3 Falcons the Pittsburgh Steelers need to stop to avoid 1-3-1

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in desperate need of a win. As the 1-2-1 start has the Steelers in a rough spot, they now welcome the Atlanta Falcons to Heinz Field.

It would be nice if the Steelers would get a little bit of an easier challenge, just to get themselves back to .500 this Sunday. This is not the case though. The Falcons may be 1-3, but they boast one of the more potent offenses in the league. They have many weapons on the offensive side of the ball, arguably just as much as the Steelers have.

Unfortunately, the area the Steelers have struggled the most is their defense. They’ve given up more yards than any defense in Steelers history since 1968 in their first four games. The game plan for Sunday needs to be one that pays attention to detail and has to establish a pass rush. After all, the Falcons’ ability to score all begins with their quarterback.

Matt Ryan

Quarterback Matt Ryan is one of the most debated quarterbacks in the NFL. As someone who has won a league MVP, some people still consider him to be overrated.

Call Matt Ryan whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is he’s been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in 2018. He’s only 98 yards behind league-leader Ben Roethlisberger in passing yards, while possessing a 114.0 quarterback rating. His 10 touchdowns to two interceptions is also a great touchdown to interception ratio.

It’s not his fault that, also like Big Ben, has to make up for the lack of a good defense. Atlanta isn’t 1-3 because of the play of their quarterback. Their defense ranks 28th overall, allowing 403 yards per game. The fact also is that the Falcons could easily be 3-1, losing in overtime to New Orleans and dropping their latest game to Cincinnati by one point.

This team is hungry for a win to get their season on track. Matt Ryan is more than capable of torching the Steelers 30th ranked defense.