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Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael break down Bijan Robinson's 170-yard performance and where the Falcons offense failed against the Steelers.

Why didn't the Falcons use Kyle Pitts more in the screen game? The Midday Show breaks down Atlanta's offensive play-calling limitations.
Transcript
00:00Yeah, great play there by Bijan.
00:01Great blocking on the perimeter.
00:03And that's what we talked about late last week was like,
00:06they're going to do a lot of screen game stuff.
00:09I didn't know it was going to be only screen game stuff for the most part,
00:12but that's pretty much all they could do.
00:15Bijan, 21 carries, 10 targets, 170 yards in total, a touchdown.
00:22And thank God you got him.
00:24Yeah, man.
00:24Otherwise, I don't know what they would have done.
00:25Yeah, I mean, like I said, he played his ass off, man.
00:28I know the uncharacteristic of the two fumbles.
00:31One, I thought he should have pressed the hole a little bit more,
00:33but I know he saw the color on that back side.
00:36But, yeah, I just thought, you know, just overall,
00:38you got a third-string quarterback who's banged up probably with the back.
00:42And that just limits everything you can do.
00:45And, I mean, and you saw a lot of that.
00:48Again, we talked about the interception.
00:49You just do it too damn much.
00:50Take some grass and get down.
00:52Take some grass and get down.
00:53Offensive line, I mean, they're professionals.
00:55They understand because I think this is a strength of this team.
00:59And you can't – and I understand that front for Pittsburgh, they are hellacious.
01:02They are.
01:02Especially when 90 is going.
01:06He's a force multiple.
01:07He makes everybody around you good, man,
01:08because you got to spend so much time worried about him.
01:10And then you got Highsmith on the other damn side.
01:12Yeah.
01:12I mean, they just – and then Cam, still, we talked about him Friday,
01:15still playing at a damn All-Pro.
01:17He made the All-Pro last year.
01:18He batted down four passes.
01:20Yeah.
01:20And I was in the car.
01:21I had to make a run at halftime.
01:22I mean, I heard Art said we're talking about the batted balls of Cooper Rush
01:27and everything.
01:28He had balls batted in preseason.
01:29You know, and so –
01:30He's not like a short guy.
01:31No, he's not.
01:32But he has like a short guy release.
01:35Okay.
01:35Yeah.
01:35It seems like to me.
01:36Well, it seems like there's kind of two things working against him there.
01:39Like, obviously, Mike McCarthy knows that.
01:42Like, he coached him.
01:43Knows some of the stuff beyond just the limitations that he's got physically.
01:47Like, some of the little quirks about his game.
01:50And then they have Cameron Hayward and T.J. Watt, who lead the NFL
01:54and passes defended at the line one and two in the NFL over the last five years.
01:59So, those guys do that anyway.
02:01Like, they're great at that anyway.
02:03You combine that with the fact that you're not going down the field
02:06because he can't throw it.
02:08Uh-huh.
02:09And eventually, T.J. Watt was like, you know what's better than knocking these down?
02:13Let me just snatch one of them.
02:15Yeah.
02:15And they chipped him and blocked him on that play.
02:17Like, they defended him pretty well on the play.
02:20But he jumped up and snatched it.
02:22Cooper Rush said he never saw him, which –
02:23He didn't.
02:24I don't doubt.
02:25Yeah.
02:25It was a hell of a play, man.
02:26And then it was in the end zone.
02:27It was a hell of a damn play by him, man.
02:28Hit the Dion on him, too.
02:30Yeah, dog.
02:30But you know what it looked like, Andy?
02:32It looked like – you know when the one thing I hate,
02:35it just drives me freaking crazy when the defense gets an interception
02:38and then everybody runs to the end zone to celebrate.
02:41That's what it looked like.
02:42I wasn't sure if he got tagged.
02:43Right.
02:43I wasn't sure if he got tagged.
