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.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-1) are coming off a big 45-10 win over the 49ers and will bring that explosive offense to Dallas this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys (3-2).  The Cowboys have a pretty good offense themselves, so this should be an exciting and high scoring game.  The Falcons seem to keep improving each week and they have been led by quarterback Matt Ryan.  Ryan has been completing 65% of his passes and has thrown for 1162 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.  Three of those interceptions have come in the past two games though, so Ryan needs to make sure he limits his turnovers this week against the Cowboys.  The Falcons should feed it to Michael Turner a ton though, as the Cowboys are giving up 106 rushing yards per game.

The Cowboys defense is giving up a lot of yards (358 per game) and have been very inconsistent this year.  Their offense, which was supposed to be one of the top offenses in the league, has been even more inconsistent.  Tony Romo has been making a lot of mistakes in the passing game this year and has played pretty timid because of it.  He had a big two touchdown 351 yard game against the Chiefs in the Cowboys last contest, but the Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league.  If the Falcons can pressure Romo early, he will probably either throw an interception, or just try not to make a mistake leading to three and outs.  The Cowboys running game should be more of a concern for the Falcons, as Marion Barber and Tashard Choice are a pretty good running back duo.  They both average 5.1 yards per carry and have combined for five touchdowns.  This should be a close, offensive game and I see the Cowboys edging out a close win at home.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Dallas Cowboys 34, Atlanta Falcons 31

The Falcons will be without Jerious Norwood for at least the next couple of weeks with a hip injury.  He has played in 4 games for the Falcons this season and he has carried the ball 19 times for 78 yards (4.1 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 55 yards (6.9 avg).  Norwood has returned one kickoff this season for 39 yards too.  Norwood has been replaced on kickoff returns this season by Eric Weems who is doing a good job.  25-year old Jason Snelling will now be Michael Turner’s top back up until Norwood is ready to return to action.  Snelling has played in 5 games this season for the Falcons and he has carried the ball 12 times for 54 yards (4.5 ypc) and he has also caught 10 passes for 90 yards (9.0 avg) with a TD.  Snelling will do a solid job while Norwood is out but the Falcons will miss his big play ability.

The Falcons have signed 26-year old safety Jamaal Fudge.  Fudge played in 11 games for the Falcons last season and he made 13 tackles.  He has now played in 3 seasons in the NFL appearing in 31 games in which he has made 26 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.  Injuries have caused the Falcons to start looking for help in the defensive backfield and that is why they decided to bring back Fudge.

The Falcons have lost starting left cornerback Brian Williams for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.  He finishes the season with 18 tackles, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  Brett Grimes will be elevated to the starting lineup and he has 11 tackles and 2 passes defensed this season.  Chevis Jackson (4 tackles) and rookie third round pick Chris Owens out of San Jose State (3 tackles) will battle to replace Grimes as the nickel back.  This injury has a trickle down effect for the Falcons as it hurts both the starting lineup and the nickel defense going forward.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-1) were able to hold off the Chicago Bears (3-2) Sunday night and did a great job shutting them down in the red-zone.  Thomas DeCoud got his first of two interceptions off Jay Cutler in the first quarter on the nine yard line.  The Bears were driving and looking like they were going to score.  The Falcons stopped the Bears again later in the game, as they stuffed Matt Forte and forced two fumbles in a row from the Bears running back.  They recovered the second one and the Bears came away empty handed again in the red-zone.  The Falcons defense did a great job shutting the Bears running game down, holding Matt Forte to 23 yards on 15 carries (1.5 avg).

Matt Ryan did a good job leading his team to victory.  He didn’t have great numbers, throwing for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 19/33 attempts.  Both touchdowns came in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 14-7 halftime lead.  Michael Turner struggled, only rushing for 30 yards on 13 carries(2.3 avg).  With 34 seconds left, the Bears had 4th and 1 on the Falcons’ 5 yard line.  A false start by the Bears’ OT Orland Pace moved the Bears back to 4th and 6, and the Falcons were able to break up Cutlers’ pass to TE Desmond Clark.  As much as the Bears gave this game away, the Falcons defense has to get a lot of the credit as they forced the Bears into three turnovers.  The Falcons are on the road against the Dallas Cowboys next week.