NFC South showdown will reveal the powerhouse of the division: Falcons vs. Saints preview
There’s no better way to measure where your team stands than taking on the defending Super Bowl champions. That’s exactly what the Atlanta Falcons will do when they travel to the Louisiana Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints. Opinions on the NFC South
this off-season were mostly divided when trying to pick the 2010 winner. While the defending champions were the popular pick to repeat, many picked the young, upcoming Falcons to dethrone the champs. The Falcons can prove they are up to the challenge this
Sunday.
If the Falcons are to upset the champs, they’ll need Matt Ryan to lead them. Ryan was projected to have a breakout year and he has to bring his best against the Falcons’ biggest challenge this season. He’ll have to be smart, confident and accurate. He has Tony
Gonzalez as a good safety valve at tight end and a great running back behind him in Michael Turner, if he’s healthy.
Turner pulled a groin muscle last week but he should be able to go. Michel Jenkins is usually Ryan’s favorite deep threat but Jenkins will be sparingly used as he’s recovering from a shoulder injury. Roddy White is still healthy though and he will likely
be Ryan’s go-to guy for big plays.
The Saints’ defence will try to establish themselves as the best defence in the NFC South and they face a tough test. Jonathan Vilma will have to be a monster as the secondary of the Saints is banged up with cornerback Randall g*y out with a concussion and
safety Darren Sharper still on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. The Saints will have to make Ryan uncomfortable or he may be able to have a big game like Alex Smith of the 49ers did last Monday night.
Not much needs to be said about the Saints’ offence but let’s talk about them anyway. Drew Brees has dead-on accuracy and he spreads the ball better than any quarterback in the league. He looks to Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachum, Jeremy Shockey,
etc. His favourite receiver is the open one so Atlanta cannot just key in on one guy, making their task so difficult.
One good piece of news for the Falcons’ defence is that the explosive Reggie Bush is out with a broken leg. That makes their job a little easier as the Saints' running game will come from the middle with Pierre Thomas. That also takes away one of Brees’
biggest threats at receiver. Nevertheless, any defence has their work cut out for them when going up against Brees.
The Falcons’ defence has yet to allow a touchdown pass this season as cornerback Dunta Robinson has filled his role nicely. The pass-rush has improved also with first-round pick linebacker Sean Weatherspoon leading the team with 17 tackles and a sack in his
first two NFL games. The Falcons have allowed a lot of rushing yards, but that isn’t exactly the Saints’ biggest threat.
While the Saints have started 2-0, something still seems to be missing with them. The offence has yet to truly explode and they narrowly pulled off victories over a struggling Vikings team and an undisciplined 49ers team the last two weeks. The Falcons will
give them a tough test and they’d better be ready to come alive. Expect a very close game to the end with the teams matching each other. It’ll be very hard for Atlanta in the Superdome, but don’t be too shocked if the Falcons manage to steal this one on the
road.
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