The Atlanta Falcons’ defense just got a harsh reminder of how quickly a strength can be stressed when an opponent commits to the run.
Baltimore came into Sunday night facing the NFL’s top-ranked run defense, the unit that had allowed only 48.3 rushing yards per game. By the end of the night, that reputation had taken a hit. The Ravens piled up 208 rushing yards on 35 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt and taking control at the line of scrimmage in Atlanta.
Derrick Henry was right in the middle of it. He ran for 102 yards and added a receiving touchdown on a screen pass, helping Baltimore keep the Falcons on their heels. What had looked like a dominant Atlanta front entering the game turned into a group that spent much of the night chasing and reacting.
The most telling stretch came in overtime, when Baltimore leaned on the ground game for 45 yards on the decisive drive. The Ravens kept pushing forward, and Atlanta couldn’t find the stop it needed as the front seven wore down late.
Falcons defensive lineman Gervon Dexter said the issue starts with handling the run if Atlanta wants to unlock its pressure package.
“We got to stop the run to get the pass rush, so we want to get more of those opportunities. We got to do a better job at stopping the run,” Dexter said.
He also pointed to how Henry can close out games once he gets rolling.
“Obviously, he’s a good player. You got to stop his feet, get him behind the line of scrimmage, and make a play on him.
He’s one of those players in a long time where he can, like you say, finish those games. So we knew we had to try to get him down there,” Dexter said.
Baltimore’s success early in downs made life harder on Atlanta across the board. The Ravens were consistently staying ahead of the sticks, which limited the Falcons’ ability to pin their ears back and attack the quarterback. As the game went on, the physical toll showed up in the defensive front.
And the schedule doesn’t give Atlanta much room to regroup. The next two opponents are the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, both of whom rank in the NFL’s top 10 in rushing offense.
Chicago sits first in the league at 173.2 rushing yards per game. San Francisco is eighth at 128 yards per game. Both teams bring more of the same kind of test the Falcons just struggled to handle: power, patience, and the kind of rushing volume that can grind a defense down.
Atlanta has already proven it can play at a high level against the run. After what Henry and the Ravens just did, the Falcons will need to get back to that standard fast.
In Other News...
Lamar Jackson Update Changes How Falcons Fans May View Week 5
Lamar Jacksons absence in Baltimores Week 5 win over the Falcons helped shape the way that game was viewed on both sidelines, especially with the Ravens forced to go without their quarterback after he hurt his ankle in Week 4. Atlanta could at least take some comfort in knowing it didnt have to deal with Jackson on Sunday, even if the Falcons still had plenty to sort through from their own performance.
Now the situation has turned quickly toward Week 6, where Jacksons availability could change the tone of the Ravens next matchup and, by extension, how the Falcons loss or result in Baltimore gets judged in the coming days. Baltimores first injury report of the week arrives Wednesday, and that will be the first real checkpoint for anyone trying to figure out whether Jackson is trending back toward the field. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Suddenly Puts Falcons Week 6 Outlook On Edge
Michael Penix Jr. gave the Falcons a little more than they bargained for in Week 5, leaving Sundays game against the Ravens with a rib injury. The early sense around the team is still relatively upbeat, though, and Atlanta is working under the belief that the quarterbacks issue should not linger long enough to create a bigger problem for the offense heading into Week 6.
Still, this weeks outlook has plenty riding on Penixs status, especially with the Bears on deck and the betting market already nudging in Atlantas direction. The real checkpoint comes Wednesday, when the Falcons release their first practice report and get a clearer read on whether Penix is trending toward playing or if the situation remains in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Overtime Meltdown Looks Even Worse After Ravens Revelation
The Falcons overtime loss in Baltimore already looked like a brutal break in the standings, but the latest detail to surface made it sting a little more. On The Marlon Humphrey Show, Humphrey revealed that Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton had a hunch the moment Atlanta turned to backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in overtime, setting the stage for a sequence that now feels even more deflating for the Falcons.
Atlantas first possession of overtime ended the way the Ravens hoped it would, with Hamilton coming up with the interception that sealed Baltimores 30-23 victory. For the Falcons, its another reminder of how quickly an extra period can turn, and for the Ravens, it only adds to the sense that their secondary had read the situation before the ball was even snapped. [Read more 🡒]