A clash of red birds will commence this Sunday as the Atlanta Falcons travel to State Farm Stadium to take on the Arizona Cardinals. This game has heavy implications for both teams, as the Cardinals look to keep pace in the NFC West and the Falcons look to rebound after an abysmal start to the season.
The Falcons have one of the most talented offenses in the NFL, yet haven’t been able to maintain the consistency that made them an NFC champion just three years ago. While the offense has had its struggles, Atlanta’s defense is the unit under fire from the NFL world. Head coach Dan Quinn’s defensive unit was manhandled last week against Deshaun Watson’s Houston Texans. Watson had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 and threw five touchdown passes (three of which went to speedy WR Will Fuller). Some have speculated Quinn’s time with the Falcons may be coming to an end, so Sunday’s matchup is obviously important for him.
For the Cardinals, this game provides an opportunity to get back into the fold after earning their first win against the Bengals. A victory would put the team at 2-3-1 with All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson set to return next week.
Here is this week’s preview!
Let’s take a look at the Falcons on offense
Most NFL analysts predict this game will be a shootout, as both the Cardinals and Falcons defense have struggled mightily as of late. Quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled with turnovers to start the season, but he is still among the best in the league. Teams have forced those turnovers from Ryan by keeping him under duress and not letting him get comfortable. Chandler Jones and Terrell Suggs will need to have a better game rushing the quarterback, as the two were only able to manage one sack last week.
Atlanta’s offense presents one of the biggest challenges for NFL defenses —wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones is perhaps the best receiver in the league and has proven to the Cardinals how dominant he is in the past. Typically, the Cardinals have Patrick Peterson to shadow Jones and keep him in check, but that will not be the case this Sunday. Vance Joseph and the Cards defense will have to find ways to slow Jones down and give enough time for Kyler Murray and company to put up points.
The Cardinals can’t dedicate everything to stopping Julio Jones; Atlanta’s receiving corps also features second-year man Calvin Ridley and veteran Mohamed Sanu. Ridley and Sanu are both very productive receivers that thrive off opposing defense’s dedication to stopping Julio Jones. Austin Hooper, who is currently the No. 1 scoring TE in fantasy football, presents another challenge for a Cardinals defense that has given up six touchdowns to the position.
The Cardinals defense showed promise against the Bengals until late in the fourth quarter. They’ll need to play 60 minutes of good football to have a chance at slowing down the Falcons.
And now, the defense
This is where the Cardinals can exploit the Falcons to win this game. As mentioned earlier, Atlanta’s defense was torn apart by Deshaun Watson and the Texans. They’ve surrendered high scoring performances to Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett, and Marcus Mariota in previous weeks. The unit is ranked 31st in points allowed per game, which should be music to the ears of young Kyler Murray.
The Falcons have struggled heavily in pressuring the quarterback. They were unable to register a single sack against Houston’s infamously porous offensive line, hitting Deshaun Watson just once. On the flip side, Arizona’s offensive line looked very good against All-Pro Geno Atkins’s defensive line last week.
The secondary for the Falcons has had its own set of issues. It doesn’t help that cornerback No. 1 Desmond Trufant missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practice. No. 2 corner Isiah Oliver has struggled to the point of being benched.
The Cardinals will possibly welcome back WRs Christian Kirk and Damiere Bryd this Sunday. That bodes well for their chances against the struggling Atlanta defense.
Final Thoughts
The Cardinals injury report has a lot of key players on it, most notably RB David Johnson. Johnson suffered a back injury last week against the Bengals but managed to play through it. His status is up in the air for this Sunday, although Johnson claimed he’s fine. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals are keeping him out of practice primarily out of caution or if he is still in a good deal of pain. Chase Edmunds is more than capable if Johnson can’t go, but the Cards still rely on David Johnson heavily. Let’s hope he’s ready to go.
As for the defense, stopping Matt Ryan and company is going to be very difficult. There’s a good chance this game is a shootout. Rookie corner Byron Murphy has made strides so far and recently-acquired Trevor Williams looks to play Sunday. Kyler Murray and the offense look primed to explode, so the defense will just need to slow Matt Ryan down.
With Daniel Jones’ struggles on Thursday Night Football, a big game from Kyler Murray Sunday could help his offensive rookie of the year campaign.
The Cardinals must win this game.
Either way, it’ll be a welcome sight to see No. 21 out there next week.
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