One of the storylines to follow this year though is the emergence of Cordarrelle Patterson, a WR converted to RB who has begun to emerge as a major weapon for Atlanta, particularly in the short-passing game. Despite an offensive head coach in Arthur Smith (former OC of the Titans), a recently-extended QB in Matt Ryan, and numerous recent 1st round picks at the skill positions (Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts) and OL (Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary), the Falcons offense is ranked 28th in yards gained (behind even the 22nd ranked Washington offense).įor Atlanta’s offense, the biggest problem in recent years has been the underperformance of the offensive line, which has failed to open up holes for the run game and failed to offer QB Matt Ryan time to throw, forcing the Falcons into a short-passing game that doesn’t maximize the skillset of their many speedy pass catchers.

For Atlanta, the underperformance of the offense has been the story. Despite a defensive head coach in Ron Rivera and numerous recent 1st round picks on the defensive side of the ball, Washington’s defense has ranked 31st in yards allowed so far this season. In Washington’s case, the underperformance of the defense is the big story. Each team is also underperforming compared to high expectations on one side of the ball in particular. Each team has a relatively new coaching staff (though the Falcons’ coaches are new as of this year).

In addition to sharing the same record, both teams have their only win of the season against a spiraling Giants team. It’s week 4 of the NFL season and the 1-2 Washington Football Team will be facing a 1-2 Atlanta Falcons team on the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

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