No matter how good (or bad) the teams are, the Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints games are always going to be a battle. The Falcons come into the Superdome with a lot of confidence, while the Saints have struggled thus far. Despite having a better record than the Falcons, New Orleans has not looked liked the 2009 squad and are coming of a tough Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. If the Falcons have an opportunity to knock off their arch-rivals, Sunday afternoon would be the time.
After a tough contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons got back on track with a dominating 41-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. They were able to do it with a running attack led by Jason Snelling who ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He will be the backup running back for Michael Turner on Sunday after Jerious Norwood went down with a knee injury which will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
The Falcons should be able to get some opportunities to get some big plays on the ground with the Saints defense averaging over 115 yards per game when it comes to rushing. Tuner, who left the game last Sunday early due to a groin injury, will be ready to go along with Snelling.
Because of the running game was on track, Matt Ryan was able to get things going through the air with a 225-yard three touchdown performance. He had some key mistakes against the Saints last year when they played in the Superdome, but with another year under his belt, look for a much improved Ryan to go up against a pass defense that has only produce one sack and has give up 223 pass yards do far this season.
One of the bigger surprises for the Falcons is the play of the defense as they have only surrendered two touchdowns this season. The only problem is the two touchdowns were big plays touchdowns and the Saints, led by Drew Brees thrive on making big plays. One thing that will help the Falcons is running back Reggie Bush will be out due to a leg injury, but expect players such as Pierre Thomas and Marques Colston to make plays.
With Jonathan Babineaux back in the fold, the Falcons defensive line should be bale to apply pressure on Brees while linebackers have more speed to cover the running backs out of the backfield with the addition of Sean Weatherspoon. If the Falcons cannot apply pressure like they had in the first two games, Atlanta is in for a long day.
The biggest key for the Falcons is to start fast and keep up the intensity. Last week they were able to do both of those things and it resulted in a huge win. This week won’t be the same result when it comes to the score, but if they can get off to a hot start and not harass Brees all game long, the Falcons can leave Louisiana with a huge and important victory.
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