It’s generally not a good sign for the defense when a defensive back leads the team in tackles.
It’s really not a good sign when four of your top 10 tacklers are defensive backs, as is the case with the Falcons this season.
Here are the Falcons’ top 10 tacklers: safety William Moore (124), linebacker Paul Worrilow (123), linebacker Joplo Bartu (90), safety Thomas DeCoud (80), cornerback Desmond Trufant (68), defensive back Robert McClain (64), linebacker Akeem Dent (55), defensive tackle Corey Peters (54), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (51) and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (43).
Worrilow, who made the team as an undrafted free agent from Delaware, could overtake Moore if he has two tackles in the regular-season finale. Linebacker Stephen Nicholas led the Falcons in tackles last season.
The flip side for the Falcons is the high number of missed tackles this season that have led to a rash of long gainers. Moore (15), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (12), Worrilow (12), Weatherspoon (11), DeCoud (nine) and Bartu (eight) are the leaders in missed tackles, according to profootballfocus.com.
Because of the shoddy tackling, the Falcons have allowed 86 plays of 20 yards or more.
The Falcons are tied for the NFL lead in rushes of 40 yards of more (six) and passes of 40 yards or more (16). They are tied with Detroit for the most long rushes given up and with Baltimore for the most long passes allowed.
They’ve also allowed 13 rushes of 20 yards or more (eighth in the league) and 51 passes of 20 yards or more (12th in the league.)
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