The Mailbox: Do the Falcons need to jumpstart their run game? 

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Happy Thursday, Falcons fans! We've got a lot on tap for today's Mailbox, so let's go ahead and dive right in shall we?

David H. from Marshalltown, Iowa

With early wins against division rivals — and likely beating the Panthers on Sunday — how does this affect the team's position on winning the division? In terms of future tiebreaking situations, how do these wins now help us to win the South later?

Hey David, thanks for writing in! I appreciate your optimism for Sunday, but I'll go ahead and let you do the chicken counting on this one. The two division wins already in hand, though, do absolutely count for something and will potentially play a role down the line.

Here's a little reminder of how NFL tiebreakers between two teams work, courtesy of NFL.com:

"If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss"

The rules are a little different depending on how many teams are involved, so I'd recommend reading the full page on NFL.com if you'd like to see the full breakdown. But you can see above how these early wins benefit the Falcons in the event of a tie with either New Orleans or Tampa Bay. The worst their head-to-head record could be against either team is 1-1, and because they've already got two wins in the division and another win in the NFC, the Falcons are in great shape with the first four bullet points.

Still a long way to go, but this is a nice little fast start to the season for the Falcons, especially with a win on Sunday.

Related: **How important are fast starts in an NFL game?**

Nate H. from Brooklyn, N.Y.

How can the Falcons get their running game out of the doldrums? They used a fullback in the past. Why did they get away from that, and if they bring a fullback back, do you think it would jumpstart the run game?

I think doldrums are a little bit harsh, Nate, but I take your point. This isn't close to the volume or total production we're used to seeing from the Falcons on the ground. But when you throw for over 500 yards, it's hard to quibble with the offensive game plan. When fans wanted the shift to an offense that featured a more dynamic passing game, I personally felt that would inevitably be accompanied by a slight drop in the run production. It's just a balancing of the scales.

And when you look at the type of offense that Zac Robinson comes from, it's very different from the one Arthur Smith utilized. Passing remains a more efficient and effective way to move the football, so that's why I think this offense will always remain slightly tilted towards that aspect of the game. In fact, this year, the Falcons' backs are averaging 20 carries per game, which ranks 19th. Last year, they led the league with more than 26 carries per game.

However, I do think this run game has been working when called upon — a few stretches here and there, aside. The Falcons currently rank 10th in the league with 4.6 yards per carry by their running backs. It's a smaller sample size, but that mark is actually higher than Atlanta's 4.1 yards per carry last season by its backs. Bijan Robinson is still finding ways to be effective in the passing game, and I like how they've started to mix Tyler Allgeier in recently.

My hope is that Sunday, against the league's sixth-worst run defense, that Atlanta will really lean on that part of its offense. At this point, though, I think it's more a product of volume than effectiveness for Atlanta's run game, and I don't think a fullback fixes that specific problem.

Timothy T. from Beckley, W.V.

Is there any word on how long Troy Andersen is going to be out of the lineup???

The only word from the team regarding Andersen's knee injury is that he is currently day-to-day. However, he was the only non-participant during Wednesday's practice as the team began on-field preparations for Sunday's game against Carolina, so do with that information what you'd like.

There's no doubt that Andersen is an important part of Atlanta's defense. I mean, you don't have to look any further than the Saints game to see that. But I actually think a matchup like the one with New Orleans is one in which you'd need Andersen's unique talents a little bit more than the upcoming one. Chuba Hubbard is an excellent running back for the Panthers, but his downhill style may be better suited for a player like Nate Landman.

On that front, there's a bit of positive news. Landman was designated to return from injured reserve Monday and was a limited participant on Wednesday for the first time since getting shut down due to calf and quad injuries. There's no telling right now whether either linebacker will be back in action on Sunday, but it does appear we are getting closer to the linebacker corps returning to full strength.

Geoffrey C. from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hi Tori!

What an exciting season so far! We have had some unbelievable comebacks and I love the never-say-die attitude of the players.

If you were to pick the top three areas where the Falcons could improve what would they be?

Hi there, Geoffrey, and might I just congratulate you on completing today's sweep of questions coming from outside the state of Georgia. And that's two submissions from Brooklyn!! You and Nate should probably meet up for Sunday's game, because, and this is purely selfish by me, it would be so cool if The Mailbox became the place where lifelong friendships blossom. That's great publicity.

Tori will be back behind the keys next week for Tuesday's edition of The Mailbox, and I'd be curious to get her answer on this question as well, so I'll be sure to pass it along. However, here are my answers in no real specific order.

Penalties, the third-down offense and the pass rush. The first two kind of go hand-in-hand, because I think early-down penalties are really holding the Falcons back and preventing them from sustaining drives. They are doing a great job putting points on the board, considering they rank 26th on third down and are still 31st in time of possession. Correcting the penalties could have a ripple effect on both of those areas.

Defensively, I almost picked third down as well, because the Falcons are 32nd in that category. However, as with penalties on offense, I believe the pass rush is playing a big role in Atlanta's dead-last ranking. It's often a negative play — via a sack, tackle for loss or penalty — that really derails an offense's drive. The Falcons just haven't had enough of the first two in that trio, but they have done a good job of getting those big plays when they count. That's just a hard way to live.

Thank you all for today's questions! If I didn't get to yours today, it may be selected in future editions of The Mailbox. The next one will be published Tuesday morning. See y'all then.