Hello Falcons fans! The Falcons are coming off an ugly (sorry Dean Pees) win against the Giants this past Sunday and now face the Washington Football Team. This will be a quick preview and things to look for going into Sunday’s matchup. So lets get this started:
Overall Team Record
The Falcons are currently 1-2, which is the same record as Washington. The Football Team is coached by Ron Rivera, a coach with plenty of familiarity with the Falcons during his tenure in Carolina. This Football Team, however, is different than some of those Carolina teams.
WFT: Defensive Line= Dangerous for Falcons line
Washington might have the best defensive line in football, even with five sacks being labeled as “under achieving”. That said, concern is still prevalent with the Falcons offensive line, especially on the interior. The matchups of Daron Payne/Jonathan Allen vs Jalen Mayfield will be more baptism by fire for the rookie. And Kaleb McGary vs Chase Young/Montez Sweat seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Expect Washington’s DL to be a major problem for Atlanta throughout the game, and expect Arthur Smith to dial quick passes, counters, screens, and other plays designed to offset a dominate defensive line. Enough with the depressing part, lets talk about what we have in our favor.
Is Heinicke the long-term plan?
The Football Team is running their backup quarterback and cult hero Taylor Heinicke, which could be favorable matchup for the Falcons defense. Heinicke is a player who has no fear while passing, and this is something Atlanta can take advantage of to create turnovers for the defense. An issue though is that Heinicke is from Atlanta and is really enjoying the homecoming for him:
Matchup to Watch: WFT WR McLaurin vs. Falcons’ CB Terrell
Heinicke’s top target, Terry McLaurin, will be matched up with one of the NFL’s best young CB’s in AJ Terrell this week. Terrell has really stepped up this season and is starting to look like a star for this Atlanta defense. The battle between these two will be incredible if you love WR and DB play.
Final Thoughts
Long story short, these two teams have a lot of intriguing matchups to be focusing on and both teams have been struggling in the win column. This game could be the key to kickstarting each team’s season if they’re hoping to make a playoff push. The best outcome for Atlanta, win or loss, is to show true competitiveness for 60 minutes. This team has had moments of brilliance and others where they look like they need to be a JV team. Which Falcons team will we get? Let us know!
