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While the Falcons moved to 5-0 this past Sunday, the trip getting there was anything but easy. Going against a Washington team that was missing some key receivers, the Falcons defense was able to stymie the Washington offense for most of the day. While the defense was shutting down the running game, it was the Falcons passing game that faltered. Ryan had a pretty bad day at the office, and that is evidenced in the scores below.
Offense
On the positive side, the Falcons offense got some big contributions from a few guys. The most impressive score belongs to RT Ryan Schraeder, whose +4.3 overall (+2.3 pass block, +1.6 run block) was a nice bounce back score from the previous week. TE Jacob Tamme had his best game as a Falcon, putting up a +1.9 overall. RB Devonta Freeman continues to impress and his +1.6 score was third highest on the day. Other notable scores: LG Andy Levitre (+1.2), RG Chris Chester (+0.9), LT Jake Matthews (+0.5).
Sadly, the negative scores on the day were lead by our franchise QB. Ryan looked off for almost the entire day (except for the critical drive at the end of the fourth) and his -2.3 score is reflective of that. Matt wasn't alone, though, as both Julio Jones (-1.0) and Roddy White (-1.1) also struggled on the day. Other notable scores: C James Stone (-1.0), TE Levine Toilolo (-0.9), FB Patrick DiMarco (-0.7), WR Leonard Hankerson (-0.5).
Defense
The defense played pretty strongly on Sunday and that is evidenced by the strong scores. No one was more impressive than veteran DT Jonathan Babineaux, who pulled down a +3.0 score on the day. The vet looks revitalized under Dan Quinn and back in his traditional 3-tech role. DT Ra'Shede Hageman continues to impress as a run-stopper, registering a +1.6 grade on the day. LBs Kroy Biermann (+1.5) and Nate Stupar (+1.4) were also big factors in shutting down the Washington running game on the day. Other notable scores: DT Adrian Clayborn (+1.1), DT Paul Soliai (+1.0), LB Paul Worrilow (+0.6).
On the flip side, there weren't many negative scores. Only safety William Moore ended up "in the red" with a -1.4 overall. Safety Ricardo Allen netted a "meh" -0.5 with LBs Brooks Reed (-0.5) and LB Joplo Bartu (-0.6) registering similarly average grades. Other notable scores: DE Vic Beasley (-0.6), CB Robert Alford (-0.3), CB Desmond Trufant (-0.3).
Special Teams
Matt Bosher continues to be a force of nature, as evidenced by his +1.5 score. Matt Bryant had a rough day at the office, but I'm intentionally ignoring his negative score because it was clearly "what in the world is going on with clutch Matts" day on Sunday.
Your thoughts on the scores from PFF?