The Falcons defense is Youth Vic Beasley Jr Jersey , well, broken. Missing three (!!!) key starters and lacking production from other significant players, Atlanta is looking more and more like a 2013 Falcons unit than the fast, physical group Dan Quinn is known for. After getting worked by Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints offense and giving up 43 points, Atlanta must try and stop the sixth-best scoring offense in the National Football League: the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are averaging 29.7 points per game, and have done so through some pretty consistent play from Andy Dalton. This test won’t be easy but with questions surrounding the status of A.J. Green, Atlanta may have a slightly easier task than initially expected. Let’s dive a little deeper and see how these two units match up. In the trenchesGood news: Takkarist McKinley is set to play this Sunday. Bad news: The rest of the Falcons defensive line has really struggled to get to the quarterback, while also leaving something to be desired when it comes to the run game. I think we see a better defensive line than last week, but I just don’t know how much better they can get from week to week. More good news: The Bengals offensive line is not performing very well so far this season — Clint Boling is the only offensive lineman with a Pro Football Focus grade higher than a 60. Despite that, Cincinnati has only given up four sacks this season, but these ratings are the result of the run blocking ability of the Bengals offensive line — they have the 22nd-ranked rushing offense this season. Neither one of these position groups is performing at a stellar clip thus far this season, so this will really come down to whether or not the impact players for either team can push theline of scrimmage in favor of their squad. Can Grady Jarrett, Takk McKinley, and the rest of the Falcons defensive line make that happen? I think they make some plays http://www.authenticsatlantafalcons.com/cheap-matt-bryant-jersey , but I don’t think they make enough to swing this matchup in Atlanta’s favor. Advantage: PushSkill positionsWoof. It feels like this defensive backfield is hanging on for dear life. Keanu Neal? Nope —DeMontae Kazee. Ricardo Allen? Nah — Jordan Richards. Deion Jones? No chance — Duke Riley. Atlanta is going to struggle no matter who they play and no matter the circumstance — they will never truly shut a team down, I don’t think. However, if the offense can continue to play well and score around 30 points a game, the defense should be able to do enough to keep Atlanta in most games. As for Cincinnati, it will look very similar to last week: a great wideout on the outside, a speedy receiver, a solid slot guy, and a tough combo at tight end and running back. A.J. Green, even if he is only at 75 percent, is someone that teams have to pay attention to, so when you add in the rest of the Bengals skill position players it becomes tough for a defense. The key matchups will be John Ross and Robert Alford, as well as De’Vondre Campbell/Kazee guarding Tyler Eifert. If those guys can limit the big plays by both of those Bengals, the Falcons defense should have a shot to get the stops necessary to win the game. More than the individual matchups, the Falcons simply have to tackle well. Last week it seemed as though they had completely forgotten how to perform that simple task and it cost them dearly. Tackle well Black Deion Jones Jersey , limit big plays. Giovani Bernard is a very skilled back who can make defenders looks silly if they aren’t sound in their technique when trying to bring him down. Once again, I’m skeptical. They can definitely win one play every now and then, but I’m not sure that they can do it consistently, especially if there is no pressure on Dalton. This matchup is very nearly a push, but the lack of depth and the adjustments as a result of that swing things in favor of the Bengals. Advantage: Cincinnati BengalsConclusionThis team is still well coached. This team is still talented. However, they are not as experienced and not as talented as they could be. Jordan Richards looked pretty bad last week and Duke Riley is still incredibly inconsistent — not to mention the disappearance of Vic Beasley this season. For Atlanta’s defense to win the day this week, Takk will need to have a career day and the Falcons will need to keep the Bengals from taking the top off the defense. Limit the damage Bernard does out of the back field, keep Eifert from killing you across the middle, and try and keep John Ross from creating explosive plays. Atlanta does better than last week since Takk is back in the lineup, but I think they still struggle to slow down the Bengals. Each team makes some big plays and it comes down to the Atlanta offense. Check out DW’s breakdown of the Atlanta offense vs. Cincinnati defense here. Advantage: PushFalcons vs. Panthers: Hat Tips & Head-Scratchers The Atlanta Falcons enter Week 3 of the NFL season at 1-1, and now look forward to a matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. But before we completely commit our focus to this week’s game, it’s imperative to take a glance at the good — and the not so good — from the victory over the Carolina Panthers. Here are your Hat Tips & Head-Scratchers for Week 2. Hat Tips Calvin Ridley’s first career touchdown The rookie wide receiver formally introduced himself to the NFL as a red zone threat, hauling in his first career touchdown pass at a pivotal spot in the game. Ridley was lauded for his route running wizardry coming out of college, and he used hesitation and shifty footwork at the line of scrimmage to gain inside leverage on Donte Jackson on the slant.The result was six points and a tie ballgame Black Grady Jarrett Jersey , and a tip o’ the hat from the Falcoholic. Matt Ryan goes Beastmode Channeling his inner Sage Rosenfels (sans full helicopter fumble), quarterback Matt Ryan went airborne into the end zone after an 8-yard scramble, pushing the lead to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ryan had Austin Hooper wide open for the first down, but no, Matt Ryan backs down from no such challenge. By sheer force of will or insanity, Ryan escaped three Panthers defenders for the leaping score. It was his second rushing touchdown of the game, and Matt Ryan showed no concern for life or limb on his quest to cross the plane. Well done, good sir. Ricardo Allen’s fourth quarter pick The victory dance may have started a bit early with this one, but Ricardo Allen snaring Cam Newton’s pass off the hands of C.J. Anderson put the Falcons in prime position to win it. Allen is an integral piece of this defense, and he made the play the defense needed when it mattered most.Head-Scratchers Damontae Kazee’s late hit on Cam Newton We learned yesterday that safety Damontae Kazee may escape a suspension for his late hit on Cam Newton, but that does not mean he will escape our ire. Kazee’s head-to-head hit may not have been intentional, but it was dangerous — for Newton and himself — and foolish. Already entering the Carolina game with a ramshackle defense, Damontae Kazee’s ejection left the Falcons with few options to replace him on the field effectively. If Kazee hopes to have a positive impact on this defense he has to properly control his aggression and know when to let off the gas. 12-Gauge on 3rd-and-1Dare I say Steve Sarkisian had his best game as a playcaller since he joined the Atlanta Falcons, but this was an odd one. But! Blame for its failure can also be placed on Mohamed Sanu. With the offense facing a third-and-1 deep in Carolina territory on its opening possession Black Logan Paulsen Jersey , Sark rolled out the wildcat — err, 12-Gauge — formation. Sanu took the direct snap, and faked the hand-off to Tevin Coleman before ambling to his left and being taken down for the loss. Coleman appeared to have an open running lane to convert the third down. Weird call, weird execution. Other than this play, however, Steve Sarkisian called a terrific game.Matt Ryan’s knee brace, Matt Schaub’s handsCan Matt Ryan get this thing fixed already? That’s twice in two weeks where Ryan has encountered an issue with his knee brace after a slide, but in Sunday’s game it took him off the field for one play. Enter backup wunderkind Matt Schaub. Schaub promptly fumbled the snap and thankfully recovered it, but it led to a loss of 8 yards and effectively killed the drive. Get the damn knee brace fixed or practice your slide, Mr. Ryan. Possibly both.
