Things are trending the wrong way for the Atlanta Falcons heading into their Week 2 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. For one thing, they have lost four of their last five games against their I-85 rivals. For another, their offense was about as putrid and one-dimensional as you'll ever see at this level.
In their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons started Cooper Rush at quarterback with disappointing resulted. The veteran QB will get the start again with Michael Penix Jr. out and Tua Tagovailoa doubtful for Sunday's game.
The biggest issue with Rush is that he seemed completely uncomfortable throwing the ball past the line of scrimmage. That lead to Bijan Robinson getting the lion's share of targets, totaling 10 - twice as much
as any other player and nearly half of the team's 21 pass attempts.
If the Falcons are going to upset the Panthers, they need to get their other star skill players involved. Top wide receiver Drake London was only targeted five times last week, catching two of them and totaling 29 yards. Meanwhile, star tight end Kyle Pitts had it even worse, only seeing one target all afternoon and finishing with zero catches.
Rush must make better use of Atlanta's other options in the passing game. Pitts and London should see at least 11-12 targets between the two of them if the Falcons are going to force the Panthers to account for anybody but Bijan Robinson.
It also wouldn't hurt to see what Zachariah Branch could do, either. The rookie receiver out of Georgia flashed as a returner last week but was not involved offensively, at all.
Whoever's in the backfield has to spread the ball around a lot better than Rush did in Pittsburgh, or Atlanta is headed for an 0-2 start to the season.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons Week 2 X-factor: Feed Kyle Pitts and Drake London
