The Falcons are set to host the Commanders and Sam Howell, who are coming off a forgettable performance on Thursday Night Football against the Bears.
Atlanta is favored over Washington, but this should be a competitive contest. Desmond Ridder is coming off the best performance of his career, and Justin Fields looked like a world-beater against this Commanders’ defense. However, the Washington front is menacing, so running the ball might not be an option. It will once again be on Ridder’s arm to score points.
On the other side, Sam Howell and the Washington offense didn’t get much going on the ground and threw a staggering amount of second half passes without running the ball. I imagine they want to be more balanced, but this Falcons defense is the strength of the team, and Howell knows that.
“We kind of know what they like to do on defense, and they’re a really good defense, and they haven’t given up a lot of points,” Howell said. “Teams have struggled moving the ball on them. They have really solid players all around.”
Howell is correct in his assessment; Ryan Nielsen’s group is one of the stingiest defenses in football. After adding a slew of impact free agents this offseason, the Falcons have become a defensive team.
It’s a top 10 unit across most significant statistics — 19.2 points per game (10th), 32.2% third down conversion rate (5th), 38.5% red zone touchdown rate (5th), and 28.2% pressure rate (5th).
The turnovers and sacks haven’t materialized just yet, but that doesn’t tell the entire story of the effectiveness of this Falcons’ defense. It is stingy and can win in a multitude of ways. It will once again have to carry the Falcons on Sunday.
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