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The Atlanta Falcons could be getting running back Cordarrelle Patterson back in their lineup as soon as Week 9 when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers at home.
The club has been without their offensive top offense since October 3rd when they placed him on injured reserve with a knee injury.
But according to head coach Arthur Smith, Patterson is “pretty close” to making his return.
Patterson Has Been Sharing Updates
Smith isn’t the only one sharing updates as Patterson has been posting his workouts to Twitter over the last two weeks.
Smith also joked that he should be posting his workout videos to mock Patterson.
“Almost that time!” – Patterson wrote in a tweet with a video of him sprinting attached on October 19.
“1 step closer!!!!” – Patterson said in another tweet with a workout video on October 24.
Before going down in Week 4, the 31-year-old was off to an impressive start, logging 368 yards and three touchdowns along with two career-high days.
This Falcons offense that has relied heavily on the run game will be more than ecstatic to have Patterson back.
Falcons Rank No. 4 in Rushing Yards
The Falcons currently rank No. 4 in the NFL in rushing with 1,098 yards and No. 3 in rushing attempts with 231, per ESPN.
This is primarily due to the fact that their run-blocking skills are a lot better than their pass-blocking skills.
Despite pulling off wins while relying on their run game, critics are questioning why the Falcons haven’t been using their 2022 No. 8 overall pick Drake London more.
Smith answered that this week.
“Stats can be misleading,” Smith told reporters on Monday, October 24. “He was the primary on a couple other ones – the ball didn’t go there for a reason. So he knows that there’s things he can do a lot better, things I can do a lot better. It’s not like he’s not getting plays called for him; we’ve got to do a better job of executing, regardless of what play is calling, and there’s a lot of little details that go into it.”
Until the Falcons get better at passing, expect them to keep the ground game turned up.
It’s also worth emphasizing that London is a rookie wideout, which typically means it will take a full season for him to adjust to the Pro level.
Falcons Remain Atop the NFC South
Thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) losing to Carolina last week, the Falcons (3-4) remain atop the NFC South, which is keeping their playoff chances alive for the first time since 2017.
“The whole goal is to keep improving and we’re lucky,” Smith told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. “Some years you’re right, you get down and a team is running away with your division at 6-1 but luckily, we’re all in this pack right here.
“It’s a unique opportunity for sure. But that’s the reality of it. You’ve got to be aware of it and it also gives you perspective.”
Atlanta could really be at 4-4 on the season if it weren’t for a controversial roughing the passer call on Grady Jarrett back in Week 5, which ultimately kept the Falcons from pulling off a come-from-behind win over Tampa.
Still, the Falcons are in a good position to make it to a postseason re-birth and they’re ready to fully embrace it.
“We’re still in a good position. We still got an opportunity to be able to run away with this thing,” linebacker Rashaan Evans told Rothstein. “But the main thing is to make sure you run away with it when you have the opportunity.”
Their next task will be to beat the Christian McCaffrey-less Carolina Panthers (2-5) at home this Sunday.
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