The Falcons offense didn’t play that well, but the defense took over and led them to a big win that keeps their playoff hopes alive.  Keith Brooking led the way for the Falcons defense with 17 tackles.  LB Demorrio Williams recovered a fumble and returned it 54 yards for a TD which helped turn the tide in this football game.  The Falcons stuffed the Bucs running game, holding them to 80 yards on 29 carries (2.8 ypc).  The Bucs completed 22 of 37 passes for 192 net yards passing.

Michael Vick had an off game, completing 14 of 23 passes for 155 yards and an interception.  He only carried the ball 3 times for 5 yards in this game.  Justin Griffith got alot of work because of injuries to the backs in front of him.  Griffith carried the ball 12 times for 57 yards (4.8 ypc) and a TD.  Warrick Dunn carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc) before leaving the game with an injury.  Jerious Norwood carried the ball 7 times for 32 yards (4.6 ypc).  Ahsley Lelie caught 3 passes for 49 yards.  Alge Crumpler caught 3 passes for 30 yards, but he had some key drops.

The Falcons improved to 7-6 on the season with this victory.

The Falcons came back from a 14-point deficit last week and won 24-14 over the Redskins to break a 4-game losing streak.  The Bucs have lost 5 of their last six games and are only averaging 10.0 points per game during those games.

Look for the Falcons to do the same thing on offense that they did in the first meeting with the Bucs…..run the football.  The first time these two teams played the Falcons rushed for 306 yards with both Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn each going over 100 yards.  Look for the Falcons to limit Michael Vick’s passing and pummel the Bucs with their strength, which is the running game.

The Bucs should try to throw the football and try to get a quick lead and take the Falcons out of their running game on offense.  Bruce Gradkowski has had a hard time lately, but the Falcons are allowing 238.1 net yards passing per game so maybe he can get something going on Sunday.  Cadillac Williams also could have some success on the ground as the Falcons are allowing 104.8 yards rushing and 4.0 yards per carry this season.

I think the Falcons will win this football game because I don’t think the Bucs defense will be able to stop the Falcons from running the football.

The Falcons second round pick in last April’s draft has had a chance to step up because of injuries in the secondary, but he’s been almost invisibile.  Jimmy Williams has played in 8 games this season, but he only has 5 tackles and has only defensed 1 pass.  The Falcons thought they were getting a steal in the second round, but it doesn’t look like it so far.

The Redskins dashed out to a 14-0 lead before the Falcons dominated the rest of the game.  Michael Vick played pretty well as he completed 8 of 16 passes for 122 yards and 2 TDs.  Vick also carried the ball 10 times for 59 yards (5.9 ypc).  Jerious Norwood had a great game as he carried the ball 9 times for 107 yards (11.9 ypc) and a TD.  Warrick Dunn carried the ball 21 times for 87 yards (4.1 ypc).  Alge Crumpler caught 2 passes for 62 yards and a TD.  Michael Jenkins had a decent game with 4 catches for 43 yards and a TD.

The defense was led by Keith Brooking (10 tackles) and Lawyer Milloy (9 tackles).  The Falcons had big trouble stopping the Redskins running game as they carried the ball 35 times for 177 yards (5.1 ypc).  The Redskins completed 18 of 38 passes for 204 net yards passing.

Maybe this win will jump-start a playoff push by the Falcons.

 

The Falcons have seen the wheels fall off on their season as they’ve lost 4 games in a row.  The Redskins have played a little better since Jason Campbell has been inserted into the starting line-up.

The Falcons will look to run the ball at the Redskins soft run defense that is allowing 119.4 yards rushing and 4.0 yards per carry this season.  Michael Vick (870 yards rushing, 9.2 ypc), Warrick Dunn (865 yards rushing) and Jerious Norwood (411 yards rushing) should have little trouble moving the football.  Michael Vick is having trouble throwing the ball, but alot of that is because his WRs can’t catch.  The Redskins will probably try to take Alge Crumpler out of the game with their coverage and force Vick to beat them with his WRs.

The Redskins will come out running the ball with LeDell Betts (488 yards rushing) against the tough run defense of the Falcons that only allows 98.2 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  If the Redskins were ever going to turn Jason Campbell loose, this will be the game as the Falcons secondary is all banged up.  The Falcons are allowing a remarkable 241.2 net yards passing per game.

I have to lean towards the Redskins in this football game because the Falcons are spinning out of control as a football team.