Atlanta Falcons

Falcons at Raiders: 3 things we learned

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons battled it out in Week 2 of the NFL season. Here are three things we learned.

Coming into Sunday’, the Oakland Raiders were flying high. In Week 1, the team went on the road to play the New Orleans Saints, and actually came back to win the game. Despite being down the entire contest, the Raiders ran off 22 points in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory. Atlanta, meanwhile, lost in Week 1, as Jameis Winston picked them apart, tossing four touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was a reversal of fortune on Sunday, as Atlanta was the better team throughout. Matt Ryan absolutely shredded the Oakland defense, racking up nearly 400 yards through the air. Derek Carr and company tried to stay in the game, but in the end, the Falcons just could not be stopped.

Here are three things we learned from Sunday’s action.

1. Matt Ryan is a top-tier quarterback

Make no mistake about it, Matt Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Sure, he does have the best wide receiver in the NFC, but that is just a piece of what makes him so great. He distributes the ball as well as anyone in the league, and on Sunday, he shredded the Oakland secondary.

Julio Jones went for over 100 yards in the contest, but he did only have 30 in the first half. As Ryan kept the game close, he worked all of his offensive weapons, distributing the ball to his backs, tight ends, and other receivers. He also played incredible late, and you had that feeling that he was not going to be stopped when the game was in question.

In Week 1, Ryan got nothing from his backfield, and he still was able to throw for over 330 yards. On Sunday, he nearly went for 400 yards, hitting nine different players for completions. He threw three touchdowns in the game, and now has five touchdowns to only one pick this season.

2. Oakland’s special teams are a concern

For all the talk about the high-octane offense, and the incredible additions on defense, the Raiders are lacking in the special teams department. Not only was there a muffed kick return, but a high snap caused Sebastian Janikowski to miss a field goal right before half. Throughout the game, the special teams hurt the Raiders, and led to good field position and points for the Falcons.

Normally, the special teams on the Raiders have been a strength. For years, Janikowski teamed with Shane Lechler to form one of the best kicker-punter duos in the league. Even recently, the addition of Marquette King as the team’s punter has been a strength, but Sunday those units were a liability.

Oakland will rebound from this loss, and should be a contender for a playoff spot in 2016. However, they cannot afford to lose games at home, and for them to have so many miscues on special teams is alarming. Hopefully for Raiders fans, Sunday was a one-time deal, but it looks like it may be an issue going forward.

3. Atlanta may actually challenge in the NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons have a ton of nice players on their team, and they may actually be able to challenge for the division title in 2016. The current NFC champs currently reside in the NFC South, but they have looked very beatable in 2016. Atlanta did lose to Tampa Bay in Week 1, but the Bucs came back to earth on Sunday, and the Falcons took care of business.

As far as the Carolina Panthers go, they did lose in Week 1, and had to fight hard to beat the hapless San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Saints lost a heartbreaker at home against the Raiders last week, and then failed to do anything offensively against the New York Giants in Week 2. Through two games, the Panthers, Falcons, and Bucs are all 1-1, while the Saints are 0-2.

After struggling to run the ball against Tampa Bay, Atlanta was able to get back on track with the running game on Sunday. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman combined for 139 yards on the ground, giving the Falcons a nice compliment to the Matt Ryan airshow. Atlanta looks very balanced on offense, and if they can play some D, they could steal this division.