Curtis Lofton has been a tackling machine this season for the Falcons.  In six games for the Falcons this season he has 62 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and he has defensed 2 passes.  Lofton has 15 more tackles than any other Falcons player and he would be even better if the defensive line kept offensive linemen away from him.  He is a threat to lead the NFL in tackles this season and the Falcons are very glad that he’s on their team.

This game will likely be much closer than the “experts” think.  The Falcons will likely try to get Michael Turner started in this game as he is having an off year.  The Saints are allowing 92.3 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so Turner could have some success if the Falcons stick to the running game to try to control the clock.  More than likely though this game will turn into a shootout and the Falcons have the weapons to trade punches with the Saints.  Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins have the speed to stretch the field and Matt Ryan has only been sacked six times this season so he will likely have time to throw the ball downfield.  Ryan must account for wherever Darren Sharper of the Saints is because he has six interceptions this season (3 pick sixes).

The Saints will likely run the ball quite a bit in this game with Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 117.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Saints will also be throwing the ball down the field to Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Devery Henderson.  Drew Brees will also be targeting TE Jeremy Shockey on shorter passes over the middle giving him some working room.  The Falcons allow 250.7 yards passing per game so Drew Brees should have a good game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 30

The Falcons have lost rookie 2nd round pick William Moore out of Missouri for the season due to a hamstring injury.  He played in 2 games this season for the Falcons and he made 2 tackles.  The Falcons were very disappointed in Moore’s play before he was injured so they won’t miss him too much the rest of the year.

The Falcons have signed 33-year old veteran running back Aaron Stecker.  With Jason Snelling elevated to #2 on the depth chart with Jerious Norwood out for a while the Falcons had a need for another running back and that’s where Stecker fits in.  Stecker played in 6 games for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 43 yards (5.4 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 52 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stecker has now played in 120 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 381 times for 1,511 yards (4.0 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He has also caught 161 passes for 1,141 yards (7.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  If the Falcons get in a bind on special teams Stecker has returned quite a few kicks in his NFL career.  Stecker has returned 167 kickoffs for 3,880 yards (23.2 avg) with 1 TD in his career.  This was a good signing for the Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-2) got off to an early lead against the Dallas Cowboys (4-2) Sunday, but turnovers and a big passing day by Tony Romo killed the Falcons’ chances.  Quarterback Matt Ryan was pressured all game and had two interceptions and two fumbles (one lost).  The Cowboys sacked him four times in this contest, twice as many sacks as the Falcons had given up all season going into this game.  The three turnovers by Ryan were very costly, as the Falcons offense could not keep up with Cowboys high-scoring abilities.  Ryan finished the game with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 19/35 attempts for 198 yards. Michael Turner didn’t have a great game, getting 50 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries (2.7 avg), but Jason Shelling really stepped up and got 68 yards on only seven carries (9.7 avg).

The Falcons defense could not contain Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ offense.  They were getting pretty good pressure on the Cowboys’ QB, but Romo used his legs very well.  He was able to dodge defenders to get extra time for his receivers to get open, while also scrambling for 31 yards on six carries (5.2 avg).  He finished with 311 yards and three touchdowns on 21/29 passes.  The Falcons secondary did a terrible job guarding former Cowboys’ bench-rider Miles Austin.  Austin had more than one big play, as the receiver averaged 28.5 yards per catch, getting six catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.   The special teams also gave up a big play when Cowboys’ punt returner Patrick Crayton took a punt back 73 yards for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to help seal the win for the Cowboys. The Falcons really need to solidify their pass defense, as the Cowboys were able to get almost whatever they wanted, and they are taking on an even better passing offense in the New Orleans Saints next game.