The Falcons know Pass Rush “isn’t good enough.” But they are “here”

The Atlanta Falcons’ worst passing attack in the NFL may have hit a new low in Sunday’s 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not only did Atlanta’s league-low six sacks remain unchanged despite Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield’s 50 pass attempts, but the Falcons’ quarterback’s 30 hits rank fourth-worst in the league. It was their first game this season without a quarterback hit.

And Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who has long acknowledged the team’s struggles with the passing game, is well aware that Atlanta needs more production from its defense.

“It’s not good enough,” Morris said at a news conference Monday. “We need to get better at pass rushing, that’s something we’re focusing on.

The Falcons have just one sack in their last three games: linebacker James Smith-Williams against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. Atlanta has a sack rate of just 2.18%, which is worst in the league by a full percentage point. Only three other teams have rates below 5.7%.

They ranked 29th in pressure after Sunday, and the pass rush struggles go beyond the lack of sacks – something Morris isn’t afraid to embrace.

“I’m not afraid to talk about it when it’s not good enough because we need to make it better,” Morris said. “You want to find a way to make things better so that it doesn’t stop you from winning enough football games that you want to win. And this is the most important thing for me.”

“How can we make this better so that when we really need it, it shows up for us?”

Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebikechi, who has no sacks but ranks third on the team with four quarterback hits, believes some of the team’s problems are overblown.

Ebikechi said Atlanta’s problems aren’t getting to the quarterback, but rather finishing plays when the opportunity arises. In his view, this view is an area of ​​disconnect between the team and those on the outside.

“I read the comments,” Ebikechi told the Atlanta Falcons on SI after the win over the Buccaneers. “I see this a lot. I think the number of layoffs doesn’t really tell the whole story. After all, this is the position we are in now. We just need to keep working.”

Morris noted that the Falcons will continue to discuss how to improve their passing game, including how Atlanta players approach their passes.

But the main theme for Morris is finding cohesion, whether when the team runs a traditional four-man running game or sends blitz packages with linebacker Caden Ellis or defensive end Dee Alford and others.

“Hey, listen, we need to find a way to rush five of us as one when Kaden leaves. We have to find a way to rush as four as one when they’re in a hurry,” Morris said. “So it’s like, hey, we need to bring this up. This definitely needs to be increased.”

As the Falcons head into their Week 9 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, who are tied for 16th in the league with 18 sacks allowed, the opportunity exists to reignite the passing attack.

Now comes the hard part: doing it.

“I think we’re here,” Ebikechi said. “It’s just a matter of how to really break the film and confuse the defender. It’s not really about not achieving your goal. You just have to start finishing some of the plays and the outcome will be completely different.”

The NFC South-leading Falcons (5-3) and Dallas Cowboys (3-4) tip off Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.