How can the Falcons handle the Broncos elite pass rush?

This Denver Broncos defense gets after the quarterback.

Here's how they rank across the league in most meaningful pass rush statistics :

Denver is stingy against the pass, allowing under 200 yards per game and a -0.21 EPA/Pass. The Atlanta Falcons haven't performed well against pressure outside of a few games. If they're going to pull off a road win before the bye week, they will need to adjust how they've been dealing with pressure to weather what the Broncos can bring.

Protect the football, and live to see another down Atlanta cannot afford to be careless with the football. The Broncos offense is their weakness, but they're a decent unit, and giving them more chances to overcome their rookie quarterback's growing pains is a losing formula. Kirk Cousins is currently on pace for 17 fumbles and 14 interceptions, both of which would be career highs .

It's not that Cousins' is holding the ball longer than he ever has; his current time to throw (2.75 seconds) is quicker than any of his seasons with the Minnesota Vikings outside of his inaugural 2018 season. It's when Cousins decides to hold onto the ball longer that's hurting the team.

While never known for mobility, Cousins has always been nimble in the pocket and operated well in a phone booth with timely side steps, shoulder dips, and foot shuffling. However, the Achilles injury has affected this part of his game. Cousins can still navigate the pocket well at times, but not as consistently as before the injury. His internal clock is still adjusting to his new physical limitations, and plays where he may have been able to hold onto the ball longer previously aren't within those new limitations.

Cousins needs to start throwing the ball away more and, at the very least, protect the football and himself. He doesn't need to bail at the first sign of pressure; just recalculate that risk-taking formula he's been able to live by for most of his career. Zac Robinson dialing up quicker route concepts that take advantage of the middle of the field will also help.

Vary the route concepts and pre-snap motion The Falcons managed pressure well in Weeks 8-9, but they've struggled through most of the season. In those Week 8-9 matchups, Atlanta's use of jet and across motions picked up and helped receivers with separation while giving Cousins easier completions. Zac Robinson loves using concepts like glide/in, which can help reveal coverage and give receivers momentum for crossing routes. However, Robinson mainly utilizes them for out-breaking routes and needs to take advantage of the other possibilities. Atlanta likes to attack from the hash to the boundary, and they use a lot of 3x1 receiver sets or "trips."

Atlanta has primarily utilized smash, double corner switches, and stick concepts, but they only run a few in-breaking concepts off them. Defenses have started to sit on the corner routes while taking away options up the seam. The Falcons need to start running complementary concepts such as post-wheels, follows, floods, and china-gos out of their 3x1 looks. These concepts are great against man because they force defenses to communicate and be on top of their switch responsibilities.

Another way to neutralize the pass rush is to attack the middle of the field with short and intermediate route concepts that make progressions quicker and simpler while stressing man coverage. Route concepts such as levels and mesh are ways teams achieve this. Other teams have had success running these against Denver.

Lean on Pitts more When targeting Kyle Pitts under pressure, Kirk Cousins has completed 16-19 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. Darnell Mooney has more yards (234) when targeted in the same scenario, but Cousins has gone 12-24 when targeting the wide receiver, and the story isn't much different from that of Drake London (12-21). It's time for Cousins and Zac Robinson to lean on the tight end more.

It took Pitts a couple of weeks, but he's done a much better job of settling underneath and finding the holes in zone coverage after chipping. He's done an excellent job of making tough catches and using his big frame to box out defenders. Pitts is proving he's still a matchup nightmare when he gets single coverage. Cousins finally threw him a 50/50 ball, and the tight end came through with a spectacular catch that set up Bijan's 37-yard touchdown. The chemistry between the quarterback and tight end has been building, and Kyle Pitts has become a legitimate weapon for this offense. He can be one again versus Denver.

Spam Bijan Give the ball to No. 7 early and often. Bijan Robinson just had his fifth consecutive game with 100+ scrimmage yards, the longest active streak in the NFL. That's the longest by a Falcons player since Julio Jones had six in 2018. The level to which the second-year running back has been critical to the offense cannot be understated.

Bijan has become a real weapon in the passing game. According to PFF, Robinson has run the third most routes (222) among all running backs, and he has the second most first downs (15) and yards after the catch (413). Most importantly, he's been extremely reliable with only one drop. Bijan has turned doomed plays into significant gains all year. Bijan has forced the fourth most missed tackles (36) and is top-10 in yards after contact (485).

The Broncos defense isn't bad against the run, as they're seventh in yards per game allowed (103.5) and fifth in yards per run (3.9). However, teams have had success when they can establish a ground game and slow the Denver pass rush down with play-action. With Denver's speed and Cousins' noted lack of mobility, Zac Robinson needs to read the room and start this game by taking the air out of the football. Slow, methodical drives with timely shots will give the Falcons offense the best chance at success. A heavy dose of Bijan can help achieve that goal. A sprinkle of Tyler Allgeier won't hurt, either.

The Falcons offense has a big test this weekend, which is why it's so important that Zac Robinson gives his receivers and quarterback a chance to thrive against this blistering pass rush. More importantly, he'll need to figure out how to get Bijan and the run game going early. If Atlanta's offense can achieve these goals, they'll have a good chance of going into the bye with seven wins. If not, Kirk Cousins may spend the following 10 days in an ice bath.