Coach Dan Quinn has been here before with a three-game losing streak.The Atlanta Falcons dropped three straight last year. They lost six in a row in Quinn's first season in 2015."None of us expected to be here with this losing record Mohamed Sanu Jersey ," Quinn said Monday. "We also don't expect to stay here."At 1-4, the Falcons are reeling and hardly resemble the team that recovered from a three-game skid last year to win seven of 10 and make the playoffs.Their defense ranks worst in points allowed and worst in third-down percentage. Their offense struggles to protect quarterback Matt Ryan and to generate a running game.Star receiver Julio Jones didn't catch a pass until the fourth quarter of Sunday's blowout loss at Pittsburgh. Atlanta's special teams has been embarrassed with two blocked punts in the past three games."You're in a slump and how do you get out of it?" Quinn said. "You fight your ass off to get your technique right and get organized right because you're the one that will do it."The Falcons are fortunate that Ryan isn't seriously hurt. The 2016 NFL MVP had X-rays that were negative on his foot after Pittsburgh sacked him six times and hit him 11 additional times.But that's about the only good news Atlanta has had with injuries. The defense has two starters, safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, out for the season, and middle linebacker Deion Jones won't return for another five weeks.Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has an ankle injury and could miss his second straight game when the Falcons host Tampa Bay this weekend.Quinn said tight ends, running backs and receivers were as responsible as the offensive linemen for missing blocks that contributed to Ryan's hits.The Falcons didn't pick up blitzes well enough or hold back the Steelers' steady four-man rush. Blocks broke down quickly at the point of attack.Left tackle Jake Matthews said the line too often was out of position or not sliding out quickly enough to plug the gaps."We go over all the looks and we have a real good game plan going in how to protect him, but a different stunt comes at you and you have to react," Matthews said. "Just sticking to our rules and techniques will take care of it."The running game ranks 25th after gaining 62 yards against Pittsburgh. Devonta Freeman, returning from a knee injury that sidelined him three straight games, had a 20-yard gain in the first quarter but otherwise picked up just 12 yards on seven attempts. Tevin Coleman rushed seven times for 15 yards.Jones ranks third in NFL yards receiving Authentic Ryan Schraeder Jersey , but he had five straight incompletions before finally catching an 18-yard pass that set up a touchdown. The two-time All-Pro has zero TD catches this year and just three in the past two seasons."He's always part of our thinking and design," Quinn said. "So as coaches, what can we do to put him in spots that it's way harder to find the double (team), way harder to get to a spot where they can put two guys on him. Every week we have to think that way."Easily the Falcons' biggest concern is with a defense that's allowed five touchdowns in each of the past three games, though Quinn does like that they came out of the game with no new injuries and will begin this week with the same personnel."If you just look at the stats, you're going to be miserable," Quinn said. "There are guys who have new voices playing next to one another. Maybe they haven't had as much communication as you would like, some verbal, some non-verbal."Defensive end Takk McKinley was even more succinct."Man, we got our ass kicked Youth Austin Hooper Jersey ," McKinley said. "That's pretty much it." Ohio State survived a brief scare against Nebraska to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Buckeyes face a tougher task Saturday against a Michigan State team that already cost Penn State its title hopes.The Spartans have fluctuated through an up-and-down 2018. MSU’s season started with a near loss against Utah State, then a real one against Arizona State. Since then, they’ve swapped some decent defeats (Northwestern, Michigan) with some quality wins (Purdue, Penn State) en route to a 6-3 record and the No. 18 spot in the CFP Rankings.Ohio State’s season has had less drama, though the Buckeyes only have a single win over a team with a winning record. They also toppled Penn State in an early Big Ten eliminator, but victories over TCU, Minnesota, Oregon State, and Indiana haven’t exactly beefed up OSU’s resume. Beating the Spartans would — but it’ll be a tough task in the hostile climate of East Lansing.Michigan State vs. Ohio State prediction:The S&P+ ratings rank the Buckeyes as the nation’s No. 9 team http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-vic-beasley-jersey , while the mercurial Spartans clock in at No. 30. But Michigan State is one for two when it comes to derailing top 10 teams this fall, and Ohio State’s lax defense makes the home team a live dog. Even so, the Buckeyes have too much at stake to get tripped up by an uneven Spartan team this close to their date with the other _ichigan. Ohio State in a squeaker — the numbers peg it as a five-point win for the visitors.Time, TV channel, and streaming infoTime: Noon ETLocation: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MITV: FOXStreaming: FoxSportsGO,fuboTVOdds: Ohio State is favored by 3.5 points.Michigan State vs. Ohio Sate news:Yeah, the Buckeyes have their work cut out for them when it comes to figuring out the Spartan defense:The Ohio State defense, on the other hand Calvin Ridley Jersey , will be focusing on MSU back Connor Heyward.Freshman All-American Josiah Scott is back in the lineup for MSU, and his teammates know that’s a big deal.Urban Meyer knows teams are going to load the box against his running attack. That doesn’t mean it’s going to stop him.Can Ohio State’s offense lift the Buckeyes against a stout MSU defense?The Spartans have been stingy against a brutal schedule this fall, limiting powerful Big Ten offenses like Michigan, Penn State, and Purdue to 21 points or fewer. Their biggest test may come Saturday against an Ohio State team that moves the ball effectively in both phases of the offense.The Buckeye rushing attack is led by JK Dobbins, the All-Big Ten tailback who set the OSU record for rushing yards by a freshman last fall. But Dobbins hasn’t been as effective in year two. His yards per carry have fallen from 7.2 to 4.8, but veteran Mike Weber has proven more than capable of picking up the slack. That duo clears room for quarterback Dwayne Hoskins, who has thrown for at least two touchdowns in each game this fall.That’s a lot for the Spartans to handle, but MSU has proven itself against the best the conference has to offer throughout 2018. The question now is whether breakout pass rusher Kenny Willekes can punch through the OSU offensive line and ground the Buckeyes before they can build any momentum in East Lansing.
