Devonta Freeman has been a breakout star this season as he sits second in the league with 11 touchdowns on the season. The running back has proven he can be the workhorse for the Atlanta Falcons and his absence was certainly felt on the field in Week 12. With Tevin Coleman struggling with fumbles, the run game took a hit, but Freeman's return on Sunday could change all of that.
According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Freeman has been cleared of his concussion and will start in Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Freeman missed Week 12 as Coleman started over him. While the rookie showed signs of potential and explosiveness, a key fumble overshadowed all of that. Now, Freeman returns and he hopes to be the spark needed to get the offense moving.
"We'll limit the contact for sure just as a precaution, but he's fully ready to play and he is absolutely jacked," head coach Dan Quinn said, via ESPN.com. "For those of us who know Devonta in here, you can imagine the excitement he has. It jumps off the field and off the tape by how much he loves football. And so we can't wait to get him back out there."
The lack of a progressive run game was certainly one of the issues plaguing the Falcons' offense. Another issue is explosive plays as receiver Roddy White made it clear the team needs more home-run plays. According to ESPN's Stats & Information, Ryan ranks 15th in the NFL with 72 pass attempts of 15 yards or more. He has completed 40 of those ranking him fourth in the league. White wants more down-field passes. With the veteran and Julio Jones running the sidelines, there is certainly no reason why the Falcons cannot push the secondary and gets those deep throws.
"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."
If Ryan is going to take shots down field, it will be White and Jones that receive the target. According to McClure, Leonard Hankerson is not expected to play in Week 13 as he nurses a hamstring injury. The receiver has not been at practice while Freeman and Devin Hester both returned to the field. That leaves Ryan without one of his favorite targets and now the quarterback must hope Nick Williams or Justin Hardy can replace him on the field.
