As we’ve been doing for many years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. Like last year, Josh Carney and I will cover the opposing team’s offense. I will focus on the scheme, Josh on the players.
Today, our scouting report on the Atlanta Falcons’ offense.
Falcons Offensive Scheme Report
Falcons Run Game
Off the top, these first reports are always difficult to do. They’re especially difficult when the starters don’t play, as was the case with Atlanta this season, and even more so when there’s a new coaching staff. The Falcons are checking all these boxes.
As Josh outlines, RB Bijan Robinson returns for his second season and could be even more of a bellcow back under the new regime. As a rookie, Robinson averaged 4.6 yards per carry and logged 68 percent of the snaps.
Structurally, the Falcons’ offense will look much different. Smith brought his tight end-heavy system to Pittsburgh. Atlanta’s left it behind. According to Doug Farrar, the Falcons led the league this summer in 11 personnel snaps after finishing last a year ago. In fact, they nearly surpassed their 2023 total in just three 2024 preseason games.
Eleven personnel is a hallmark of the McVay offense, so it’s no surprise to see Robinson bring it over. One similarity is common usage of nasty/reduced splits pre-snap, like this.
From a schematic standpoint, their run game has been varied. Inside zone, toss, split zone were their three most common concepts. While they’ll run to either side, the Falcons aren’t afraid to run to the weak side away from the tight end.
And there are man/duo runs, especially in short-yardage situations or when the offense is backed up and just trying to get vertical.
There wasn’t much evidence of gap/power runs on their tape. One important note is the quarterback run element is gone after two years of Marcus Mariota/Desmond Ridder. No designed runs here with Kirk Cousins in the lineup.
Falcons Pass Game
The pass game has been revamped starting with Cousins. Before tearing his Achilles last year, he completed 69.5 percent of his passes (third-best in the NFL) with 18 TDs and 5 INTs. He took good care of the ball, throwing just one interception over his final four games.
WR Drake London return as a top target on the outside, catching 69 passes for 905 yards and two touchdowns a year ago. Finding the end zone has been a challenge with just six career touchdowns on 141 receptions. A similar story with TE Kyle Pitts, who has six scores in three seasons on 149 grabs. Since 2021, the two non-running backs with the most receptions with six or fewer touchdowns are London and Pitts.
New to the team is WR Darnell Mooney, brought over from Chicago. Speedy as anyone, he averaged over 13 yards per catch a season ago.
On tape, even with their backups, it was clear the Falcons love spacing concepts and to spread the field horizontally to create clear reads for the quarterback. They also like to utilize levels and dagger concepts over the middle of the field.
Here’s levels out of 2×2…
And here’s dagger…
One carryover from Smith should be a heavy amount of RPOs. They like to pair their run call with No. 2 on a bubble. Slot corners being able to tackle in space will be key.
Josh’s Individual Report
It’s Falcons week, Steelers fans! And with it comes the start of another season.
Entering the Week 1 matchup against the Falcons Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 1 p.m., the Steelers are preparing for a bunch of new faces in Atlanta, from the coaching staff on down the roster, especially on offense.
After six seasons in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins makes the move south to Atlanta to try and resurrect the Falcons’ franchise. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal in free agency, even after coming off of a torn Achilles tendon.
The last time he was seen on a field in a game, Cousins was lighting up the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau before going down with the injury, sinking a promising Vikings season.
Now, he’s in Atlanta in a unique situation after the Falcons gave him $100 million guaranteed and then drafted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. This is Cousins’ team — for now. He’s healthy and has plenty of weapons around him.
What makes Cousins so good is his ability to read defenses and process quickly. He’s always making the right decisions and is quite accurate with the football. He’ll be in a similar offense to his time in Minnesota, too, where new coordinator Zac Robinson comes from the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay, where Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell got his start.
So, having that comfort in the system overall will be huge for Cousins.
It helps that his weapons around him are very talented.
Wide receiver Drake London is in line for a huge season with Cousins under center. He’s a big, strong, physical presence on the outside that has gotten better and better each and every season.
His route running has improved and he’s really rounded into a complete receiver. He’ll be difficult to deal with on Sunday.
Opposite London, the Falcons added veteran receiver Darnell Mooney to the offense, giving Cousins and the Falcons another good route runner and big-play threat to work with in the passing game.
Mooney has struggled with injuries and consistency early in his career during his time in Chicago, but he has a ton of talent and gets to reset in a passing-friendly offense.
Behind London and Mooney, the Falcons are a bit thin. Former Steeler Ray-Ray McCloud profiles as the No. 3, and while he had a solid few years in San Francisco, he’s not much of a needle mover overall.
KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington provide additional depth, too.
Then, there’s standout tight end Kyle Pitts. He’s a freak of nature at the position, one that moves like a wide receiver, runs like a receiver and has the size of a tight end. He never quite broke out in Arthur Smith’s offense the last three years, but he should have a big season this year with a new staff.
He’ll be a difficult matchup for the Steelers, whether that’s in the slot or out wide. It’ll be very interesting to see how Robinson and the Falcons utilize him.
While the Falcons have some serious skill at receiver and tight end, the strength of the Falcons offense remains in the backfield with the tandem of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
Robinson is a star in the making. He had a strong rookie season, but he could be even better this season. He’s dynamic with the football in his hands and can really make defenders miss in a phone booth, creating splash plays in the process.
It will be very interesting to see how the Falcons divide the touches between Robinson and Allgeier under a new staff after the two were seemingly an even split under Smith. Allgeier brings a nice package of power to the table and has some underrated speed to his game as well.
Up front, the offensive line is severely underrated for Falcons.
Left tackle Jake Matthews is quietly one of the top left tackles in football, while right guard Chris Lindstrom is among the very best at his position, too.
Here’s how I expect the Falcons to line up left to right:
LT – Jake Matthews
LG — Matthew Bergeron
C — Drew Dalman
RG — Chris Lindstrom
RT — Kaleb McGary
On paper, this is a physical offensive line that gets after it in the run game, moves people and plays with an edge. Last season, the Falcons were the sixth-best OL in run blocking from PFF, and third in pass blocking. The entire starting OL returns.
It should be a very good one once again.
On special teams, the Falcons are rather steady, too, even after losing potential Hall of Fame returner Cordarrelle Patterson to the Steelers in free agency.
Kicker Younghoe Koo returns for the Falcons, having connected on 32-of-37 field goals last season in Atlanta. He also connected on 27-of-28 extra points, and had a long of 54 yards last season.
At home in his career, Koo is 84-for-95 on field goals.
Punter Bradley Pinion is back for a third season in Atlanta and is coming off of a year in which he averaged 47 yards per punt, and downed 27 of 75 punts inside the 20-yard line.
In the return game, Avery Williams profiles as the kick and punt returner for the Falcons. He was a dangerous returner in college at Boise State, but missed the 2023 season. In 2022, Williams led the NFL in yards per punt return with 16.2 yards per punt return.
