FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Pass rush. It's been the burning topic surrounding the Falcons' defense the last few weeks, and that continued to be the case as Atlanta prepares for the Dallas Cowboys.
But the Falcons aren't shying away from answering those questions or finding an answer on the field.
"It's not good enough. You know, we got to get better at pass rush," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "It's something that we had an emphasis on. It's something that we put the finger on and really dove into. I don't really fear talking about it when it's not good enough because we got to get it better."
Atlanta has six sacks this season, which are the fewest in the NFL. They haven't recorded one since Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the sack totals have drawn most of the attention, the Falcons are also last in pressure rate and 28th in total pressures this season.
However, they'll have an opportune chance to improve that this week against Dak Prescott.
Prescott is currently the 10th-most-sacked quarterback in the league. His sack rate (6.43%) is the second highest of his nine-year career thus far. The Cowboys signal caller is also averaging the fewest rushing yards of his career with just 3.4 yards per game, a significant drop from his 9.1-yard average last season.
Falcons players said they're prepared to handle Prescott if he takes off from the pocket, but the ultimate goal is to bring him down behind the line of scrimmage and do so as a collective unit. Individually, they feel like they've gotten close, but there's an emphasis on rushing as one.
"I got close a couple times last game, didn't draw a hold of him but it's just an extra effort," defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. "A lot of guys are trying, it's just a strain thing. You know what I'm saying? We got to go get it. Ain't nobody gonna do it for us. We got the guys to do it. I feel like the ball is gonna turn in our favor soon."
Jarrett leads the Falcons with eight quarterback hits and is tied with outside linebacker Matthew Judon for the team lead with 1.5 sacks. The former All-Pro tackle said there's another level for the Falcons' pass rush to reach, and another level in the preparation that needs to happen first. That's exactly what they've done heading into the Week 9 matchup.
"(The preparation) has been very good in terms of us outside linebackers spending more time with interior guys, just making sure we're on the same page," outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie said. "I think so far, from (Wednesday) to (Thursday), I feel like we continue to do that — being on the same page, rushing as one, helping each other. I got a pretty good feeling."
As a defensive back, safety Jessie Bates III isn't in those meeting rooms, but he "sure can hear them."
"There's the urgency of wanting to get to the quarterback," Bates said. "I know it hasn't shown up on the stat line, but I think each week, we continue to improve at that. I think on a lot of our turnovers this year, it's been caused because of our rush."
The Falcons aren't throwing out the book, but they're constantly tweaking things. When asked if the Falcons need to change course, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said he's confident that he doesn't see that happening.
Jarrett isn't hitting the panic button, either. He's looking forward to the opportunity Sunday presents.
"We're gonna keep pressing, keep hunting. I know I am, for sure," Jarrett said. "I got big goals that I want to achieve for not only myself (but) for the team. Whether it's an interior guy, outside guy, linebackers, or a nickel blitzing — we definitely want to get (the quarterback), we want to get to him bad."
Take a look at our favorite images from Wednesday practice in Flowery Branch ahead of the week nine matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons #31 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney #1 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss #55 and Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Nate Landman #53 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London #5 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins #18 and Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant #27 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts #8 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Matthew Judon #15 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins #18 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss #55 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Drew Dalman #67 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss #55 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney #1 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell #24 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III #3 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant #27 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie #17 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons #31 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington #82 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett #97during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron #65 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney #1 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III #3 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell #24 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss #55 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III #34 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Drew Dalman #67 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins #18 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Troy Andersen #44 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier #25 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III #34 during practice at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo by Jay BendlinAtlanta Falcons)
