Falcons vs. Panthers Preview
September 23, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner (33) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE
Well, well, well. look who is 3-0? That is right, the Atlanta Falcons. I am not sure many people would have thought they would have better records than San Francisco and Green Bay? Who would have thought they would have more wins than the rest of the NFC South COMBINED. That is pretty impressive, and credit goes to the entire team and coaching staff.
As promised, I will be previewing match ups much like I did in my last week’s prediction. So here we go.
Roddy White and Julio Jones vs. Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell- This match up comes down to play in the first 3 games of the season. The Falcon’s duo have been phenomenal. On the other side of the ball, Smith hasn’t been in sync with Newton, even questioning his quarterback after a week 3 loss against the Giants. LaFell has actually been exceeding expectations. He seems to be in sync with Newton. Advantage- Falcons
Matt Ryan vs. Cam Newton- I am loving this match up. It is really interesting in the way that they are both the future elite force of quarterbacks. When the Peyton and Brady days pass, we will see these two quarterbacks at the top of the elite tier. I both believe they’re elite now, but they are going to be even more elite in the near future. They are also two different types of quarterbacks. Matt Ryan is the more conventional type of QB, while Newton is revolutionizing the position with the way he plays. For now, while Newton is slumping, Ryan has the advantage. Advantage- Falcons
I only covered two match ups, but with the game tomorrow, and plenty of things covered already, I have decided to make only 2 match ups this week. I want to go more in depth into the game itself, and not so much focus on the match ups. This game means a lot. The Panthers seem to be the biggest threat to Atlanta in the division. If they can improve to 4-0, and the Panthers get to 1-3, the 3 game hole is a climb extremely hard to get out of.
Another note- Nolan is a genius. I am drinking the Nolan Kool-Aid. He made Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning look like fools. While they aren’t fools at quarterback, Nolan is really that good. I really love what Nolan is doing, and is having the defense playing fantastic. I am curious to see what Nolan will do against Newton, and honestly have high expectations. Especially because he is playing his second game at home.
I need a big game from Turner to still believe. He is not impressing me. I want to see more snaps from Jacquizz Rogers. He is such a diverse back, and is so versatile. I think he deserves more snaps, and will help that offense in a lot more ways then expected.
Time for predictions. I think the Falcons will excel in their second home game of the season. I have to say, the Falcons have exceeded my expectations. I hope they continue on the trend. Falcons- 31 Panthers-21