ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith said his team won’t always be able to run the ball as effectively as it did Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, who were missing three starters on their defensive line.
When he can lean on his ground game, though, Smith will obviously be happy.
Dee Alford intercepted Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett with less than a minute remaining — a play after defensive tackle Grady Jarrett sacked Brissett for an 8-yard loss — and the Falcons held on to win 23-20 in a matchup of two rushing offenses that entered the week ranked in the NFL’s top five.
The Falcons outrushed the Browns 202 yards to 177 despite another strong game by Cleveland’s Nick Chubb.
“When you can run the ball and they know you’re going to run it, that speaks volumes for your guys,” Smith said.