Last weekend was an interesting one for the Atlanta Falcons. Playing against an uneven Carolina Panthers team, Atlanta had an up and down game themselves. They had a poor first half where they only scored 7 points and saw the Panthers led by rookie quarterback sensation (and possible NFL offensive rookie of the year)Cam Newton who scored 23 points on the ground and through the air in the first half. During the second half the Falcon defense stiffened, picked off Cam Newton twice and their wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White came alive and led them to a 31-23 victory. After the game, Falcons head coach Mike Smith had chest pains and he had to be taken to a Charlotte hospital. He was treated and released.
Jaguars vs Buccaneers last weekend with Jacksonville having a truly dominating performance. Its defense forced 7 turnovers and scored twice in a 41-14 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jacksonville defense was dominating. They harassed Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman, picked him off twice and recovered one of his fumbles. They bottled up the run game and pummeled the runners. Jacksonville's young quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for a respectable 217 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 86 yards and scored twice. It was one of their best all around games this year.
This meeting between the Falcons and the Jaguars should be very interesting, many questions remain. Will we see the Atlanta Falcons that stretched the field and seemed able to score at will with its wide receivers in the second half last week or the team that was inept and ineffective against the Panthers in the first half? Will the Jacksonville defense continue its dominance and stuff the Falcons run game, put Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to flight and pick him off like they did Josh Freeman or will they be the underwhelming team their 4-9 record suggest?
The Atlanta Falcons like to run to set up the rest of their offense. In Michael Turner and the rest of the pounding running-back corps they have the personnel to do it. Quarterback Matt Ran was voted NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Falcons comeback win. Receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas have the speed and talent to stretch the field and make incredible plays. But the Falcons remain an inconsistent team. The receivers seem to drop more balls than they catch. Quarterback Matt Ryan has been off with the deep ball. Running back Michael Turner has been hurt and prone to slow starts. The Falcons defense has been fairly stout but they are vulnerable to the deep throws.
Maurice Jones-Drew is the heart of the Jaguars offense. When he has the holes to run through the team looks powerful. Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert is still learning. He has talent and has shown flashes of greatness but he often does not read the defenses and go through his downfield reads quickly enough. The receiving corps is a mess. They are last in the league in passing offense and struggle mightyly to score. Their receivers, Soward, Porter, Williams and Jones, are either slow, old or clueless and don't strike fear in the heart of anybody. Their hope rests with the defense and Maurice Jones-Drew.
This should be an interesting and unpredictable game. The play of both defenses should decide the game. The Falcons receivers should provide them with a distinct advantage if they can hold on to the ball. The Jaguars running-back Maurice Jones-Drew and the offensive line hold the keys to the game for Jacksonville. If the line can protect Blaine Gabbert and give him enough time to make his reads and Jones-Drew can break enough runs and force the Falcons to crowd the box Jacksonville has a chance.
