As of last Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons were 11-5. This week they’re back to 0-0. Welcome to the playoffs, as the journey begins this weekend for eight teams. That includes the Falcons, who head west to face the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals. Here are a few things that must happen in order for Saturday’s matchup to go in Atlanta’s favor.
KEEP WARNER GUESSING
The Cardinals can’t run the ball worth a lick, as they’re ranked dead last in the NFL. In fact, they don’t even make a concerted effort to move the football with their running backs.
But they’ve been able to overcome that thanks to a dynamic passing attack that features the best receiving tandem in the league and an MVP caliber quarterback in Kurt Warner throwing it to them.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta secondary has looked lost over the past month, giving up at least 230 yards passing to opposing quarterbacks over the final four games of the season. Let’s face it, Chris Houston and Domonique Foxworth are not going to have success on their own against Larry Fitzgerald (1,431 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns on the year) and Anquan Boldin (1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns) lining up across from them. They’re going to need some help.
Interestingly, it’s defensive end John Abraham who can provide that help for the secondary, and he may be the key to containing the Cardinals offense. Since Arizona is a pass-first team, Abraham will be ready to come after Warner on each and every play. If he can get into the backfield and create havoc as he has for much of the season, it changes the game drastically.
We’ve seen Warner when he’s under constant pressure, and he’s not the same player. He has a tendency to get tentative in the pocket and turns the ball over via fumbles or interceptions. If Atlanta’s front seven can rattle Warner, they will probably be able to have some success on defense. And if the Cards aren’t putting up big points, they can’t beat anyone.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
The Cardinals haven’t hosted a playoff game since 1947, and they’ve never played one in Phoenix. Needless to say, the state of Arizona is excited. Time and time again we’ve seen the home team get a boost, and the road team get a bit rattled, thanks to a raucous crowd. That’s not good news for the Falcons, whose roster is littered with players with little to no playoff experience.
That can all change in a few plays. If the Birds can get off to a hot start Saturday, things will surely quiet down, especially amongst a fan base that has grown accustomed to losing.
If Atlanta can string together a couple of its patented grind-it-out, clock-eating drives, it will suck the life out of University of Phoenix Stadium quite quickly. That will make life much easier for Mike Smith’s team.
BALANCE
The Cardinals defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone lately. The pass defense (ranked 22nd in the league) has made a habit of giving up big games. The run defense is ranked 16th in the NFL, and doesn’t figure to match up well with Atlanta’s prolific ground attack.
These matchups should leave offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey with plenty to contemplate. His offense has had success running and passing all year long, and surely the Falcons playmakers are licking their chops with the prospect of facing the Cardinals defense.
Atlanta will surely want to mix it up early with the playcalling and keep ‘Zona guessing. If they can move the ball both through the air and on the ground, and Arizona’s defensive performance of late would indicate that they can, they should be able to light up the scoreboard and fly back east with a victory.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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