Thursday Night Showdown:
Saints Look to Rebound, Prep for a Tough Challenge in Atlanta
Saints Look to Rebound, Prep for a Tough Challenge in Atlanta
Here's my weekly take on the Keys to the Game for the Saints, this time for Thursday!
It’s all about how you rebound & respond in situations like ours. Playing on a short week is already challenging enough, especially when you have to go on the road. The good news is the player reactions from Sunday were forgotten Monday, and they moved on to business.
So what’s the task at hand? A rematch with the Conference & NFC South Leading Atlanta Falcons, a club who was handed their only loss of the season by the Saints.
Offense
The offense was held in check on Sunday, which isn’t typical as you all know. However, all we can do is learn from this. We have to hope that we can get Strief back in the lineup, as Charles Brown is uncertain, & Bryce Harris is likely to land on IR after Sunday. Even David Thomas is unknown at this point with a knee injury. If Strief & Brown don’t play, we’ll have to side with Willie Robinson again. Strief adds a certain measure to the offensive attack, and you can’t deny how much he has improved since the beginning of the season. If Strief is back in, I look for us to not re-invent the will, going with the run game, and shred the Falcons like they did in Game 1. We had all five running backs active Sunday, and we saw where Cadet was used, but we didn’t see a ton of Pierre Thomas or Chris Ivory. I did like the fact that Sproles was lined up in the slot, and in space, you won’t touch him. Look for our Wide Receivers to have some opportunities, and that Jimmy Graham fellow as well. The Falcons have some injury issues of their own to deal with, with the biggest being whether Weatherspoon & Samuel play. All in all, I believe we see a big game from smiley Lance Moore. I think that Graham will still be productive, but not have the career game he had against the Falcons from a few games ago. Fend off the pressure, give Drew time to throw, and let him spot the open man.
The offense was held in check on Sunday, which isn’t typical as you all know. However, all we can do is learn from this. We have to hope that we can get Strief back in the lineup, as Charles Brown is uncertain, & Bryce Harris is likely to land on IR after Sunday. Even David Thomas is unknown at this point with a knee injury. If Strief & Brown don’t play, we’ll have to side with Willie Robinson again. Strief adds a certain measure to the offensive attack, and you can’t deny how much he has improved since the beginning of the season. If Strief is back in, I look for us to not re-invent the will, going with the run game, and shred the Falcons like they did in Game 1. We had all five running backs active Sunday, and we saw where Cadet was used, but we didn’t see a ton of Pierre Thomas or Chris Ivory. I did like the fact that Sproles was lined up in the slot, and in space, you won’t touch him. Look for our Wide Receivers to have some opportunities, and that Jimmy Graham fellow as well. The Falcons have some injury issues of their own to deal with, with the biggest being whether Weatherspoon & Samuel play. All in all, I believe we see a big game from smiley Lance Moore. I think that Graham will still be productive, but not have the career game he had against the Falcons from a few games ago. Fend off the pressure, give Drew time to throw, and let him spot the open man.
Defense
After seeing our defensive effort on Sunday, I remain very encouraged. We were limited to 3 corners on the day, and we saw a lot of Johnny Patrick having to play up a level, which he did quite well. We hope to get Elbert Mack back on the field, who was kept out of San Francisco due to a concussion. We were able to shut down the run in our first meeting this year, but Michael Turner wouldn’t be who I would look at this time around, but Jacquizz Rodgers has speed, and is becoming more of a factor in the offense. I see a lot of changes from that first game, which should include getting to Matty-ocre. Tony Gonzalez lit us up previously, and with the improving play of Jenkins/Harper, I look for them to not necessarily shut him down, but limit him torching us. I would love to think we get Junior Gallette back, but the problem with these short games is missing those several extra days to get the players back healthy. Abdul-Quddus is another to watch here, as he has also been suffering with a concussion. Believe it or not, getting David Hawthorne back has been a tremendous asset for the Saints Defense, so I look for continued success the rest of the way, assuming we keep our full array of Linebackers healthy. Matt Ryan can throw however much he wants, and I guarantee you he will. The Saints secondary player is your biggest thing to watch here, as Julio Jones looks to extract some revenge, and make up for Game 1.
After seeing our defensive effort on Sunday, I remain very encouraged. We were limited to 3 corners on the day, and we saw a lot of Johnny Patrick having to play up a level, which he did quite well. We hope to get Elbert Mack back on the field, who was kept out of San Francisco due to a concussion. We were able to shut down the run in our first meeting this year, but Michael Turner wouldn’t be who I would look at this time around, but Jacquizz Rodgers has speed, and is becoming more of a factor in the offense. I see a lot of changes from that first game, which should include getting to Matty-ocre. Tony Gonzalez lit us up previously, and with the improving play of Jenkins/Harper, I look for them to not necessarily shut him down, but limit him torching us. I would love to think we get Junior Gallette back, but the problem with these short games is missing those several extra days to get the players back healthy. Abdul-Quddus is another to watch here, as he has also been suffering with a concussion. Believe it or not, getting David Hawthorne back has been a tremendous asset for the Saints Defense, so I look for continued success the rest of the way, assuming we keep our full array of Linebackers healthy. Matt Ryan can throw however much he wants, and I guarantee you he will. The Saints secondary player is your biggest thing to watch here, as Julio Jones looks to extract some revenge, and make up for Game 1.
Special Teams
Couldn’t have asked for much better Special Teams play from our squad. Hartley sank a long field goal, Morstead pinned the 49ers deep on more than one occasion, and we even produced a turnover that was recovered by Faux Reggie Bush. A similar formula is needed to ensure we come out ahead. Again, my focus is on Hartley. We know Field Goals can decide this game, and it would be up to him to ensure that we get them when/if he is called upon.
Couldn’t have asked for much better Special Teams play from our squad. Hartley sank a long field goal, Morstead pinned the 49ers deep on more than one occasion, and we even produced a turnover that was recovered by Faux Reggie Bush. A similar formula is needed to ensure we come out ahead. Again, my focus is on Hartley. We know Field Goals can decide this game, and it would be up to him to ensure that we get them when/if he is called upon.
X-Factor
Without a doubt, I say this week is Drew Brees. It’s all about how he responds to his last outing. You can expect a different scheme from the Falcons this time around, which may force Drew to throw the ball a lot more. Drew can’t afford to turn it over most importantly. A lot of that depends on the O-Line, but I suspect they will get things in order.
Without a doubt, I say this week is Drew Brees. It’s all about how he responds to his last outing. You can expect a different scheme from the Falcons this time around, which may force Drew to throw the ball a lot more. Drew can’t afford to turn it over most importantly. A lot of that depends on the O-Line, but I suspect they will get things in order.
I believe this game may decide our fate. While a loss would not completely sink us, it won’t help. The Saints have to put together victories, and hope for some help. It’s a marquee matchup, and I think this will be another close one, and come down to the last quarter. Analysts have already counted us out after the loss on Sunday, which is funny, because they quickly hopped on our bandwagon after winning 4 out of 5. All in all, does anyone give a damn? Hardly, we BELIEVE.
Final Prediction: Saints 30, Atlanta 24
No comments:
Post a Comment