Falcons' offense lost without Shanahan
The most recent matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots looked a little different than the one before.
In their February encounter, both offenses showed up. On Sunday, only one did.
The Falcons' offense lost perhaps its most important piece following Atlanta's Super Bowl defeat when offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan left to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan had spent two seasons turning Atlanta's offense into a well-oiled machine, becoming the most revered offensive play-caller in the NFL in the process.
After quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur spurned Atlanta's offer in favor of the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Dan Quinn replaced Shanahan with former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. And while the Falcons haven't moved on from Shanahan's playbook, the results have suffered mightily.
Average offensive stats per game
| Season | Yards | Points | 1st Downs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 415.8 | 33.8 | 23.7 |
| 2017 | 372.5 | 21.3 | 21.3 |
Shanahan managed to get the best out of all his weapons and keep everyone fresh. Sarkisian, however, has relied much more heavily on top stars Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones, who scored the team's sole touchdown Sunday.
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In their much-anticipated rematch with New England, the Falcons hardly resembled the team that stormed out to an infamous 28-3 lead. Instead, Atlanta scored seven points and went 1-for-4 on red-zone attempts. When the team was down by 20 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Sarkisian appeared to be out of tricks, calling a failed wide-receiver sweep from the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal.
Employing Sarkisian as offensive play-caller is questionable, since that wasn't part of his duties at Alabama and he surrendered the responsibility at USC before the 2015 season began. During Sarkisian's only game calling plays in the two years before he took the Falcons' job, he leaned heavily on the athleticism of his weapons.
this was the only game Steve Sarkisian had called in 3 years before the Falcons hired him pic.twitter.com/celuM5WFm1
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) October 23, 2017
And the Falcons, now unable to lean on their offense like they did last season, have dropped three straight games to AFC East opponents thanks to second-half collapses. The Buffalo Bills outscored Atlanta 16-7 in the final two quarters of their 23-17 win in Week 4. Coming off their bye, the Falcons let the Miami Dolphins score 20 points for the first time in 2017, blowing a 17-0 lead in the second half.
The Falcons looked like a force to be reckoned with for years to come under Shanahan after helping Matt Ryan to an MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award. With Sarkisian at the helm, Ryan became the first quarterback this season that didn't throw for 300 yards against a Patriots defense - a unit that Josh McCown torched the week before.
With 10 games remaining, including six against division opponents, the Falcons need Sarkisian to figure out Shanahan's secret blend of herbs and spices that made the play calling so fluid, or they will once again be on the hunt for a new offensive coordinator in January after they miss the playoffs.