02:44It seemed like he almost did.
02:45He almost did.
02:46Lindstrom almost got him.
02:47He did, but then he got up.
02:49And then Dijon kind of got clipped by his own guy trying to get him.
02:52Yeah, I thought –
02:52Yeah, he was up.
02:53I thought he was – he almost had – but I'll tell you this, though.
02:56The defensive line – we talked about this.
02:58I think they're better, man.
03:00Because I'm telling you, Mason Smith played his ass off.
03:02Played great.
03:02He played really, really good.
03:03Darius Smith played great.
03:05Darius, yes, two sacks.
03:06I don't think he only played like 15, 16 plays.
03:08I thought he played really good.
03:09Cameron Thomas, I mean, just covering down, man.
03:12Yep.
03:12Just finishing to the play.
03:13Diablo getting on the ball.
03:14Diablo looked like he's something wrong.
03:16That don't – no, he's a lot – he looks sluggish to me.
03:19Mm-hmm.
03:20To me.
03:21And they could be playing a lot of plays, all these different things,
03:23but I think I'm going to run more plays than them anyways.
03:26But, yeah, them just covering down, doing all those different things.
03:30Kendall Daniels had a nice big hit.
03:32I mean, they played really good.
03:34Now, the pass rush still wasn't what it needed to be,
03:36but we understand where it was going to be.
03:37Shout out to Zed Darius.
03:39You know, two sacks yesterday.
03:42So, you saw some – there were some good things.
03:44Good Jesse – I thought Jesse Bates played his ass off.
03:46Jesse Bates was everywhere yesterday, but he played really, really good.
03:50Xavier has got to realize he's a big man.
03:52He's a big man, and you're a little guy.
03:54You know, and so there's a Watt tattoo on the Pittsburgh grass right now.
03:58You know what I mean?
03:59That's a big man.
04:00You're not.
04:00I applaud you for trying to go up – run up on that big joker.
04:04Yeah, he got it.
04:05Yeah, that's a big man.
04:08That's a big man.
04:11With all those screens, I would have liked to have seen them if you're going to do that.
04:15You're talking about the Darnell stiff arm?
04:16Yeah.
04:17Yeah.
04:17But, you know, offensively, if you're going to do all those screens,
04:20talking about the Falcons, why couldn't Zachariah get at least two of them?
04:23Yeah, I don't know.
04:23Why couldn't Kyle get one of them?
04:24Yeah, Kyle, like something, like a runner screen, like, you know, T.J. Watt is one –
04:30he's one of the hardest people to screen off of, period,
04:33because he's so damn smart he can understand light.
04:35So, but, yeah, trying to tight end screen or something to Kyle.
04:38You know, on the third downs, Cooper, bam, throw it.
04:41You know, let it go on one of the sacks.
04:43Let it go.
04:44Just bang it on Kyle.
04:45Yeah, I know.
04:45And then I saw a retweet that Joe Patrick tweeted this morning talking about,
04:49still play the whole game in zone.
04:51The whole game.
04:51The whole game in zone.
04:52Why would I play man?
04:54Why would I risk the fact of turning my back and Bizarre
04:56and catching a little check down and out the gate?
04:58Yeah, I'm going to keep everything in front of us.
05:00You know, nothing – he can't beat us over the top.
05:02We're not worried about any of that.
05:04No, he literally can't.
05:05Yeah, we're not worried about that.
05:05Because they had one play.
05:06I mean, they dialed up the one and Kyle won.
05:08Yep.
05:09He beat Ramsey off the line.
05:10And he was – I don't know if it's a touchdown if he puts it in front of him.
05:12Oh, no, it's a touchdown.
05:13But it might be.
05:14I mean, it's a huge gain if he puts it in front of him.
05:17And it throws him by 10 yards, and Ramsey's able to make up the distance
05:21and deflects the ball.
05:22And that's it.
05:23That's the only pass.
