The Falcons will know before this game even starts if they have a shot at the #5 seed in the NFC Playoffs.  If the Packers beat the Lions tomorrow at 1 o’clock, the Falcons would move into the #5 slot in the playoffs and take on the winner of the AFC East….with a win over the Bucs.  If the Lions win against the Packers, the Falcons will likely rest a lot of their players.  The Buccaneers have lost 9 games in a row and they have been especially pathetic the last four weeks in which they have been outscored by a combined score of 158-64!  The Bucs did beat the Falcons 16-13 in Tampa in the first meeting back in September between these two teams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons will likely come out running the ball with either Michael Turner or a combo of Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling against a Bucs’ D that is giving up 149.7 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Bucs’ pass D (242.5 yards per game) also sucks so Matt Ryan or Chris Redman are likely going to have a good game tomorrow throwing the pill.  The Falcons are going to throw the ball a lot more if this game has any meaning tomorrow.

When the Bucs have the ball:  LeGarrette Blount ended last week in Raheem Morris’ Dog House and that’s a good thing for the Falcons.  He is a big back who is hard to bring down, if he gets much of a chance to play.  QB Josh Freeman has had a hard time lately due to a bum shoulder, so he will likely keep the passing game of the shorter variety.  The Falcons will need to cover TE Kellen Winslow and WR Mike Williams closely as they are Freeman’s favorite targets in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, BUCCANEERS 16

The Falcons have placed 35-year old LB Mike Peterson (torn triceps) and 28-year old CB Kelvin Hayden (toe) on the Injured Reserve List, ending their seasons.  Mike Peterson played in 15 games for the Falcons this year and he had 24 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  Kelvin Hayden played in 8 games for the Falcons this year and he had 24 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  These injuries are going to hurt the Falcons’ depth on D.

35-year old TE Tony Gonzalez has been elected to his 12th Pro Bowl this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has caught 79 passes for 867 yards (11.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Gonzalez has now played in 47 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Falcons and he has caught 232 passes for 2,390 yards (10.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  Tony Gonzalez has now played in 237 games in his first 15 years in the NFL and he has caught 1,148 passes for 13,300 yards (11.6 avg) with 95 TD grabs.  Gonzalez is #2 in NFL history in receptions.  He is also #11 in NFL history in receiving yards and he is also #9 in TD receptions.

The Falcons ran into a buzzsaw last night as the Saints beat the piss out of them.  Matt Ryan put up solid numbers as he completed 34 of 52 passes for 373 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Chris Redman finished up the game by completing 6 of 9 passes for 61 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Michael Turner didn’t get the ball too much in this game with the Falcons playing catch up ball.  Turner carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards (3.5 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 36 yards (9.0 avg).  Julio Jones caught 8 passes for 128 yards (16.0 avg) with 1 TD grab, but he also lost a fumble that was returned 30 yards by Saints’ safety Malcolm Jenkins for a TD.  WR Roddy White (11 catches for 127 yards) and TE Tony Gonzalez (5 rec, 41 yards) also had solid games for the Falcons last night.  The Falcons finished up with 35 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 40 of 61 passes (65.6%) for 434 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:19.

The defense was pretty awful for the Falcons last night.  Safety Thomas DeCoud (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Curtis Lofton (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Brent Grimes (7 tackles and 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Falcons on D in this game.  Safety William Moore (6 tackles and 4 passes defensed), CB Dunta Robinson (interception) and CB Dominique Franks (interception) also made big plays for the Falcons in this game.  The Saints finished up with 164 yards rushing on 23 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 39 passes (59%) for 299 yards.  The Falcons are now 9-6 on the year.

This could be an outstanding game on Monday Night Football.  The Falcons have won two games in a row in which they have scored a combined 72 points.  They are in the NFC Playoffs, and they are now battling the Detroit Lions for seeding.  The Saints have won six games in a row including a 26-23 O.T. win over the Falcons in Atlanta.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to have to remain balanced in this game.  The Saints are giving up 109.9 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year, so Michael Turner should have room to run the ball.  The Saints like to blitz, but if Matt Ryan has time to throw the ball, the Falcons are going to make some plays down the field through the air.  WRs Roddy White, Julio Jones and TE Tony Gonzalez give the Falcons three outstanding targets for Matt Ryan.  WR Harry Douglas could be the secret weapon for the Falcons in this game.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out passing the ball in this game.  The Falcons are going to have to get after Drew Brees, or they are going to be in a lot of trouble in this game.  Brees has weapons all over the field as he has 7 players on the roster with at least 27 catches so far this year.  If the Falcons overplay the pass, Brees will hand off the Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory tonight.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 33, FALCONS 30

22-year old WR Julio Jones has been everything the Falcons thought he would be, and more.  He has been the true gamebreaking receiver that the Falcons have needed for quite some time.  Jones has played in 11 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has caught 42 passes for 755 yards (18.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 47 yards (9.4 avg) so far this year.  The Falcons gave up a lot of draft picks to get Jones last April, but it appears that he has been worth it so far.

