Where did all of the offense go?
The Falcons dazzled in their opener, a thrilling 37-34 victory against the rival New Orleans Saints in the Georgia Dome.
But against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, there were no offensive fireworks.
“It’s tough when you can’t get anything going,” wide receiver Roddy White said. “I felt like we played right into their hands. We didn’t get off to a fast start. We didn’t do anything that we normally do. We just came out there … we know they are tough on defense. They are good.”
The Falcons amassed 568 total yards against the Saints, the highest single-game yardage total in franchise history. Atlanta topped the previous mark of 563 yards set against the Rams in 1980.
But against the stingy Bengals, the Falcons had 309 total yards and had 98 at halftime.
Against the Saints, they used four running backs and four-wide receiver formations.
The Falcons only used running backs Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers against the Bengals. Antone Smith and Devonta Freeman did not receive any carries from scrimmage.
Jackson had 11 rushes for 46 yards, while Rodgers rushed five times for 23 yards. Quarterback Matt Ryan rushed three times for 28 yards.
Falcons wide receiver Devin Hester, who caught five passes for 99 yards against the Saints, was held to one catch for 2 yards against the Bengals.
“We just need to play better and the way that we’re capable of,” said Ryan, who tossed three interceptions. “We didn’t convert on third downs and you have to be efficient on first and second down. We didn’t play well across the board, but hats off to them.”
The Falcons knew this was a much stiffer early season test. They had scrimmaged against the Bengals last season during training camp and were physically mauled in those practice sessions.
The Falcons made it a point to improve some of the talent in the trenches this offseason, but the offensive line is still not a match for the rugged Bengals, the defending AFC North champions.
“We were right in the game at the half,” Ryan said. “We came out and turned the football over three times in the second half. You’re not going to win, when you do that. I’ve got to be better than that.”
White felt the offense should have attacked the Bengals with a more up-tempo offering.
The Falcons ran their no-huddle, but weren’t in a hurry early.
“We have to speed up the tempo,” White said. “We didn’t have a tempo until we got down. We have to speed up the tempo and get going.
“They had a good scheme today. They came after us. Came up and made good tackles. We couldn’t break those tackles.”
White hopes the offense can bounce back when they face Tampa Bay on Thursday.
“We could just line up and go Texas (no huddle),” White said. “We can get in our Texas package and just play no-huddle football. The short week will be all right for us.”
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