The Falcons defense has long been the weakness in Atlanta, and those woes have not only continued in 2021 but seemed to have gotten worse. The hiring of Dean Pees gave many fans optimism this unit could at least be respectable and not look as bad as it did last year under Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, and Jeff Ulbrich. Pees has long made the most out of his talent wherever he’s been, which was the basket many put their eggs into. But fast forward to Week 3, and those people have lost all faith as Pees’ group has broken a franchise record for the most points given up in the first two weeks of a season, which was previously held by the 2020 defense.
In Week 1, the Falcons allowed the Eagles and Jalen Hurts to complete nearly 80% of his passes and throw three touchdowns without committing any turnovers. In Week 2, they allowed Tom Brady to pick them apart on his way to five touchdowns and no interceptions. The Falcons look incompetent in so many different ways.
Top-5 #Falcons PFF Defensive Grades vs. Buccaneers (Week 2)
1. LB Dante Fowler Jr. – 72.1
2. DT Grady Jarrett – 71.7
3. DT Ta’Quon Graham – 69.3
4. DE Jonathan Bullard – 68.1
5. S Jaylinn Hawkins – 67.0— Evan Birchfield (@EvanBirchfield) September 20, 2021
The Falcons defense needs a facelift, and the one strong position group is linebacker, which has less direct impact than corners or every down pass rushers. Dean Pees has a tall task ahead of him this year with this unit, and if he’s without A.J. Terrell against the Giants, it could actually get worse. The offensive line is a major issue and should be at the top of the “to-do list,” but the entire defensive needs to be revamped.
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