While Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan work out who is at fault for the Atlanta Falcons' offensive woes, the team is hopeful that the return of several players for Week 13 sparks a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Currently in the middle of a four-game losing streak, the Falcons are prepared to get Devonta Freeman and Devin Hester back on the field this Sunday. However, Leonard Hankerson does not appear ready to play which will pressure the depth of the Falcons.
According to head coach Dan Quinn via ESPN.com, Hankerson has a lot of work to do before he can get back on the field and play. The wide receiver has been out with a lingering hamstring injury. There was some hope that he could get back at full speed after returning for the game against the Minnesota Vikings, but a setback has kept the receiver off the field and Quinn believes it will stay that way through Week 13.
"Until he's ready and he's able to just haul and go, he's still going to be going through part of the process and going through the rehab to get back," Quinn said, via ESPN.com.
The injury to Hankerson leaves Ryan without one of his favorite targets against the Buccaneers. Hankerson had developed into the No.2 receiver, but now his absence puts pressure on the rest of the roster. In place of Hankerson, Roddy White will get plenty of targets thrown his way while Nick Williams or Justin Hardy will emerge as the No.3 receiver. Hester could see time on offense as well like he did last season as he returns from a toe injury. Jacob Tamme will also be relied upon. The injury to Hankerson certainly hurts the request from White to throw more deep balls. According to the veteran, shots down field will get the Falcons more wins.
"We've got to take more [deep] shots," White said, via ESPN.com. "We've got to hit our home runs. We're not hitting them, and we're not throwing enough of them to hit them. So, we've got to throw some more so we can hit some more. If we can take two shots a quarter and get the ball down the field, we give ourselves a chance."
One reason for the offensive struggles could be tension between Ryan and Shanahan. Everything looked fine between the two for the first five games, but the wheels have come off and now ESPN's Vaughn McClure is reporting the two are not on the same page as the quarterback admits to being overwhelmed by the playbook. Ryan is certainly having one of the worst stretches of his career with 12 interceptions including four in the redzone. This has been the first year that Ryan has really struggled with the issue. Is it Shanahan? The offensive coordinator is likely to stick around for at least one more season, so the two sides must work out the issues.