Five days after routing the defending Super Bowl Champion
Giants to the tune of 34-0, The Falcons are traveling to the Motor City for a
Saturday night edition of Monday Night Football on ESPN to take on the
struggling Detroit Lions.
In a game where Matt Ryan broke his own franchise record for
passing yards in a season, where the Falcons saw Julio Jones have a home
breakout performance going over the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his
young career and the defense shut down Eli Manning and the Giants offense,
Atlanta could very well be the hottest team in the NFC after hanging the
largest loss on a defending Super Bowl Champion in NFL history. With one game
away from securing the number one seed in the NFC playoff race, who better for
the Falcons to play than Lions of Detroit?
After a time of prolonged mediocrity, the 2011 Detroit Lions
had a breakthrough, winning 10 of 16 games and making the playoffs for the
first time since 1999. However in 2012, they seemed homesick and set out to
return to the pre-2011 form. This season the Lions are riding a six game skid
as they sit in the cellar of the NFC North with a 4-10 record on the year. In
week 15 the Lions were blown out by the even more pathetic Arizona Cardinals,
38-10, in a game where Mathew Stafford tossed three interceptions having two
returned for touchdowns.
However there a few things that the Falcons cannot overlook
if they want to leave the Motor City with a win. First, the Lions are the
number two team in total offense, number one in passing (302 yards per game)
and 23rd in rushing (104.4 yards per game). The second of which is a
no-brainer, cover Calvin Johnson. Johnson is leading the receiver position in
total yards, yard per game, targets and is one reception behind Chicago's
Brandon Marshall for being tied with the lead in receptions.
Also the Falcons should not overlook the Lions proneness to
turn the ball over. Detroit has gave the ball away 26 times this season have a
-9 differential on the season. The Falcons defense have shown all season a
knack for getting the football back for their offense, Atlanta is fifth in
taking the ball away with 27 and are coming off a game where they forced three
turnovers from the Giants who have a +13 differential. The Falcons have an
opportunistic defense, while they may not be as stout as the number one
defense, San Francisco; the Falcons have the fourth best scoring defense in the
NFL giving up 18.5 points a game, going up against the 14th ranked scoring
offense in the Detroit Lions.
Lastly the Falcons must avoid falling into one of those
stints where they seem completely confused on offense. It’s been times this
season where the Falcons have flat out struggled to move the ball and score.
The game against the Giants last week made that problem seem like a distant
memory however, if they really want to move past it, Atlanta has to march all
over the Lions. Detroit is 12th in yards allowed per game with 337.5 but they
are giving up 27 points which ranks 28th. We all know the Falcons can put up
points, with the Terrible Trio at receiver they should have no problem getting
their average 26 points per game in week 15.
The keys to winning this game are simple, play solid
defense, move the ball on offense and do not underestimate the opponent. The
Falcons are heading to the playoffs and should use this national stage as a
simulation of how they want to perform come January. If the Falcons can string
together another performance like they did last week, Atlanta should be in
prime position to make a run deep into the postseason.
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