In the second year of head coach Arthur Smith, the Atlanta Falcons have found an identity. They want to run the ball, and then maybe run it some more. Through nine games, the philosophy seems to be working it out as the offense is ninth in the NFL in scoring offense and third in total rushing.
To expand on the success the offense has been having, Dukes & Bell welcomed in fourth-year offensive lineman Kaleb McGary to give his thoughts on running the ball, and (shocker) he's a big fan.
So why are the Falcons having success running the ball despite everyone knowing what's coming? It's simple to McGary: the team has bought in.
"Well, it's a combination of everybody, not just the O-line," he explained to Dukes & Bell. "We got the receivers, tight ends, and everybody doing their job at the same time, man. You know, timing is everything on offense, you got to be in the right place at the right time and everybody's doing their damnedest to do that. So it's really just been a collective team effort to really come together and run the football."
The buy-in from the entirety of the offense is evident. Despite losing their leading rusher from 2021-22 to IR at one point this season, Atlanta still has eclipsed the 150-yard mark in seven times in nine weeks. The only instances that they haven't hit that are in weeks they fell behind early (L.A. Rams in week two, Cincinnati Bengals in week seven).
As an offensive lineman, McGary loves that the group is keeping the ball on the ground.
"I mean, every O-lineman wants to run the football," he said. "Passing the ball is cool and all until, you know, 40 throws later when the defense has been bull-rushing you off all game long and you're out of breath and you know, it's just better this way. It's better to run the ball."
Despite the preseason naysayers, the Falcons are tied for the division lead through nine weeks. With a tight race for the NFC South on the horizon, the hope is that they can keep running with this level of effectiveness. Following the emergence of rookie Tyler Allgeier and the return of Cordarrelle Patterson from the IR, they may have a shot to do just that.
Kaleb McGary wouldn't have it any other way.