Falcons offensive line rearing its head

When the Falcons hired Arthur Smith, fans were eager to have a high-powered rushing attack in Atlanta. He guided one of the most prolific offenses in the league in Tennessee with the help of Derrick Henry. Sure, the Falcons don’t have their own Henry, so there would have to be philosophical differences in Atlanta. However, there was still an expectation that Smith would improve an unreliable run game.

When Smith was putting together his staff, the offensive line coach was one area that wouldn’t garner much attention from the general public but would be a critical hire in getting the most out of the big uglies up front. Dwayne Ledford, a highly respected individual among the offensive line community, would later be named the line’s position coach. Ledford earned a lot of respect for his work with Mehki Becton, among other quality prospects.

For much of the season, we hadn’t seen the impact of Smith and Ledford in pass protection or the run game. In the first eight games, the offense only eclipsed 100 yards on the ground twice, and Matt Ryan was constantly under pressure; in fact, he’s the most hit quarterback in the league. But in recent weeks, the culmination of the work put in by Smtih, Ledford, and the offensive line has resulted in bigger running lanes for the backs. Over the last five games, the Falcons offense has gone over 100 yards rushing four times even if Ryan’s still facing an ungodly amount of pressure — pressured on 27.1% of his dropbacks (fifth-highest in NFL).

Though the improvements have been incremental, and there are still concerns in pass sets, the offensive line is the catalyst of the team’s recent success, and lot of that has to do with Smith and Ledford. The team seems to be grasping the nuances of the systems as they begin to buy into Smith’s culture and establish an identity.

“He honestly challenged us,” Qadree Ollison said via D. Orlando Ledbetter. “He’s been on great teams, playoff teams that have went deep into the playoffs. He told us, straight up, if you want to make the playoffs in this league, if you want to go deep in to the playoffs, you have to be able to run the ball.”

Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom are steady presences along the front, but the group is only as strong as its weakest link. Even though Matt Hennessy and Kaleb McGary have struggled at times in different capacities, Jalen Mayfield has been that weak link. With that being said, he’s improved since what some are calling the worst rookie debut ever as he was welcomed to the league by the Eagles’ fierce defensive front. Ledford acknowledged that development ahead of the team’s playoff implicating matchup against the 49ers.

“You take a look back at Jalen back from training camp to all the (exhibition) season,” Ledford said. “He’s taken a lot of snaps, and I like the way that he’s progressed throughout the season. … We’ve seen him even at practice, developing better habits. He knows the things that he has to work on… He’s gone against some great defensive tackles throughout the year,” Ledford said. “I mean, obviously it’s the NFL, but just in our division alone there’s a lot of really good three-techniques, interior lineman that he gets to go against, and you see development with him with his game improving.”

The Falcons are playing their best football of the season in the most crucial time of the year; even it is relative. They have a difficult challenge ahead in the 49ers, but another solid performance against a stout San Fran front seven from the offensive line could propel this team to the postseason. It is about subtle improvements for the offensive line; better than anyone, Smith knows this.

“Well, it’s just a culmination of trying to improve and doing your job better,” he said. “I think that’s what you’re seeing. … There’s nothing real flashy about it. … We got a huge challenge this week, going out to San Francisco.”