05:23Now, maybe one or two of those deflected balls might have been heading Kyle's way.
05:27I have no idea.
05:27That's the crazy thing about it.
05:29Yeah, man.
05:30Some injury news because he didn't leave the game.
05:31Deshaun Hand has a torn quad.
05:33He's out for the season.
05:34So, obviously, we'll see what moves they make for that one.
05:37Lindstrom came out of the game, too.
05:37And Lindstrom had a concussion.
05:38And so, yeah, obviously, he's going to be in the protocol this week.
05:42But, I mean, the only good sign, whatever,
05:45I thought the defensive line, outside just the pass, I thought they played good.
05:49I really did.
05:49I thought they played good.
05:50And you could just look at them on TV and see they are big.
05:53I thought the defense in general tackled well.
05:55They did.
05:56Again, there was a couple lucky ones where if DK makes the catch
06:00or Aaron hits the guy, there was a lot of rust on that offense.
06:03And maybe the offense just isn't going to be good.
06:04They can't run the ball.
06:05They can't run the ball.
06:06Yeah, Pittsburgh can't run the ball.
06:07And, again, to the Falcons' defense for being able to do that.
06:10For Aaron to throw the ball 40 times, that's not what they want.
06:13That's not what they want.
06:13That's definitely not what they want.
06:14And, again, that's what makes the whole thing frustrating is, like,
06:19there was still an opportunity given just how incapable the offense was
06:26because of the quarterback play to win the game if you make a couple more field goals
06:30and don't throw that pick six and just don't, you know.
06:33Even the first interception led immediately to points, too.
06:35Like, all of their points came off turnovers.
06:38Yeah.
06:38And that's how you're supposed to do it.
06:39Defense, take the ball away.
06:40Let's go score.
06:41Yeah, you just can't turn the ball over when you're – I mean, again,
06:45that's easier said than done.
06:46But Cooper Rush just has to – especially that first one, you just can't throw that.
06:50Yeah, you can't.
06:50The second one, look, one of the best players in the NFL made a great play.
06:55Yeah, he made an outstanding individual effort.
06:57But I think, you know, again, first one, play was designed.
07:00They were trying to get Drake the ball, and it wasn't there.
07:03Okay, you scan back, looking for the back.
07:04The back's blocking.
07:05You got to run or, like you said, throw it all.
07:09You can't – you don't – that's not your game.
07:11You just don't do that.
07:12That's not your game.
07:13Yeah.
07:13And then –
07:14Now the hard part is, and we've got all week to figure it out.
07:16Hopefully we know by the time we talk to Stefanski on Thursday.
07:19I hate the fact that we talk all week Thursday.
07:22Oh, I'm glad.
07:23I'm thinking to figure some stuff out first.
07:25Yeah, let's do it today.
07:26But if we ask him today, it's just going to be all we don't know.
07:28Let's debrief the game, and then we go.
07:30Yeah, it is kind of weird.
07:32You're already in a day.
07:32You're far enough away from the game where it's hard to ask about the last game.
07:36Yeah, I don't know.
07:37I just – maybe – I'm hopeful.
07:38Here's why I'm glad it's Thursday this week.
07:40Hopefully they know that Michael Penix is healthy by then
07:44because that would be a lot more fun to talk about
07:47than trying to talk about Cooper Rush being a quarterback.
07:49What time is the thing – what time is the – it's at noon?
07:53Okay.
07:53So we should know something in about 30 minutes.
07:56Maybe.
07:57Oh, it's 3.
07:57Oh, 3.
07:58Okay.
07:59Huh?
07:59Oh, the press conference is at 3.
08:00Oh, the press conference today is at 3.
08:01Okay.
08:02All right.
08:02Noon Thursday.
08:03Noon Thursday.
08:03Yeah, I know that.
08:043 today.
08:04Yeah, yeah.
08:04Got it.
08:05Okay.
08:05Okay.
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