5 issues to look at as Falcons head west to face San Francisco 49ers

3. Continue to be successful in the running game

The Falcons have put together three over 100 rushing yard games in a row. That is an important development for this offense. They were less one-dimensional in the last three games than they were all season. And the running game couldn’t have started at a better time.

Smith said when it comes to this point of the season and you are in games that have an impact on the postseason, getting the ball running effectively is of paramount importance. For the Falcons, it will stay that way on Sunday against the 49ers.

Smith and Offensive Coordinator Dave Ragone praised the Offensive Line for their improvements in blocking the run. Smith said the group really took on their role in the running game. He commented on the work they put into getting better and how they really stuck to the plan he wanted to put in place for them from the start. Smith only said that the running game is starting to look more and more like he envisioned it in Atlanta.

San Francisco’s Run Defense is just ahead of Carolina’s entry into Week 15. Can the Falcons put in a similar performance to last Sunday? We will see. It would continue to mean a lot to this entire offensive operation if they could.