Following last week’s win over the Panthers, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith once again emphasized the importance of the running game as the team preps for a playoff push. With a trip to San Francisco on the horizon, former Falcons defensive lineman Chuck Smith told Dukes & Bell that the Dirty Birds have a chance to control the game in the trenches on Sunday.
The Falcons have surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground in each of their past three games, and facing a middle-of-the-pack rush defense in the 49ers, Smith shared his optimism that Atlanta can keep the running game rolling if the offensive line can “play as one.”
“In my opinion, outside of Bosa, these guys are just average," Smith stated. "This Falcons offensive line, we can run on the San Francisco defensive line…If we can block Arik Armstead, if we can get Chris Lindstrom knocking around D.J. Jones—which I believe can happen. Lindstorm has been doing his thing—Jalen Mayfield, young buck, is getting better, Jake Matthews, to me, has been having a sneaky good year. I think we can run the ball on these guys. If we run the ball and slow down their pass rush with Bosa, the Falcons have an opportunity to have a great day offensively.”
On the other side of the ball, while Smith concedes that there aren’t many favorable matchups against 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson and left tackle Trent Williams, he believes that the center position could be a spot of vulnerability.
“We know who Alex Mack is. He’s a crafty vet, he gives great effort finishing plays, he’s very smart making calls and adjustments, but here’s what he struggles with, and he did this with the Falcons, he cannot handle the big nose tackle. He cannot handle the big, physical guys that line up in the A gap and knock him back. He struggles to anchor against power rushes. I like our big run defenders and Grady Jarrett if we can get him lined up one-on-one," he said.
Smith did note that the zone blocking scheme used by San Francisco has given the Falcons problems in the past and that Falcons’ defenders must play with leverage and get off blocks in order to disrupt the 49ers running game led by Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel.
Smith believes that the Falcons are playing with a high level of confidence that will give them an edge on Sunday, however, the 49ers are playing with a confidence of their own having won 4 of their last 5. Both teams need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, so it should be a hard-fought matchup Sunday at Levi's Stadium with kickoff set for 4:05.