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Falcons Reacts results: Fans unsurprisingly confident about Atlanta’s run game in 2023

This unit was tough last season, and should be even more dominant with Bijan Robinson in the. mix.

By Jeanna.Kelley
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NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Once again, Falcons fans have spoken. Last week, we asked you what aspects of the Falcons’ game are you most confident in heading into the 2023 season, and which aspects you’re most concerned about.

Unsurprisingly, the run game is expected to be a strength this season.

A whopping 87 percent of fans responded that they feel confident about the Falcons’ offensive backfield. The Falcons combined for 2,718 rushing yards in 2022, with Tyler Allgeier leading the pack with 1,035 yards. And of course there’s a new face in the mix this year after the team selected Bijan Robinson out of Texas with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft. Robinson put up 3,410 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns over three seasons at Texas and should be a dynamic addition to both the rushing and passing offense.

And because time is a flat circle, Falcons fans are concerned about the pass defense. Last season, Atlanta’s defense allowed 3942 passing yards, ranking them 25th in the NFL. They allowed 26 passing touchdowns and had just 10 interceptions, besting only the Commanders, Dolphins, Saints, Raiders, and Giants in 2022. The 21 times they managed to sack opposing quarterbacks landed them No. 31 in the league, ahead of the Bears.

Here’s what fans had to say about their responses:

Tomahawkdirtybirds
The offense. I like Ridder, but we don't know enough about him yet. This is the most confident I've felt in our o line in a long time. However, with the style of offense we run, I just don't see Pitts and London having the seasons people are expecting them to have. They'll be good, but not great in our run heavy O. AS said he expects to pass the ball more this year. Let's see if it happens. And AS as a play caller, as I've mentioned before, has shown signs of potential, but also some baffling moments. Especially in the passing game. We'll see tho. Training camp and the preseason will provide much more insight on what to expect from this team in the air.
CombatFalcoholic
Confident in the run defense. With who we have on the roster, we should be an above average run defense team. I'm hoping for league average pass defense, which I think is attainable. Our d-line is a brick wall at this point. We have a lot of question marks at OLB/LB, so they will need to step up, thankfully we have a ton of possible talent there. Our secondary could be a turnover machine. I see a lot of pockets collapsed by big bodies up front, but few quick guys to take advantage of it, which is okay because the amount of risky throws should increase and thus give our upgraded secondary a chance to capitalize.
I am most concerned with our pass offense. In truth, our biggest question mark happens to also be the most important position on a football team. If Ridder is okay, I think we get a good enough pass game to compliment a dominant run game, and we see the post-season. If he is Mariota 2.0, then we are in for a long season...again. Thankfully our run offense should indeed dominate. The tea leaves say that AS and TF have set the stage for one of the all-time great run games. The entire offense is tailored to it. The receivers are quality run blockers and all. This team should be very fun to watch on Sundays in 2023.
@lanta
I'd say its pretty clear our run game (which was strong last season) is better this season, simply with the addition of Bijan. Ridder is a question mark considering his lack of NFL experience, but considering our strong run game and considering Ridder's own college career I think he'll do well.

Looking back on last season, when we had MM behind center for the majority of games and were pretty much one-dimensional, we still had a lot of close losses. So assuming Ridder is a better passer, and taking into account the addition of BR, and adding in the fact that our defense looks stronger, the likelihood that we'll win games this season that we ended up last season is high. Do the changes equal 3 more wins? I'd say definitely. And if Ridder is above average passer and if all the other pieces fall in place why shouldn't we add 4, 5 or even 6 more wins to this season's total?

If I had to choose my greatest concern I'd say it would be the passing offense, but I really am not very concerned about any part of this team. Arrows are pointing up. Falcons are going to RISE UP!
FalconFanInMaine
Question two was a tough one. Came down to pass offense and pass defense.
But Ridder is the question, hands down. I'm confident he will do well in this QB-friendly offense. He's got plenty of talent around him. Still, week 1 will be just his 5th NFL start so he is the most important question mark on the team.
CluelessJoe
Most confident in the rush offense, most concerned about the pass defense.
The rush offense is a no-brainer, based upon the success from last season, the OL being improved, and the Bijan-Allgeier combo that might get 2,000 rushing yards combined...or more.
As for pass defense...we hope the pass rush is improved, but there's no guarantee it will be. Ellis might not get 7+ sacks again. Campbell (Father Time is undefeated) may not have a significant impact. Dupree may not regain the level of play he had with the Steelers. We hope that AK takes a big step up, but will he?
In the middle, will Troy Anderson's athletic ability allow him to blanket TEs and RBs, or will he be a step slow as he continues to try to process the NFL game? Will Mikal Walker be useful at all?
On the back end, Bates and Terrell should at least be solid, but will Okudah look like a worthy 1st round pick, or will we be calling him Crispy by week 5? Will Grant improve from year 2? Will Phillips be able to overcome his size at the NFL level?
All of these things with the pass defense are unknowns, though I'm optimistic and expect improvement since we have better personnel, and the promising young players we already had have another year of experience.

There’s no survey this week, as Kyle Thele, who runs Reacts for SB Nation, and his wife just welcomed a brand new baby who made a surprise appearance a few weeks before the due date. But stay tuned the following week and we should be back in action.

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