The Falcons rushed out to a 41-0 lead in this game before calling off the dogs.  Matt Ryan was very efficient as he completed 19 of 26 passes for 224 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Chris Redman finished up this game by completing 5 of 6 passes for 56 yards without a TD or INT.  Michael Turner led the way on the ground in this game for the Falcons with 19 carries for 61 yards (3.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Jason Snelling pitched in with 22 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.4 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 26 yards (6.5 avg).  WRs Roddy White (10 rec, 135 yards, 2 TD grabs) and Julio Jones (5 rec, 85 yards, TD) led the way for the Falcons in the passing game last night.  The Falcons finished up with 97 yards rushing on 35 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 276 yards as they had possession of the ball for 38:31.

The defense was outstanding for the Falcons last night.  LB Curtis Lofton (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery), safety William Moore (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and DE John Abraham (5 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 QB hits) led the way for the Falcons on D last night.  LB Sean Weatherspoon (fumble recovery), DT Corey Peters (fumble recovery that he returned 13 yards for a TD) and safety Thomas DeCoud (interception) also made big plays on D last night for the Falcons.  The Jaguars finished up with 116 yards rushing on 19 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) for 91 yards in this game.  The Falcons are now 9-5 on the year.

The Falcons are pretty hot right now as they have won six of their last eight games.  The Falcons are surging towards a playoff berth, but they can’t afford to overlook the visiting Jaguars tomorrow.  The Jaguars thumped the Buccaneers 41-14 last Sunday in Jacksonville, so they have to be feeling good about themselves going into tomorrow’s game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to likely try to be balanced in this game.  Michael Turner is going to get challenged as the front seven of the Jaguars’ isn’t that bad.  The Jaguars don’t mount much of a pass rush and their secondary is pretty weak due to injuries.  Matt Ryan should be able to have success on the underneath routes to WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez.  As soon as the defense creeps up to stop the run and short passes, that’s when Matt Ryan is going to go over the top down the field to rookie WR Julio Jones.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The whole Jags offense revolves around RB Maurice Jones-Drew (1,222 rushing yards and 348 receiving yards).  The Falcons are only giving up 95.2 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge.  The Jaguars don’t scare anyone with their passing game as Blaine Gabbert has not looked good this year.  The Falcons will need to watch for Maurice Jones-Drew out of the backfield and TE Marcedes Lewis when Gabbert drops back to throw the ball.  WRs Kassim Osgood, Chastin West and Jarrett Dillard scare no one as none of them demand a double team.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, JAGUARS 13

26-year old QB Matt Ryan has really stepped up in the last six weeks for the Falcons.  In his last six games, Ryan has completed 134 of 227 passes (59%) for 1,791 yards with 14 TD passes and 4 INTs.  He has now played in 13 games for the Falcons overall this year and he has completed 288 of 479 passes (60.1%) for 3,474 yards with 23 TD passes and 12 INTs (88.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 87 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  The Falcons need Matt Ryan to finish this season strongly if they are going to make the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to prevail over the Panthers yesterday.  Ryan completed 22 of 38 passes for 320 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Michael Turner provided some ground support yesterday with 76 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.6 ypc).  Rookie RB Jacquizz Rodgers pitched in with 4 yards on 1 carry and he also caught 2 passes for 39 yards (19.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Julio Jones led the way for the Falcons in the passing game yesterday with 3 catches for 104 yards (34.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs…both came in the 4th quarter.  WR Roddy White (7 rec, 84 yards, TD) and TE Tony Gonzalez (7 rec, 82 yards) also had solid games for the Falcons yesterday.  The Falcons finished up with 86 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 38 passes (57.9%) for 308 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:43.

The Falcons didn’t play too well on defense in this game, despite shutting out the Panthers in the second half.  LBs Sean Weatherspoon (9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and Curtis Lofton (5 tackles) led the way for the Falcons on D in this game.  Safety William Moore and LB Mike Peterson pitched in with 1 interception apiece yesterday.  The Panthers finished up with 157 yards rushing on 23 carries (6.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 39 passes (48.7%) for 259 yards.  The Falcons are now 8-5 on the season.