Sunday Showdown:
Saints & Falcons Due for a Giant Clash
Saints & Falcons Due for a Giant Clash
Here's my weekly take on the Keys to the Game for the Saints on Monday Night!
It doesn’t get any better than this matchup. These two teams & two cities completely hate each other, and frankly could care less if they win any other games, as long as they beat each other. The past 3 matchups have favored the Saints, as they swept the Falcons last season, winning the NFC South Title. Since 2001, New Orleans has led the series 14-8. The Falcons enter being perfect on the year at 8-0, arguably powered by the Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, & Roddy White attack. The Saints enter 3-5, and have everything at stake for this matchup. One thing is for certain, it should be a hell of a game to watch!
Offense
As we saw Monday Night, Drew Brees didn’t have to throw it a great deal to be successful, but when he did, he made it count, only missing 6 of his 27 passes on the night. As for the formula here, it’s fairly simple. The Falcons are surrendering nearly 130 Yards/Game (127.5) on the ground. We should learn & keep the momentum from last week, featuring a dose of all three RBs: PT-Ivory-Ingram. This should set up the manageable 3rd downs we will likely face, but it gives Brees options to look for the big play, complete the check downs, or spot Jimmy Graham in the middle. Zac Strief has had a bothersome groin injury that has forced him out of practice this week, and we will be without him. We know about Sproles & the hand problem, so we aren’t going to get him back until next week likely (best case scenario). The Falcons will definitely key on the run game here, and rely on that passing defense, that has only allowed 229 yards/game. Drew needs to play a nearly perfect game, and not turn it over. I look for Colston to be a fairly big factor here, and I’m still waiting for Jimmy Graham to have that blowup game. We have to move the ball efficiently here, and we should expect to see a ton of pressure from the Falcons front seven.
Defense
Stop the Falcons, get them off the field. It’s that easy, right? We know who we’re up against in White/Jones/Gonzales. Our key to watch here is the secondary (seems like every week), and preventing Julio Jones to get the deep play. We will finally have our full array of Linebackers, getting back David Hawthorne. From the injury department, Junior Gallette left the game early Monday Night with an ankle injury, and he's offically ruled out, so we'll see Turk McBride be the fill in. I would hope we’re not going to be in complete Nickel coverage all game, like in Denver. We know Harper should have the assignment for covering Gonzales, and Jabari matching up on Roddy White. Who does that leave? Patrick Robinson. Look for Jenkins to provide some extra coverage here, or when we back off, where Corey White/Johnny Patrick will fit into the scheme. We love sacks, we love pressure, and we love turnovers. The Saints were able to produce all three last week, putting Vick on his back 3 times (thank you Cam Jordan). The Eagles game MAY have set the tone for the rest of the season, but it remains to be seen. The true test of this defense comes Sunday, and we’ll see just how ready & amped they are to combat the Falcons attack.
Stop the Falcons, get them off the field. It’s that easy, right? We know who we’re up against in White/Jones/Gonzales. Our key to watch here is the secondary (seems like every week), and preventing Julio Jones to get the deep play. We will finally have our full array of Linebackers, getting back David Hawthorne. From the injury department, Junior Gallette left the game early Monday Night with an ankle injury, and he's offically ruled out, so we'll see Turk McBride be the fill in. I would hope we’re not going to be in complete Nickel coverage all game, like in Denver. We know Harper should have the assignment for covering Gonzales, and Jabari matching up on Roddy White. Who does that leave? Patrick Robinson. Look for Jenkins to provide some extra coverage here, or when we back off, where Corey White/Johnny Patrick will fit into the scheme. We love sacks, we love pressure, and we love turnovers. The Saints were able to produce all three last week, putting Vick on his back 3 times (thank you Cam Jordan). The Eagles game MAY have set the tone for the rest of the season, but it remains to be seen. The true test of this defense comes Sunday, and we’ll see just how ready & amped they are to combat the Falcons attack.
Special Teams
I’ll address the first & obvious…I feel as though the Hartley days are numbered, with him having that ugly attempt at a field goal early in the game, and now being 7/10 on Field Goal attempts for this year. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t been good. We need him to make the big kicks, and down the stretch & in the clutch, we’ll need him even more. Maybe this game, we can see him do well, but in my opinion, he’s one miss away from everyone calling for his blood (if they haven’t been already). Thomas Morstead is no stranger to these games, just let him do his thing. The only thing we’ll have to keep a real eye out for is the Kick Returns. Cadet fumbled the ball to the Eagles last week, and gave them new life as the game took a momentum turn.
I’ll address the first & obvious…I feel as though the Hartley days are numbered, with him having that ugly attempt at a field goal early in the game, and now being 7/10 on Field Goal attempts for this year. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t been good. We need him to make the big kicks, and down the stretch & in the clutch, we’ll need him even more. Maybe this game, we can see him do well, but in my opinion, he’s one miss away from everyone calling for his blood (if they haven’t been already). Thomas Morstead is no stranger to these games, just let him do his thing. The only thing we’ll have to keep a real eye out for is the Kick Returns. Cadet fumbled the ball to the Eagles last week, and gave them new life as the game took a momentum turn.
X-Factor
No brainer for me, it’s the man who has been talked about all week, and since we acquired him….Curtis Lofton. "This is just any other game to me," Lofton said grinning. "It's just any other game for me. It's the next game on the schedule. That's all I'm worried about. I don't put too much on it." (Credit NOLA.com: New Orleans Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton looking forward to playing against former team). On the surface, seems like Lofton would be thinking that, but one would think he would love the chance to sack Matt Ryan. Talk about a potential crowd motivator.
No brainer for me, it’s the man who has been talked about all week, and since we acquired him….Curtis Lofton. "This is just any other game to me," Lofton said grinning. "It's just any other game for me. It's the next game on the schedule. That's all I'm worried about. I don't put too much on it." (Credit NOLA.com: New Orleans Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton looking forward to playing against former team). On the surface, seems like Lofton would be thinking that, but one would think he would love the chance to sack Matt Ryan. Talk about a potential crowd motivator.
These games are usually close, and decided by a single score. Of course, this excludes the historic Monday Night Football game, in which Drew set the record in front of the home crowd. Don’t think that the Falcons forgot that for a second. Times have changed, faces are similar, but different. The Falcons have a chip on their shoulder, and seem to have everything going for them. Could this be the ‘trap’ game or meltdown game for them? Just a final note before the prediction, both clubs are averaging 27 points/game.
Final Prediction: Saints 27, Falcons 24
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