The return of Falcons S William Moore was a footnote in my mind going into the game against Arizona. I have always questioned the logic of the contract given to Moore given his injury history and questionable coverage skills. I've always seen him as a hitter who can change the momentum of a game defensively but pays for that physicality in games missed. Against the Cardinals, the Falcons unveiled an entirely new defensive look. The Falcons deployed a three safety defense on every third down during this game. It was new, different and very effective.
Here is what I took away from the game review:
- S Kemal Ishmael was the odd man out in the starting lineup with S William Moore back. But he was certainly part of the game plan. These weeks with him as a starter have been productive as he is playing with growing confidence.
- S Dwight Lowery showed an ability to play some defense when in the slot. He quickly re-directed oncoming receivers and took away the easy throws.
- For a player coming off of injury, S William Moore played all over the field without restrictions.
Let's take a look at some plays:
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3rd and 10 - 10:59 AZ 20 yard line (1st QT) 7-0 Falcons Lead:
The Falcons deployed their three safety look on each third down during the game. On this play, S Moore is the deep safety with S Ishmael lined up eight yards off the line of scrimmage. S Lowery lines up preparing to blitz but ultimately dropped into zone coverage. CB Josh Wilson comes on a blitz as the Falcons defend four receivers with six defenders.
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3rd and 8 - 7:17 AZ 22 yard line (1st QT) 10-0 Falcons Lead:
On Arizona's second attempt to covert a third down, S Ishmael is the deep safety protecting the back-end. This gets interesting as Moore and Lowery are lined up as linebackers. Post snap, the middle of the field has been taken away by the Falcons. QB Stanton throws a 10 yard out to WR Michael Floyd for the first down. But this would be the only third down conversion for the Cardinals on the day.
The rest of the half featured more of the same on third down:
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Here is what the Cardinals managed to accomplish against the Falcons on third down over the course of the entire game. It will be interesting to see if the three safety look will be used this week against QB Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers:
- Cardinals: 1-7 on third down conversions
- Cardinals: 1-6 passing for 10 yards on third down.
- Cardinals: allowed 1 sack on third down.