going to help you and certainly that’s helped us the last few weeks,” Ryan said.
The offensive line appreciates the help.
“We know that we have weapons outside and a great quarterback,” center James Stone said. “We know that if we protect, they’ll be able to make plays. We feel good when those guys are able to make plays and the protection is solid for them.”
Ryan may be without wide receiver Julio Jones this week. He suffered a hip injury during his spectacular 11-catch, 259-yard performance against the Green Bay Packers. He was walking under his own powers on Wednesday, but did not take part in the team’s walk-through.
Jones has caught 21 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games.
Ryan believes that wide receivers Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Devin Hester can pick up the slack if Jones is unable to perform. Also, Eric Weems, the fifth receiver, caught a touchdown pass against the Packers.
“Those guys are all ready,” Ryan said. “They have the mindset that at different points throughout the game, Julio has been on the bench and the other guys have been in and we can go right down the field with any of those guys.”
Also, special teams standout Drew Davis is back from a foot injury and can play from scrimmage. He’s a speedster, who started three games last season with White and Jones out.
“We’ve got guys who have played a lot of football for us,” Ryan said. “Drew, last year, at different points of the season he was at No. 1 or No. 2 in different situations. In games, he played 40 or 50 snaps. We’ve got guys across the board, who have played a lot of football and know our offense really well. … That’s a nice luxury to have.”
The Falcons’ defense will be under severe stress against Pittsburgh. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown are all have fine seasons.
Roethlisberger has thrown 29 touchdown passes. Bell, who has 1,231 yards rushing and 693 yards receiving, is putting up Walter Payton like numbers and Brown leads the league in receptions with 105 through 13 games.
The Steelers, who are in a fight for the AFC North title, are coming off a 45-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals beat the Falcons 24-10 back in Week 2.
“We are just trying to use the pieces that we have in place to produce victory,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin when asked if he anticipated a high-scoring affair. “We don’t care about the point total as long as it’s one more than our opponent. I’m sure the Falcons feel the same way.”
