The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons ‘play it out’ amid faint hopes
The Falcons don’t even want to talk about the playoffs.
A three-game losing streak will do that to a team.
“I don’t feel like that is going to help us, looking at the big picture,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “You kind of have to play it out.”
The Falcons (4-7) are set to face the Ravens (6-5) at 1 p.m. today at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and know they need to win that one and the other remaining games to have any chance of making the playoffs.
“For me, it’s more of a pride thing,” Jarrett said. “Whether if we make it or not, I’m in the mindset of I don’t want to go out like that. So, I just focus on this game and try to get a win.”
The Falcons are 0-3 against the AFC North, with losses to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Stopping Lamar Jackson
The Falcons are set to face Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, a fleet runner who is still developing as an NFL passer.
In two starts, Jackson ran 26 times for 118 yards in a 24-21 win over the Bengals on Nov. 18. He ran 11 times for 77 yards in a 34-17 win over the Raiders last Sunday.
“I see his ability to throw it on the move,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “That’s an added element that you see.”
Jackson isn’t much of a passer yet. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 178 yards against the Raiders. He had one touchdown pass, two interceptions and finished with a passer rating of 58.4.
In his start against the Bengals, he completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He finished with a passer rating of 70.1.
“I see an accurate passer,” Quinn said. “I see a guy with a quick release that can get rid of the ball to the proper guys.”
The Falcons respect Jackson’s ability to throw on the run.
Jackson, because of his speed, has been compared to former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
This will be Jackson’s first start on the road if Joe Flacco, who returned to practice Thursday, can’t play.
“I love road games,” Jackson said. “I just to try make the crowd turn to our (side), make it be like our home environment.”
The revamped offensive line
After a poor showing in New Orleans, the Falcons are set to make a change at right guard.
Zane Beadles, a veteran who was out of work, is set to take over for Ben Garland, who struggled mightily against New Orleans’ Sheldon Rankins last week.
Beadles, 32, has mostly played left guard over his career since he was a second-round pick out of Utah by the Denver Broncos.
“Zane has done a great job,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “He’s a veteran guy who’s played for a long time. You can tell he is very professional in his approach.”
Beadles signed after Brandon Fusco suffered a broken ankle and was placed on injured reserve. Beadles has played sparingly in four games.
“We have confidence in him,” Ryan said.
The Falcons want Beadles to help get their stalled rushing attack moving and help to secure the interior of Ryan’s passing pocket.
The Falcons rushed for 26 yards in their most recent outing, gave up six sacks and 13 quarterback hits. The Ravens have the top-ranked defense in scoring (18 points) and total yards (295.4 yards per game).
Beadles will be expected to help control middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, who is the fire-starter on Ravens’ defense. The three-time Pro Bowler has the most tackles (541) over the past five years in the NFL.
3 key matchups
■ Ravens LB/DE Terrell Suggs vs. Falcons LT Jake Matthews: Suggs is the Ravens’ all-time sacks leader, with 131, and has 5.5 this season. Last week, Suggs, 36, scored on a 43-yard fumble recovery to become the second-oldest player in league history with a fumble returned for a touchdown. (Sam Mills had one at age 40 in 1996.) Matthews will need to play at an elite level to slow the cagey veteran.
■ Ravens PR Cyrus Jones vs. Falcons CB Justin Bethel: Jones broke the game open last week against the Raiders when he returned a punt up the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown. He was named the AFC special-teams player of the week. Bethel has 10 special-teams tackles on the season. “We have a lot of guys who can cover,” Bethel said. “We’ve faced a lot of good returners, and I feel we’ve done a good job controlling them on returns.”
■ Ravens WR Michael Crabtree vs. Falcons CB Desmond Trufant: Crabtree has 45 catches for 500 yards and three touchdowns. In Jackson’s two starts, Crabtree received the most targets (nine). Trufant has put together two strong games after a poor showing in Cleveland. He has eight pass breakups and 46 tackles, the most since he had 61 in 2013.
QB corner:
Matt Ryan on the Ravens
■ On going up against the No. 1-ranked defense: “They’re certainly playing really well on the defensive side of the ball. They’re No. 1 in points allowed, No. 1 in yards allowed. They’ve just been stingy.”
■ On what works so well for the Ravens’ defense: “They do a nice job in terms of using different looks. In terms of pressure packages and blitz packages, they have a number of different ways to get after you both in the run game and in the pass game.”
■ On preparing for Baltimore’s blitzes: “The best thing they do is a disguise where they’re bringing things from. That makes it difficult on you if you’re chasing too many different things. For us, it’s going to be important to lock in what we do and be sound in our pass protection.”
About the Ravens
■ Coach John Harbaugh took over in 2008 and went to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons and won Super Bowl XLVII.
■ The Ravens are in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
■ This will be the sixth meeting between the Ravens and Falcons. The Ravens lead the series 3-2.