Atlanta Falcons vs New York Giants: Tale of the tape
The defenses
Someone forgot to tell these two to play defense last season. Atlanta owned the league’s worst defense, also ranking last stopping the pass. New York’s biggest struggle came against the run, so a key to this game will be the team that has improved the most on this side of the football.
If Week 1 is anything to go by, the Falcons are that team. They allowed just 63 rushing yards (second fewest in the NFL) against an Eagles team loaded at the running back position, and were able to generate good pass rush in the first half. Sam Bradford found some success in the second half, but Atlanta got it done in crunch time and won the game on defense.
New York allowed just 80 yards on the ground against a DeMarco Murray-less Cowboys unit, but were torched in the passing game allowing 356 yards (second most in the NFL). The biggest concern was how they folded in crunch time, allowing Tony Romo to stroll through on the two-minute drill and throw the game-clinching touchdown.
Both defenses have a lot of work to do, but Atlanta has the slight edge.
Next: NFL Power Rankings: Where does each team stand?