Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had just set a franchise record for receiving yards. His three receptions of 40-plus yards included a 75-yard catch-and-dash touchdown in which he stiff-armed one Panthers defender and outran another down the sideline.
Yet quarterback Matt Ryan didn’t cite any of those plays while recounting a game in which he and Jones became the first NFL duo to have at least 500 yards passing and 300 receiving. Instead, Ryan said Jones’ “best catch” come on a five-yard reception on third-and-three.
“He ran a short little under route on the left-hand side in traffic and snatched it, didn’t even bring it into his chest,” Ryan said. “His hands are so strong. He had some other great plays, don’t get me wrong, but I threw that one and I was like, ‘Man, that was a hell of a catch,’ and that was fun to see.”
The Falcons are making lots of good catches this season after they dropped lots of balls in 2015. That’s a significant reason they have the league’s top-ranked offense through four weeks.
In the victory over the Panthers the Falcons pass dropped zero passes in 36 targets, according to a video review by Pro Football Focus. Stats LLC says the Falcons have just one dropped pass in 139 pass targets this season, tied with three other teams for the fewest in the league through Week 4.
Contrast that to 2015, when the 37 dropped passes Pro Football Focus counted for the Falcons were the fourth-most in the NFL. Several of those miscues came beyond the first-down maker, stalling drives and making it difficult for the Falcons to find their rhythm.
Evaluating dropped passes is subjective—for example, after the season-opening loss to the Buccaneers coach Dan Quinn said the Falcons had three drops. Still, it’s clear the Falcons so far are a more sure-handed team during the second year under Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Quinn said the backs, receivers and tight ends deserve credit for the improvement.
“It’s the work that they do together sometimes without the coaches,” Quinn said. “They are the guys inside the white lines. We give them all of the guidelines and coach them like crazy. You’ll oftentimes see them together saying, ‘Hey, let’s go through this again.’”
One personnel change in particular has helped the Falcons cut down on the dropped passes. They parted ways with wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, who was among the league leaders in drops last season.
But the Falcons also have seen improved hands by several holdovers plus key free-agent addition Mohamed Sanu.
Sanu (one drop in 13 catches) seems to be putting his persistent drops issue with the Bengals behind him. Wide receiver Justin Hardy (four catches) has no drops in seven targets after he dropped three of 36 in 2015.
Running back Tevin Coleman has 13 receptions with no drops in 15 targets this year after he dropped three of five “catchable” balls in 2015. Devonta Freeman has no drops in 12 targets after his 8.75 percent drop rate ranked No. 43 among backs with at least 20 targets in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Falcons’ offense is humming because of its big plays, efficiency and versatility. None of that would be possible if Ryan’s pass targets couldn’t hang on to the ball.
“I think it’s huge,” Ryan said. “Our guys have done a great job catching the ball with strong hands, specifically in third-down situations. The windows are going to be tight. I try to do my best to put it in a spot where those guys can make a play but our guys have done a good job of being sure-handed, being physical and putting that ball away.”
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