Atlanta Falcons Most Intriguing Player Match-ups In 2019
By Ross Terrell
Who doesn’t want to be a wide receiver in today’s game? They get the 80 yard bombs, you can’t really hit them, and they’re sometimes referred to as the divas of the game. Which is why the Falcons are so lucky to have a guy like Julio Jones, for our purposes the best receiver in the league.
He’s drama free, he can ball, and all he wants to do is win. Just look at one of his highlight catches and you’ll get it. Last year, the team, mainly former Falcon Robert Alford, got victimized by Antonio Brown. They also saw fellow special talent but sometimes a locker room headache, OBJ.
Could things really get more exciting this year? Absolutely.
Top pairs the Falcons will face, again in no particular order:
Week 1- Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs with the Minnesota Vikings
Week 3- Devin Funchess and T.Y. Hilton with the Indianapolis Colts
Week 5- Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller V with the Houston Texans
Week 10- Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. with the New Orleans Saints
Week 12- Mike Evans and Chris Godwin with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The first name that jumps out of this list, Deandre Hopkins. He plays for the Texans which doesn’t do him any favors as far as star profile goes, but he plays like he belongs in the conversation. Need a reminder? This UNREAL catch versus the Steelers two years ago.
And we can stay in the AFC South with another guy who isn’t in the spotlight all too much, in TY Hilton. It helps to have luck on your side in this league and as the top option for Andrew Luck, Hilton is somewhat underrated. Last year, he averaged nearly 10 yards a catch, 90 yards a game, and was targeted 120 times.
We’ve shown the Vikings enough love but Diggs and Thielen are one of the top duos in this league. Moving into the second year with their signal caller Kirk Cousins should only benefit them.
But like with everything, it comes down to division matchups. In the last game of the season Evans and Godwin combined for 12 catches, 220 yards, and four touchdowns on 17 targets. That’s just one game. And much like Hopkins, Evans pulled off an insane one-hander against Atlanta two seasons ago.
Next. Atlanta Falcons greatest years are under the guidance of Thomas Dimitroff. dark
And that team in the black and gold no one cares for, Thomas led the league with 125 catches last year. Fifth most all time for a single season.
That all goes to say, if you don’t stop these guys, you probably won’t win the game.