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This Player May Be Biggest Piece to Falcons Securing Week 1 Win vs. Steelers
- Story by
- This Player May Be Biggest Piece to Falcons Securing Week 1 Win vs. Steelers
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Atlanta Falcons are headed into their Week 1 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow in what will be the first game of the Kevin Stefanski era and hopefully the beginning of a turnaround for the franchise .
It's a particularly tough test for Atlanta in Week 1 to go and face a lethal pass rush with a quarterback who has struggled against pressure and ultimately really won the job by default. Tua Tagovailoa will try to prove the doubters wrong and get the Falcons a victory, and like any quarterback, he will have the most direct impact on their ability to do just that.
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With that being said, saying he is the Falcons key to victory would be just a bit too obvious especially considering he will likely be asked to manage the game and not much more. Atlanta needs to keep its offensive game plan from being completely destroyed, and there's one player on the Pittsburgh defense capable of doing just that.
T.J. Watt is not just the Steelers best pass rusher, he may be the best defensive player in all of football. Limiting him is going to be key, which leaves a very tall task for the Falcons newest offensive lineman.
Jawaan Taylor Will Need to Have Huge Afternoon to Limit Watt
After signing with the Falcons in free agency on a one-year deal for $5 million back in April, Taylor has been slotted in as the team's likely starter at right tackle following the surprising retirement of Kaleb McGary .
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This instantly made a strength of the line a little bit of a question mark, and while Taylor has excelled at times when it comes to pass blocking, he has a tendency to take a ton of penalties and is an extremely inconsistent run blocker. A player who takes penalties trying to limit one of the biggest forces in football in terms of pass rush is a recipe for a whole lot of drives starting from behind the sticks.
Atlanta cannot afford to find itself in 1st and 20 type situations all day with Tagovailoa at quarterback, and while you cannot keep Watt bottled up forever, Taylor needs to at least somewhat contain him to give his team a chance.
A great day from Taylor could be enough to give the Falcons time to operate on offense, and in turn give them a great chance to win. If he struggles though, it could be a long afternoon in Pittsburgh for Tagovailoa and company.
