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The Falcons’ 3-2 start is even more surprising than the Packers’ struggles. Atlanta was 4-12 last season and ranked 28th in the Football Outsiders DVOA rankings. They cleaned house, jettisoning former Pro Bowlers DeAngelo Hall and Alge Crumpler. They shied away from the glitzy names in hiring Mike Smith to be their head coach. They entrusted their team to a rookie quarterback, Matt Ryan. The team screamed “rebuilding project.”
On Sunday, this supposedly rebuilding team physically dominated a preseason Super Bowl contender. The Falcons’ offensive line imposed its will on the Packers’ beleaguered defense, which was missing defensive end Cullen Jenkins and safety Atari Bigby, two of the team’s top run-stuffers. Additionally, linebacker A.J. Hawk battled a sore groin and was effectively a nonentity. The Falcons gained 176 yards on the ground despite facing eight and even nine men in the box to stop the run.
This dominating performance by Atlanta’s run game would have been hard to imagine a month ago but was easy to predict given Green Bay’s 2008 performance. This year’s Packers are having a terrible time stopping the running game. They rank 26th in run defense DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average). Meanwhile, the Falcons are the second-best running attack in football.
