The Zimmer Report - Unforced Errors in ATL
Details continue to matter and it starts with getting 11 on the field for crucial 3rd down.
Wednesdays are the day for us to evaluate the defense in this space. We call it the “Zimmer Report.” Here we want to isolate the defense and try to look at the game purely from their perspective. What did they try to do against the threats from the opponent and how successful were they in carrying that out? We will also check in the tactical and strategic plot-lines of the game and get a feel for how well it worked out for that side of the ball. For those of you new here speak up if you don’t understand a concept and we will attempt to explain.
Here we go. Our objectives today will be:
Evaluate the overall defensive effort vs Atlanta
Dealing with Bijan Robinson
Overshown, Mazi, and Carl Lawson
Four key plays that went poorly
Splash Plays
This one is going to be shorter because we spent our time putting together the Jonathan Mingo piece last night that I hope you saw, so please excuse some brevity. Let’s begin.
Evaluating the overall defensive effort vs Atlanta
This is a pretty weird game to summarize from a defensive standpoint. On one hand, they only allowed 100 yards on the ground and 310 yards overall. That would be a very good day in 2024 for both categories and suggests they did a nice job.
But, did they?
In watching the game, it never felt like Atlanta’s offense was struggling. Rather, to me, it felt like Kirk Cousins and Bijan Robinson could get whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. They seemed rather relaxed and in control and able to go get a score when and if they needed one.
I know that is not a data-driven take, but I got the idea that Atlanta was absolutely fine letting the situation dictate how aggressive they were going to be. Once Drake London left the game after a touchdown, they dialed back the aggression until a time where Dallas threatened their two-score lead. It really never seemed they were too pressed to chase production stats.