What the Packers shouldn’t do is take the wide-lens look of their conference foe and assume they’re facing a defense that’s bound to surrender offensive production and discount the enormous potential of Atlanta’s young corps of enforcers in the back seven. What the unit doesn’t lack, however, is talent, as GM Thomas Dimitroff has assembled an intriguing cast of athletic defenders that are just as capable of making big plays as they are of giving them up. Their shortcomings in defending quarterbacks stem from an inconsistent pass rush and a lack of experience among their safeties and linebackers, many of whom are all still in their early 20s. The most glaring area of concern in Falcons Nation is a porous pass defense that has allowed teams to earn come-from-behind wins along with allowing the second-most passing yards (294 pg) and touchdowns (15) to the opposition. In a one-week departure from my Essential Matchups analysis of the upcoming contest, I’ve decided to highlight some of the top contributors on a Falcons’ team that has taken the league by storm by sitting atop the NFC South standings and doing it in impressive fashion by defeating last season’s Super Bowl participants (among others) the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.īut after back-to-back losses to Seattle and San Diego, many devoted fans of the Dirty Birds remain guarded about their team’s fast start since it was only a season ago that they went on to drop seven of their last nine games after posting a 6-1 record in September and October. While Julio Jones has been on the minds of several scribes covering the Packers this week, Green Bay’s next opponent-the Falcons-has a number of other players that Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff should be extremely concerned about going into a Week-8 showdown that is shaping up as an offensive fireworks show in the Georgia Dome.
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