The Atlanta Falcons need this game, big time!  If they defeat the Panthers they will earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs while earning a bye in the first round.  If the Falcons lose to the Panthers and the Saints beat the Bucs, then the Falcons will have to go on the road and play next weekend at either St. Louis or Seattle.  The Falcons beat the hapless Panthers 31-10 just three weeks ago in Carolina.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons need to get the offense back on the right track starting this Sunday.  They will likely have a balanced attack with Michael Turner leading the way on the ground against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 125.5 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  The Falcons also want to get Matt Ryan back on track as he had a rough game last Monday Night against the Saints.  He will likely try to spread the ball around to Roddy White, Michael Jenkins and Tony Gonzalez in the passing game.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are only averaging 142.3 yards passing per game this year so the Falcons are likely going to load up to stop RB Jonathan Stewart and dare Jimmy Clausen to beat them with his arm.  DE John Abraham is going to get turned loose on almost every play in an effort to force Jimmy Clausen into making some big mistakes which he is prone to doing.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, PANTHERS 13

The Falcons have placed rookie safety Shann Schillinger on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a fractured ankle.  The 24-year old Schillinger played in 15 games for the Falcons this year and he made 8 tackles.  He was a sixth round pick (#171 overall) out of Montana last April.  The Falcons might miss him a little bit on special teams but he’s not a impact player.

In 2008 , 26-year old WR Harry Douglas burst on the scene in Atlanta as a rookie.  He played in all 16 games for the Falcons in 2008 and he caught 23 passes for 320 yards (13.9 avg) with a TD catch.  He also carried the ball 12 times for 69 yards (5.8 ypc) with a TD run in 2008.  The Falcons had high hopes for him but he was seriously injured in 2009 missing the whole year with a torn ACL.  With Michael Jenkins to miss the start of this year with an injury and Harry Douglas healthy they were depending on him to step up but he didn’t!  Douglas has played in 15 games for the Falcons this year and he has caught 21 passes for 275 yards (13.1 avg) with 1 TD grab and he has also carried the ball 2 times for -5 yards (-2.5 ypc).  Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan (who is very accurate) only has completed 21 of 51 passes (41.2%) to Douglas so far this year.  He is now buried on the bench with Michael Jenkins back in action.

The Falcons battled hard last night before falling a tad short in the end.  Matt Ryan didn’t have his best game last night as he completed 15 of 29 passes for 148 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 26 yards (6.5 ypc) last night.  Michael Turner also had a rough night with 48 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.8 ypc).  Jason Snelling only had 1 carry for 1 yard and he also caught 2 passes for 23 yards (11.5 avg).  WRs Roddy White (3 rec, 43 yards) and Michael Jenkins (5 rec, 40 yards) had so-so games for the Falcons last night too.  The Falcons finished up with 75 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 29 passes for 140 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:25.

LB Curtis Lofton (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), safety Thomas DeCoud (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and CB Dunta Robinson (8 tackles and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Falcons’ D in this game.  DEs John Abraham (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 2 QB hits and 1 interception) and Chauncey Davis (an interception that he returned 26 yards for a TD) also made some HUGE plays in this game for the Falcons.  The Saints finished up with 72 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 35 of 49 passes for 296 yards.  The Falcons are now 12-3 on the year and they can win the NFC South next weekend with a win over the Panthers or a Bucs win over the Saints.

The Falcons are super hot right now as they have won 8 games in a row.  They can sew up both the NFC South and the best record in the NFC with a win over the Saints this Sunday.  Matt Ryan is 19-1 as a starting QB at the Georgia Dome.  The Saints can still technically win the NFC South with a win over the Falcons and some help.  The Falcons won the first matchup earlier this year, 27-24 in New Orleans in O.T.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to come out running the ball with Michael Turner and Jason Snelling against a Saints’ run D that is allowing 117.0 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Matt Ryan should have time to throw the ball against the Saints so he should have success throwing the ball down the field.  Roddy White, Michael Jenkins & Tony Gonzalez should be able to make some plays against the Saints’ secondary.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Falcons will need to get after Drew Brees in this game or they could be in some trouble as the Falcons are allowing 226.8 yards passing per game so far this year.  Brees moves the ball around to whoever is open making it extremely tough to defend him.  The Saints will also try to run the ball a lot more than they did last weekend against the Ravens.  Pierre Thomas & Reggie Bush will likely handle the heavy lifting in the running game for the Saints.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, SAINTS 27

The Falcons and Seahawks were tied at 10-10 at one point in the second quarter last night.  The Falcons then rolled off 24 straight points to end the competitive part of this game.  Matt Ryan was solid as usual as he completed 20 of 35 passes for 174 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  Michael Turner led the way for the Falcons on the ground in this game with 25 carries on 82 yards (3.3 ypc).  Jason Snelling only rushed for 6 yards on 4 carries (1.5 ypc) but he also caught 4 passes for 15 yards (3.8 avg) with a TD grab.  WRs Roddy White (7 rec, 65 yards, TD) and Michael Jenkins (3 rec, 48 yards, TD) led the way for the Falcons in the passing game.  The Falcons finished up with 98 yards rushing on 37 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 168 yards.

