Falcons trying to deflect trap

If you had told me last year that the Falcons were due to play the Colts, I would have whittled down with my feelings toward the game and its outcome. This years loss of Peyton Manning partnered with the number of unfortunate offensive and defensive injuries has the Colts still searching for their first victory.

The Falcons running game should look strong this week, playing against a defense that is ranked 31st in the league against the rush, giving up 144 yards a game. Michael Turner, even without Ovie Mughelli, should be able pound his way along, gobbling his four and five yard grinds until he breaks a big one. The Colts give up just over four yards per rush, and that feeds right in to exactly what the dirty birds want. It will be nice to see Julio Jones hopefully back in action, and we will see how the offense looks with him back in the line-up. I don’t think too much should change fromt he past couple games.

The Colts do have the number one tackler in the league in linebacker Pat Angerer (whose 90 tackles is 22 more than the next player), but he only holds that crown because the defense is on the field so much.

I’m interested to see how the Falcons come out on defense against a team that has been slightly better than a disaster this year. It has been well documented that Curtis Painter is no Pablo Picasso. The Colts lean on a wounded running game with a shakey back-up quarterback conducting the show. Indy was used to Beethoven; now they have Billy Madison. Joseph Addai was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, then didn’t practice at all on Friday, making him questionable for the Sunday’s game in Indianopolis at 1 o’clock. Curtis Lofton and Sean Weatherspoon must set the tempo early in this game to get the crowd out of it. They like to throw quick screens to their receivers and running backs, but usually faster linebackers can shut those down at this level. Those hoosiers, however, can play a nice part if the game stays close. Causing turnovers defensively, and taking care of the ball offensively will two big keys to this game.

This is an obvious trap game for the Falcons, even if they are coming off their bye week. One can’t help but recall the outcome of last week’s New Orleans vs. St. Louis game, where the winless Rams slammed the Saints, a team that was looking pretty unstoppable just the week before. The attitude in this league is still ‘Any Given Sunday’, but do you think the Colts have a chance? Could we see another Rams-type beat down? Or will the Falcons display their dominance and continue streaking…

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