<img alt="Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IY8Wfsx__8l5X75YOlVRHu5GtNM=/0x0:8106x5404/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73593346/2171719915.0.jpg">
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
How did Atlanta divvy up playing time Monday night? If you love snap counts, you’ll love this article. Let’s get to it and see how the Atlanta Falcons chose to divide up their playing time in that major win on Monday Night Football.
Offense
Kirk Cousins: 61
Jake Matthews: 61
Matthew Bergeron: 61
Drew Dalman: 61
Chris Lindstrom: 61
Kaleb McGary: 61
Ray-Ray McCloud: 61
Darnell Mooney: 61
Drake London: 59
Bijan Robinson: 46
Kyle Pitts: 45
Charlie Woerner: 16
Tyler Allgeier: 13
Avery Williams: 2
Ross Dwelley: 2
The Falcons aren’t mucking around at wide receiver or rotating heavily. Incredibly, they only played three guys against the Eagles, with Mooney and McCloud playing every snap and London only sitting out two. That trio combined for 12 catches, 184 yards, and two touchdowns, so I’d say it’s working out just fine. The early talk about McCloud having a major role was not exaggerated in the slightest.
The rotation at running back is also lopsided, but when Tyler Allgeier is in the game, he’s getting the ball. Of his 13 snaps, he touched the ball on 10 of them, producing 6.5 yards per touch. Bijan is dominating the snaps because he’s outrageously good and his pass protection has improved, but the Falcons wisely spelled him more often in this one with Allgeier, with very positive results.
Another encouraging note? Relatively little Woerner usage did not translate to poor run blocking, as both London and Pitts in particular really delivered in that regard. There were still stretches where things did not go well, but the Falcons seemed to find their groove personnel-wise last night very early in the season. That’s mighty encouraging.
Defense
Kaden Elliss: 71
A.J. Terrell: 71
Jessie Bates: 71
Troy Andersen: 67
Justin Simmons: 61
Dee Alford: 53
Mike Hughes: 48
Grady Jarrett: 48
Matthew Judon: 42
James Smith-Williams: 39
David Onyemata: 38
Lorenzo Carter: 36
Eddie Goldman: 27
Arnold Ebiketie: 25
Clark Phillips: 23
Kentavius Street: 22
Ta’Quon Graham: 18
Richie Grant: 10
Zach Harrison: 9
Kevin King: 2
The Falcons are showing they’ll split snaps when they think it makes sense. Phillips and Huges are sharing time situationally, with the coaching staff clearly eyeing Phillips’ development, and they’re truly rotating personnel up front even if the lack of Harrison has been a bit stunning. Hell, Justin Simmons is getting breathers in favor of Richie Grant, who I thought played quite well in his limited snaps last night.
That would extend to Andersen were Nate Landman healthy, but as he’s not, Andersen played a nearly full complement of snaps and proved to be one of the team’s weak links in terms of run stopping acumen. Andersen has real value in coverage and should hopefully fare better as the season grinds on, but the Falcons loved Landman on early downs and missed him against Philadelphia.
Long-term, this suggests that by dint of injury and development, we’ll see them ease in the rookie class later in the season. If it helps this team find good matchups and keep guys fresh, it’s well worth the time and effort.
Your full-time players are, of course, stars. Terrell was a plus run defender and limited the damage against him, allowing just a single yard after the catch and 33 yards overall on four catches and five targets, while Elliss scuffled a bit in coverage but delivered quality run defense and a huge hit on Jalen Hurts at the end of the game. Bates prevented a touchdown and brought in the game-sealing interception, showcasing the ball skills that have made him invaluable for Atlanta.
This defense has now allowed just two touchdowns and 39 points (19.5 points per game) over two weeks, ranking well in scoring and pass defense despite playing a couple of dynamic playmakers at quarterback. If the run defense can settle in a bit more, it feels like this side of the ball will be a season-long team strength.
Special teams
Richie Grant: 18
Avery Williams: 18
Micah Abernathy: 18
JD Bertrand: 18
DeAngelo Malone: 18
KhaDarel Hodge: 15
Dane Cruikshank: 14
Tyler Allgeier: 13
Bradley Pinion: 12
Charlie Woerner: 11
Kevin King: 8
Dee Alford: 6
Liam McCullough: 6
Zach Harrison: 5
Ray-Ray McCloud: 5
Ross Dwelley: 5
Chris Lindstrom: 4
Jake Matthews: 4
Kaleb McGary: 4
Matthew Bergeron: 4
Storm Norton: 4
Ryan Neuzil: 4
Kyle Hinton: 4
Younghoe Koo: 4
Mike Hughes: 3
David Onyemata: 3
Kentavius Street: 3
Ta’Quon Graham: 3
Kaden Elliss: 2
Troy Andersen: 2
Clark Phillips: 2
Lorenzo Carter: 1
Arnold Ebiketie: 1
The Falcons allowed a 27 yard kick return to start things off and then allowed just one nine yard punt return the rest of the day, with Pinion continuing to do a good job of minimizing returns. With Younghoe Koo kicking well, Williams continuing to be a plus returner, and the coverage teams doing a solid job, everything here is functioning as it should. It’s also the spot where we’ll see this rookie class log time, with Bertrand already emerging as a core special teams option.