The defense gave an impressive team effort against the Seahawks.  LB Curtis Lofton (7 tackles), safety Thomas DeCoud (6 tackles), safety William Moore (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 interception) and CB Brent Grimes (3 tackles, 5 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Falcons’ on D in this game.  DT Jonathan Babineaux recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD!  The Seahawks finished up with 91 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 33 passes for 143 yards.  The Falcons are now 12-2 on the season and they have a 2-game lead on the Saints in the NFC South.

The Falcons are red hot right now as they have won seven games in a row.  They are 5-2 on the road this season so they are not perfect by any means away from the Georgia Dome.  The Falcons have the best record in the NFC right now and they are only 1 game up on the Saints in the NFC South so this is a “must win” game for them.  This is also a big game for the Seahawks who are tied with the Rams atop of the NFC West.  That is just amazing to me seeing how the Seahawks are 2-5 in their last seven games.  The Seahawks are 4-2 at Qwest Field this year so I look for them to come to play tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are likely going to come out feeding the ball to Michael Turner against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 119.2 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  If the O-Line gives Matt Ryan time to throw the ball (the Seahawks have 31 sacks this year), he is going to make a lot of plays down the field as the Seahawks are giving up 266.0 yards passing per game this year.  I look for Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins to all have good games for the Falcons tomorrow.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks think they are a passing team so look for Matt Hasselbeck to come out chucking the ball.  Hasselbeck threw 4 interceptions last weekend against the 49ers and he has 15 so far this year.  The Falcons plan on turning John Abraham (11 sacks) loose against Hasselbeck in an effort to rattle him a bit.  Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett have not given the Seahawks a legit running game this year so the front seven of the Falcons should be able to stop them.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, SEAHAWKS 17

The Falcons were in control of this game pretty much the whole way.  Matt Ryan completed 20 of 34 passes for 227 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Michael Turner led the way on the ground for the Falcons in this game with 28 carries for 112 yards (4.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  WR Roddy White (8 rec, 79 yards), Harry Douglas (1 rec, 46 yards) and Tony Gonzalez (4 rec, 28 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Falcons yesterday.  The Falcons finished up with 36 carries for 127 yards (3.5 ypc) in this game and they also completed 20 of 34 passes for 200 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:50.

Safety Thomas DeCoud (9 tackles) and LB Mike Peterson (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT) led the way for the Falcons’ D in this game.  CB Dunta Robinson (INT) and DEs John Abraham (2 sacks) and Kroy Biermann (2 sacks) also made some huge plays in this game.  The Panthers finished up with 212 yards rushing on 28 carries (7.6 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 25 passes for 76 yards.  The Falcons are now 11-2 on the year.

The Falcons have won six games in a row as they are tied with the Patriots for having the best record in the NFL at 10-2.  But they still can’t overlook the Panthers who still are playing hard every week.  The Panthers have lost six games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are likely going to come out running the ball with Michael Turner against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 133.1 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  After the run is established, I look for Matt Ryan to take things to the air.  He will have to be careful as the Panthers have 15 interceptions already this year.  That  being said though, no one has been able to stop Roddy White this year.  Tony Gonzalez & Michael Jenkins are also likely to do some damage in this game.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are without a doubt going to try running the ball against the Falcons.  With Jonathan Stewart now healthy the Falcons’ front seven is going to have to tighten up the chinstraps as he’s a load to deal with.  When Stewart needs a breather, Mike Goodson will step in at RB.  The Falcons would be wise to double cover Steve Smith and make rookie QB Jimmy Clausen beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, PANTHERS 10

25-year old QB Matt Ryan has been outstanding for the Falcons once again this year.  Ryan has played in 12 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has completed 280 of 441 passes (63.5%) for 2,920 yards with 21 TD passes and 7 INTs (91.8 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 33 times for 79 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  Ryan has led a few outstanding come from behind victories this season and he’s putting the Falcons in position to get home field advantage in the NFC.  If they get that they will be the favorite to get to the Super Bowl because Matt Ryan has only lost 1 game at home in his first three years in the NFL.