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Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t exactly hit the wall for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season. He just ran into a stubborn San Francisco 49ers‘ defense that limited him to just 18 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Patterson’s struggles were a big reason why the Falcons lost 31-13 at Levi’s Stadium. His inability to get going on the ground left many fantasy owners cursing their luck. It also left those who cover the Falcons on a regular basis searching for the root cause behind such a lacklustre rushing effort.
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Here are some of the best reactions to the Falcons’ leading rusher being shut down.
It Wasn’t All Patterson’s Fault
While it was fair to expect more from a player who had been enjoying a tremendous season, Patterson hardly had much help in the Bay Area. Specifically, he lacked competent blocking to open up enough holes in front of him.
Michael Rothstein referenced ESPN Stats & Info to show how often Patterson was met in the backfield by a member of the Niners’ defense:
Usually, Patterson is able to rely on his shiftiness to escape such close attention. His open-field skills and natural elusiveness, honed as a star kick returner earlier in his career, often help Patterson turn seemingly negative plays into positive gains.
There were no such positive gains in Week 15 because the 49ers made sure tackles against one of the league’s most dynamic runners. A notable example occurred when Patterson was stuffed on 4th-and-1 at the San Francisco eight-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The stop left The Athletic‘s Steve Berman stunned:
Patterson Let Down by Play-Calling
Aside from dealing with poor blocking, many felt Patterson was also hung out to dry by suspect play-calling. Among them, film analyst Warren Sharp didn’t like the design from Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith in a short-yardage situation that led to Jimmie Ward’s run stuff:
Ward’s stop was one of three times the 49ers turned the Falcons away on downs in front of their own goal-line. The first turnover on downs occurred on the game’s opening drive, after Richie Grant recovered JaMycal Hasty’s fumble on the kickoff.
Atlanta quickly moved the ball to the 49ers’ one-yard line, where Patterson thought he’d gone over, only for instant replay to overrule the apparent touchdown. Rather than stick with Patterson, Smith had Matt Ryan throw on two of the next three plays. Ryan’s second attempt fell short of Kyle Pitts on 4th-and-goal.
Many, including D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, could scarcely believe the Falcons had made things so complicated at the goal-line:
In particular, Ledbetter was left aghast by how Smith used his personnel in an obvious running situation:
Sadly for Falcons’ fans, this wasn’t the only time questions needed to be raised about Smith’s choice of plays. He also called two passes from inside the 10 during the third quarter when the Falcons trailed 24-10. A combination of tight coverage and a relentless pass rush that savaged Ryan and a feeble offensive line, left the Falcons to settle for a Younghoe Koo field goal from 22 yards.
This was another missed opportunity when Patterson ought to have been given at least one carry. After all, he’d scored a team-high five rushing touchdowns before Week 15, all but one of which covered 10 yards or less.
The Falcons will surely have come away from this game knowing they failed to get the most out of their best offensive weapon. That failure left fantasy owners down in the dumps.
Patterson Fantasy Owners Cried the Blues
Patterson has been something of a goldmine for fantasy owners this season. An initially overlooked option who has earned the workload worthy of a RB1.
His surprising production has been a bonus, but as Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport pointed out, those who’ve to come to rely on Patterson paid the price in Week 15:
Meanwhile, 5th Down Fantasy writer Mike Sullivan found a way to sum up the frustrations of those counting on Patterson and others for big games this week:
Patterson didn’t do much to help team owners, but that was hardly surprising, given how much the Falcons struggled on the ground. They were out-rushed 162 yards to 62, according to ESPN.com.
While the 49ers and former Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan established their zone-running game, the Falcons toiled just to cobble together meagre gains. Miles Garrett of Fox 5 Sports showed exactly where those struggles left Patterson:
This wasn’t the formula the Falcons had used to keep alive flickering hopes of a late push for the playoffs. Those hopes now appear dashed, but the bigger issue is what this could mean for Patterson, a playmaker Smith should make the feature of his offense, but one who is also a free agent in 2022.
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