Falcons divisional round PFF rating roundup

One more game. The Atlanta Falcons get one more home game in the Georgia Dome before they move to Mercedes-Benz Stadium next season. Before that, though, the Falcons played the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs with a trip to the NFC title game on the line.

The Falcons offense was firing on all cylinders in what was truly a group effort, and the young Falcons defense played one of their best games this season, helping the Falcons win the game 36-20. Let’s take a closer look at the biggest contributors from the Falcons big win.

Top performers

• De’Vondre Campbell, 85.4
• Alex Mack, 81.6
• Julio Jones, 80.7
• Mohamed Sanu, 80.5
• Brooks Reed, 80.0

These ratings pretty accurately portray the game, I think. Campbell and Reed both had their best games as Falcons, while Julio, Sanu, and Mack all played like we are used to seeing them play. There were 12 different players on the offense that earned grades above 70.0 and it showed—Atlanta remained balanced and attacked the Seahawks with a variety of formations and tactics. On defense, the Falcons benefitted from a questionable gameplan from Seattle (getting away from the running game) but still played very well—far beyond my expectations going into the game.

Best/worst grade

The best grade for this week is Matt Ryan’s 75.6. Ryan played well and put up good numbers but he definitely had some throws that he missed on, including a high pass intended to Taylor Gabriel that would of been a touchdown if it had been a little lower. It was not Ryan’s best game, yet he still played extremely well, which gives you an idea of how well he is playing this season. He put his playoff demons to rest and continued to cement himself as the leader for league MVP.

The worst grade this week is, yet again, tough to say because most of the grades are high and the team played well, so with that in mind, I will give it to Ricardo Allen. I’ve really enjoyed watching him play his position in this defense. Sure, he’s no Earl Thomas but, then again, very few are, but he has played very well lately and played well again on Saturday. He got a 79.2 and that is nothing to scoff at, but I would have given him at least a B for his performance.

Roundup

This game was incredibly un-Atlanta: the Falcons bounced back after getting punched in the mouth, they capitalized on the other team’s mistakes while minimizing their own, and they made big plays when they needed to in order to win the game. It was a lot of fun to watch all of the individuals on the team playing as a team and playing well—that tip-drill interception epitomized the defensive performance.

The Falcons continue to play well offensively and they seem to keep improving defensively. Just to make sure everyone is aware, the Atlanta Falcons are about to play in the NFC Championship Game and are favored to win it and go to the Super Bowl. When is the last time any of us even thought that was a possibility? This is a great time in Atlanta and it has the potential to get even better.