<img alt="Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IY8Wfsx__8l5X75YOlVRHu5GtNM=/0x0:8106x5404/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73593346/2171719915.0.jpg">
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
How did Atlanta divvy up playing time Monday night? If you love snap counts, you’ll love this article. Let’s get to it and see how the Atlanta Falcons chose to divide up their playing time in that major win on Monday Night Football.
Offense
Kirk Cousins: 61
Jake Matthews: 61
Matthew Bergeron: 61
Drew Dalman: 61
Chris Lindstrom: 61
Kaleb McGary: 61
Ray-Ray McCloud: 61
Darnell Mooney: 61
Drake London: 59
Bijan Robinson: 46
Kyle Pitts: 45
Charlie Woerner: 16
Tyler Allgeier: 13
Avery Williams: 2
Ross Dwelley: 2
The Falcons aren’t mucking around at wide receiver or rotating heavily. Incredibly, they only played three guys against the Eagles, with Mooney and McCloud playing every snap and London only sitting out two. That trio combined for 12 catches, 184 yards, and two touchdowns, so I’d say it’s working out just fine. The early talk about McCloud having a major role was not exaggerated in the slightest.
The rotation at running back is also lopsided, but when Tyler Allgeier is in the game, he’s getting the ball. Of his 13 snaps, he touched the ball on 10 of them, producing 6.5 yards per touch. Bijan is dominating the snaps because he’s outrageously good and his pass protection has improved, but the Falcons wisely spelled him more often in this one with Allgeier, with very positive results.
Another encouraging note? Relatively little Woerner usage did not translate to poor run blocking, as both London and Pitts in particular really delivered in that regard. There were still stretches where things did not go well, but the Falcons seemed to find their groove personnel-wise last night very early in the season. That’s mighty encouraging.
Defense
Kaden Elliss: 71
A.J. Terrell: 71
Jessie Bates: 71
Troy Andersen: 67
Justin Simmons: 61
Dee Alford: 53
Mike Hughes: 48
Grady Jarrett: 48
Matthew Judon: 42
James Smith-Williams: 39
David Onyemata: 38
Lorenzo Carter: 36
Eddie Goldman: 27
Arnold Ebiketie: 25
Clark Phillips: 23
Kentavius Street: 22
Ta’Quon Graham: 18
Richie Grant: 10
Zach Harrison: 9
Kevin King: 2
The Falcons are showing they’ll split snaps when they think it makes sense. Phillips and Huges are sharing time situationally, with the coaching staff clearly eyeing Phillips’ development, and they’re truly rotating personnel up front even if the lack of Harrison has been a bit stunning. Hell, Justin Simmons is getting breathers in favor of Richie Grant, who I thought played quite well in his limited snaps last night.
That would extend to Andersen were Nate Landman healthy, but as he’s not, Andersen played a nearly full complement of snaps and proved to be one of the team’s weak links in terms of run stopping acumen. Andersen has real value in coverage and should hopefully fare better as the season grinds on, but the Falcons loved Landman on early downs and missed him against Philadelphia.
Long-term, this suggests that by dint of injury and development, we’ll see them ease in the rookie class later in the season. If it helps this team find good matchups and keep guys fresh, it’s well worth the time and effort.
Your full-time players are, of course, stars. Terrell was a plus run defender and limited the damage against him, allowing just a single yard after the catch and 33 yards overall on four catches and five targets, while Elliss scuffled a bit in coverage but delivered quality run defense and a huge hit on Jalen Hurts at the end of the game. Bates prevented a touchdown and brought in the game-sealing interception, showcasing the ball skills that have made him invaluable for Atlanta.
This defense has now allowed just two touchdowns and 39 points (19.5 points per game) over two weeks, ranking well in scoring and pass defense despite playing a couple of dynamic playmakers at quarterback. If the run defense can settle in a bit more, it feels like this side of the ball will be a season-long team strength.
Special teams
Richie Grant: 18
Avery Williams: 18
Micah Abernathy: 18
JD Bertrand: 18
DeAngelo Malone: 18
KhaDarel Hodge: 15
Dane Cruikshank: 14
Tyler Allgeier: 13
Bradley Pinion: 12
Charlie Woerner: 11
Kevin King: 8
Dee Alford: 6
Liam McCullough: 6
Zach Harrison: 5
Ray-Ray McCloud: 5
Ross Dwelley: 5
Chris Lindstrom: 4
Jake Matthews: 4
Kaleb McGary: 4
Matthew Bergeron: 4
Storm Norton: 4
Ryan Neuzil: 4
Kyle Hinton: 4
Younghoe Koo: 4
Mike Hughes: 3
David Onyemata: 3
Kentavius Street: 3
Ta’Quon Graham: 3
Kaden Elliss: 2
Troy Andersen: 2
Clark Phillips: 2
Lorenzo Carter: 1
Arnold Ebiketie: 1
The Falcons allowed a 27 yard kick return to start things off and then allowed just one nine yard punt return the rest of the day, with Pinion continuing to do a good job of minimizing returns. With Younghoe Koo kicking well, Williams continuing to be a plus returner, and the coverage teams doing a solid job, everything here is functioning as it should. It’s also the spot where we’ll see this rookie class log time, with Bertrand already emerging as a core special teams option.
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