Clarkfn's Atlanta Review (The Preferred Review of Doom and Gloomers)

[clarkfn2284]

This one will be different as I was at a Holiday function and was only able to catch bits and pieces and once I returned home to watch it on DVR, I couldn't sit through it without hitting dream street. I will grade out groups and make mention of what I did see. I first want to say that everyone needs to relax. Great teams have minor hiccups over the course of 16 games. Yesterday was the first true let down game for this group. I think it is important tot realize that the other guys on the field get a paycheck too. They have pride too. Some are playing for jobs, roster spots etc. Desperation is quite a motivator. While the bye week and home field is important, it doesn't stop this team from running the table in the postseason. They have proven that they can win in hostile environments and they have show an ability to win when guys go down. I am more interested in how they bounce back next week. There were some things I saw that I liked and some things that were not so good. 

 

QB

Jimmy played good imo. He was by no means great, but he did a nice job in the pocket extending plays and making good decisions while under pressure. He had a couple of throws that were a bit late and almost resulted in turnovers. HE relied on Kittle a ton for whatever reason. Not sure if it was because the WRs couldn't get open or if he just missed things. The pass game was definitely limited to short, underneath routes and when Jimmy did have a shot to go intermediate or longer his WRs didn't help. He did miss Kittle on the corner near the end zone, but you could argue that Kittle was held out of his break by Campbell which caused the ball to beat Kittle to the spot by a yard. Overall not too bothered by Jimmy in this one. 

Grade: C+

RB

None of them were very good. Mostert and Coleman both flashed their ability, but outside of that it was just a game where they didn't get a ton going. I though there were times when the blocking was good and others where it wasn't. Overall the team ran the ball 30 times approximately. I understand the theory behind running the ball a ton in this game because you want to save the defense from being on the field too much and try to get out of there with a win. I would have preferred to see more of Jimmy because he has been playing so well as of late. Either way it was just an ok performance from the group as a whole and nobody truly stood out as exceptional. 

Grade: C

FB

Juice gets his own this week. He was really good again. Almost seemed like the only guy up for the game at times. I expect we see more opportunities to him next week. Shanahan tends to get off of him occasionally and then he has moments like this week and suddenly becomes part of the game plan again.

Grade: B+

WR

All of the 49ers WR's are on a milk carton today because they all came up missing this week. Not a whole lot to touch on outside of the drops from Deebo and KB. It will be interesting to see if they show up next week and to see if what plagued them shows up on the film this week.

Grade: D-

TE

George Kittle. The end.

Grade: B+

OL

Tackles were decent. Staley gave up the brutal sack early to Beasley, but after that they looked ok. Interior guys struggled at times in the run game and were brutal in the pass game. No pocket for Jimmy to step up into and just overall collapse all game long. I did notice Garland was able to get out on the reach blocks in the run game, which I was curious to watch for. I don't see a change coming there after one bad game. The O-Line just looked slow and they let Jarrett wreck the line as I said they could not do.

Grade: D

DL

The d line got some push, but just didn't get home as often as they have. I though Armstead played decent and I really like Bosa and Day's games. Thomas was a non factor and I didn't see a ton from Street. I think the rotation really helped these guys and they are obviously thin at the position now. Not sure if they will look at Suggs, but there is definitely a need. I believe they will be ok in the long run, but need bodies back to help limit snaps for guys. Ford and Taylor getting back will be crucial.

Grade: C

LB

Much better game for this group. Loved what I saw from Greenlaw. He made a play on a Freeman run where he went across the formation, around Warner and made the play for a 1 yard gain. When he is right with his instincts he is very good. Good bounce back for Warner as well. These guys will continue to be tested on the flanks by teams due to the overall lack of experience and the pass rush's nature to get to the QB so quickly. Still need to improve, but I liked what I saw from them.

Grade: B

DB

Rough day for this group. Losing K'Waun is devastating. The Falcons continuously put Julio in the slot and tried to match him up with Reed. It worked. K'Waun is such a huge part of this defense with his ability to completely shut down whoever is in the slot. Can't wait to get him back. I think he changes the dynamic for this group. With the Rams next getting K'Waun back is really going to be important. No qualms about the soft coverage they played. It's part of the scheme. I think that you also have to recognize just how damn great Julio really is. I will argue to anyone that he is the best in the game. I saw a play where he was doubled off the line in press coverage!

Grade: C

S

Really impressed with the improvements from Harris. He played really well and his ability to fly around showed up a lot on the field. He still is wreckless and if he gets it wrong it ends badly, but man when gets it right he can change the game in an instant. Ward was ok. I didn't really see a ton wrong with his game. The tackle on Julio was great. I know some would rather he tackle through the numbers there to prevent the ball from crossing the plain, but that is a lot to ask with a guy like Julio who is so physically strong.

Grade: C

ST

A pretty nice day with the exception of the one return where RJ Jr looked to almost touch the ball and the missed extra point. Wish was solid with good hangtime and the coverage was much improved on kickoffs. 

Grade: B-

 

Just a throw away game unfortunately. Things just didn't work out this week. I really don't have a ton to be mad about. This game is 1 of 16 just like the others. It didn't have a great impact in the grand scheme of things. More than likely they were headed into a situation where they would need to win in Seattle. That hasn't changed. I have no issues with the play calling with exception being the amount of balls downfield, but they may be more on the Falcons defenders or Jimmy and the WR's not executing. I see some think the extra point had more of an impact on Shanahan's decision to kick the field goal. I disagree. You have the chance to force the Faclons to go the distance and score a TD to win as opposed to a FG tying the game. You take those odds every time, especially with this defense. It took the entire 1:48 or whatever was left and a review at the buzzer for the Falcons to score. The game came down to half a ball. It was the right decision, extra point or no extra point. Move on, short week, get prepared and get healthy.