The Atlanta Falcons got back to their winning ways last week, prevailing relatively easily over the Washington Redskins despite a rough third quarter. With the schedule easing up over the next few weeks, Atlanta has a chance to establish themselves as one of the top contenders for an NFC wild card position.
Next up is a trip to Charlotte to face the division rival Carolina Panthers, who sit at 3-5 on the season. The visitors will be favored, but they can’t afford to take their opponents lightly, as Carolina has been playing much better football of late, and pushed the undefeated New Orleans Saints to the brink last week.
PEPPERS AND COMPANY …
The Panthers defense isn’t likely as bad as the numbers indicate. The turnover-prone offense has put them in a lot of tough positions, but they do have problems stopping the run game, where they rank 23rd in the league.
Julius Peppers is the big name, but he has always been far more effective as a pass rusher. However, Jon Beason and Na’il Diggs can lay the lumber, meaning Atlanta will likely be cautious with Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling, who figure to return from injury.
Michael Turner has caught fire, rushing for 367 yards and three scores the past two weeks. He’ll surely be licking his chops against a vulnerable front seven.
While Turner has returned to his 2008 form, Matt Ryan is struggling more than ever. The second-year quarterback appears to have lost a great deal of confidence in the pocket, and has struggled with accuracy, particularly on deep throws. Now he’ll have to go up against the sixth best secondary in the NFL, which features a fine cornerback tandem in Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble.
The pass blocking will have to give Ryan some help. Peppers already has an astounding seven sacks and has a favorable matchup this week. A banged-up Sam Baker figures to draw the assignment, with inexperienced Will Svitek possibly slated to see some snaps.
STOPPING THE PANTHERS …
Brian VanGorder’s defense continued its opportunistic ways last week, getting an interception return for a touchdown from Tye Hill. There will be similar chances this weekend with Jake Delhomme, a signal caller who is well known for his interceptions, lining up at quarterback. He’s thrown 13 picks on the year, and it isn’t too hard to see him doling out a few more on Sunday.
Steve Smith is a weapon in the pass game, and no one in the Atlanta secondary poses too tough of a matchup for him. But if the Falcons can get to the quarterback, they can limit his effectiveness.
The Falcons sacked Jason Campbell five times last week, so they should be feeling good about themselves in that department this weekend. Jonathan Babineaux, John Abraham and Kroy Biermann will want to make themselves mainstays in the Panther backfield, but you can also look for VanGorder to try and rattle Delhomme via a variety of blitz packages. Mike Peterson and Stephen Nicholas will want to give Delhomme a shot or two from the linebacker position, and even a corner or safety could get into the mix.
The run game is another story. Atlanta’s run defense didn’t turn up in the second half last week, and now they must face one of the most dangerous backs in the league in DeAngelo Williams. The fourth-year pro is good for 20 carries and over 100 yards a game, and is a threat to go the distance from anywhere on the field. The Falcons ‘D’ will have to keep an eye on him at all times, or it will be sorry.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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