Jaguars defense has to contain Kyle Pitts, be prepared for Cordarelle Patterson's multiple skills

The Jaguars' defense may take heart that they’re facing an Atlanta Falcons offense on Sunday that has produced three points, seven turnovers, a .136 third-down conversion rate and a 23.87 passer rating from starting quarterback Matt Ryan and two backups who got garbage time, Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks. 

But they shouldn’t take it for granted either when the two teams play at TIAA Bank Field (1 p.m., CBS). 

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The Falcons (4-6) have lost three of four games after a 3-3 start and their last two losses, 45-3 to Dallas and 25-0 to New England, have seen them play abysmal on offense – perhaps the only team in the NFL playing worse with the ball than the Jags. 

It’s been unsettling for Atlanta fans to watch 14-year veteran Matt Ryan become a turnover machine, with 10 interceptions this season and four in the last two games. Ryan has a passer rating of 38.65 in the losses to the Cowboys and Patriots and with wide receivers Cordarelle Patterson and Calvin Ridley injured, defenses were able to focus on stopping rookie tight end Kyle Pitts (seven receptions for 89 yards in the last two games). 

Atlanta is next-to-last in the NFL in rushing and 23rd in passing.

And yet … Ryan hasn’t forgotten how to play football; Pitts still leads all NFL tight ends with a 14.8 per-catch average (and is seventh in receptions with 43 and third in yards with 635); and the versatile Patterson leads the team in touchdowns with seven and is second in rushing (303 yards) and second in receiving (39 for 473). 

Key players may return

Patterson should be back this week after missing the New England game and if Ridley is also able to get on the field -- he’s eligible this week to return from a non-football injury – Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen expects a team with more weapons and likely a bit angry about how they’ve played the last two weeks. 

“They were really winning and doing the things that were really good, beating the Saints and beating Miami,” Cullen said of the Falcons’ first six games. “They had all their weapons. Now [Patterson] is expected possibly to come back. It does present a problem, but we’ll have certain things that we’ll do, and we should be well aware of when they’re in the game and how they’re going to do things.” 

Ridley might be a wild card. He caught 27 passes of 255 yards in Atlanta’s first four games but has missed five of the last six. 

“He’s another one that’s an explosive great wide receiver,” Cullen said. 

After two games in ineptitude on offense, the Falcons may come into the game throwing a few wrinkles at the Jaguars. 

“Yeah, I’m sure they’re looking at everything there and they had some of their weapons down that they didn’t have, some of their firepower,” Cullen said. “I’m expecting them [Ridley and Patterson] back, so I’m sure there’ll be something different.” 

Jags need to contain Pitts

Stopping the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Pitts will be the most important task for the Jaguars. The former Florida Gator has made a batch of sensational plays, such as one-handed grabs down the sideline, in stride, while getting held.

Pitts has 11 receptions of 20 yards or longer (including three of 39 yards), with five coming in one game when the Falcons beat Miami. Pitts caught seven passes for 163 yards in that game. 

He may have been drafted as a tight end but the Falcons have moved Pitts around to get whatever mismatches they can get. 

“He’s absolutely a wide receiver,” Cullen said. “He’s as fast as any wide receiver out there. He’s bigger … and they’ll move him around everywhere. He is in the tight end position at times, but most of the time, he’s out at one by himself and everybody’s on the other side. They’ll motion him, get him to exactly where they want to put him.” 

Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen said as good as Pitts is, the Jags need to continue their recent stretch of games with a strong pass rush to get to Ryan before he can get the ball to Pitts. 

“He’s made a lot of great catches,” Allen said of Pitts. “He’s somebody that we’ve got to keep an eye on. But with all that, we’ve got to affect the quarterback. If we do that, then we can say, ‘forget everything else after that.’” 

Unforced errors thwart big plays

The Jaguars are also doing some self-evaluation after San Francisco ran for 171 yards in a 30-10 victory last week, the second game in a row the Jags allowed more than 100 yards rushing after six of seven games holding opponents under that number. 

More concerning were the times the Jags committed unforced errors on defense, such as the penalties that negated two third-down sacks on the 49ers’ 20-play drive that opened the scoring with a field goal. 

“It’s hard enough to have to beat your opponent, so the biggest thing I stressed with the defense was we can’t beat ourselves,” Cullen said. 

He said a Hall of Fame coach once told him, “When you have a third-down penalty, it’s like giving the ’27 Yankees, four or five outs.” 

The Jags also got beat up on defense, especially in the secondary: cornerbacks Shaquille Griffin (concussion) and Tyson Campbell (shoulder) and safety Andre Cisco (hip). Campbell and Cisco were at practice on Wednesday but Griffin was still being held out in the concussion protocol. 

“Everything’s day-to-day,” Cullen said. “Everyone’s working through it, and we’ll see where it is at the end of the week, but we fully expect everyone to get back when they can.” 

Then there was the ejection of safety Rayshawn Jenkins for throwing a punch in the second quarter. Jenkins got into the scuffle with San Francisco’s Jajuan Jennings as Andrew Wingard was stopping Deebo Samuel for a 1-yard loss on third-and-two. Instead of attempting a 45-yard field goal, the 49ers got a first down at the Jags’ 14 and scored a touchdown to go up 17-0 five plays later. 

“We had them again … where Dewey [Wingard], made a great play out of center field … and again, that’s when Ray drew a penalty,” Cullen said. “It was a physical battle the whole game. You just have to hold your emotions and I know he feels bad about it and we’ll move on from there. But that was the biggest thing we stressed, not hurting yourself and giving them other opportunities.”