The Aints come crawling in...
The Falcons can clinch the South and send the Aints reeling with a win on Thursday!
This Thursday night is a huge game for the Falcons. Not only can they clinch the NFC South with a win over the hated Saints (and a loss by the Bucs to the Fightin' Mannings AKA Broncos), but they can severely hinder the Saints chances of making it to the playoffs themselves.
Surely the weekend could not get any better if we are able to clinch the division and possibly knock our main rival out of playoff contention.
As they sit currently, the Aints are in 11th place and do not own tiebreakers over the Boys or the Skins who sit at 5-6, as well.
With a trip to the Meadowlands looming next Sunday, the Aints really need this game on Thursday night. They are not going to get it.
Looking back at the game in NOLA, the Falcons came up short 4 times to win the game. The Falcons played well enough to win the game, but could not punch it in at the end. This will not happen a second time.
The defensive numbers have not gotten any better for the Aints since the last time we saw them. They are still dead last in Total Defense, giving up 455 ypg, and Rush Defense, giving up 157 ypg on the ground.
Having said all this, the Falcons really need to work the edge a little more this time against New Orleans with Quizz. With Lofton in the middle, the Falcons really need to make him move laterally. He is not the fastest backer sideline-to-sideline. He is really good at plugging the inside gaps. If the Falcons get him moving early, then they should be able to wear him down so Turner might be able to run through his tackles later in the game. In addition, getting the run game going will open things up for Play-Action and the screen game with Quizz.
Matt Ryan is going to really get back on track this Thursday. The first go around against the Saints yielded him 3 TDs and 411 passing yards. It will not be much different this go around. I suspect that 300+ yds and 3 TDs is not out of the question.
Not sure that Gonzo is going to have the same gaudy numbers that he did the last time that these two teams met. However, one of the big three is still going to go over 100 yards receiving. Pick your poison, AINTS!
In the end, the Falcons are going to win this game and clinch the division Thursday night.
Final Score: 34 - 28
Well, I'll be on duty, but hopefully they can pull the victory. I think you're right though. The Ain'ts have to come to the Dome, and there's one thing the Falcons are very good at, and that's Defending the Dome. A little payback would be nice.
ReplyDeleteThe Falcons have had great success with the Screen Play this year, I think we'll see them continue that success against New Orleans. Rise Up!