The Falcons rushing attack has been nonexistent since the first quarter of the season opener against the Eagles. Arthur Smith dialed up 12 run plays that averaged 6.6 yards in that first quarter as Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson totaled 87 rush yards. Davis carried the ball eight times for 40 yards, and Patterson carried the ball four times for 38 yards — 5.0 and 9.5 yards per carry, respectively.
Quite the encouraging quarter, right? Well, since that first quarter, Davis has 41 carries for 111 yards, averaging 2.7 yards per carry, while Patterson has 23 rushing attempts for 81 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
Through four weeks, the Falcons have one of the worst ground games in the league. Smith has called 94 runs totaling 347 yards and one touchdown — 3.7 yards per carry and 86.8 yards per game. They rank 24th in rush attempts and 25th in rush yards among all NFL teams. Outside of the first quarter of the season, the Falcons rushing game has been nonexistent.
Still, Atlanta had a bright spot in the run game against Washington. Recently acquired Wayne Gallman‘s first carry as a member of the Falcons went for 10 yards. He rushed five more times and totaled 29 yards during Sunday’s 34-30 loss to Washington. He wasn’t active for the first three weeks, but the former Giants running back finished second in rushing yards last Sunday. Gallman was only on the field for ten snaps. He carried the ball or was targeted on seven of those snaps, but most importantly, he looked strong as a runner. Smith will surely attempt to get him more involved going forward.
It isn’t Mike Davis’s fault that he hasn’t found consistent success outside of that first quarter in the opener, but Gallman’s limited snaps showed promise. He was the fourth-highest graded player and the third-highest graded offensive player against Washington.
Highest graded #Falcons from Week 4 (min. 10 snaps)
1⃣ Matt Ryan (QB)- 92.0
2⃣ Cordarrelle Patterson (HB)- 91.5
3⃣ Erik Harris (S)- 89.9
4⃣ Wayne Gallman (HB)- 73.9
5⃣ Chris Londstrom (OG) 70.6 pic.twitter.com/9b9cchyqIE— PFF ATL Falcons (@PFF_Falcons) October 4, 2021
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