The Atlanta Falcons lost a tough game last weekend 17-10 to the Texans in Houston.  The Falcons beat the Panthers in Atlanta earlier this year 31-17.  This is a huge game for the Falcons.  The Panthers have won two games in a row, so they have to be feeling good about themselves right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons need to remain balanced on offense in this game.  Look for them to come out running the ball with Michael Turner against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 132.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Running the ball will keep Cam Newton and the rest of his offense on the bench.  The Panthers have a good pass rush and a poor secondary, so if the O-Line gives Matt Ryan time to throw the ball….he’s going to have a big game.  Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, Harry Douglas and Julio Jones give the Falcons a lot of firepower and I look for Matt Ryan to spread the ball around to all of them this weekend.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Falcons are going to need to stop the Panthers’ running game and force Cam Newton to throw the ball.  They have a good chance of doing exactly that as the Falcons are only giving up 90.0 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  LB Curtis Lofton will probably be shadowing Cam Newton to stop him from taking off out of the pocket and running the ball.  The Falcons will likely try to give safety help over the top on Steve Smith and dare Cam Newton to beat them by throwing the ball to someone else.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, PANTHERS 23

27-year old WR Harry Douglas is stepping up for the Atlanta Falcons lately.  In his last four games, Douglas has caught 18 passes for 270 yards (15.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has played in 12 games overall this year for the Falcons and he has caught 35 passes for 471 yards (13.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Falcons’ pass offense has been really solid with Douglas finally stepping up and they hope he keeps up the good work the rest of the season.  Douglas has now played in 44 games in his first three years with the Falcons and he has caught 80 passes for 1,085 yards (13.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

25-year old linebacker Curtis Lofton is a tackling machine for the Falcons.  He has played in 12 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has 111 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Lofton is playing at a very high level for the Falcons as he spearheads the run defense, which has been solid this year.  He has now played in 60 games in his first four years with the Falcons and he has 456 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 14 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Falcons need Lofton to keep up the good work the rest of this year.

The Falcons laid an egg yesterday in Houston.  Matt Ryan was awful yesterday as he completed 20 of 46 passes for 267 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards.  Michael Turner had a hard time getting going yesterday as he carried the ball 14 times for 44 yards (3.1 ypc).  Jason Snelling pitched in with 2 carries for 16 yards (8.0 ypc) for the Falcons in this game.  TE Tony Gonzalez led the way in the passing game yesterday with 7 grabs for 100 yards (14.3 avg).  WRs Julio Jones (4 rec, 68 yards), Roddy White (4 rec, 51 yards) and Harry Douglas (4 rec, 43 yards) also pitched in for the Falcons in the passing game.  The Falcons finished up with 70 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 46 passes (43.5%) for 267 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:56.

The defense was solid against the pass yesterday, but not so good against the run.  LB Curtis Lofton (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Falcons yesterday.  Safety James Sanders (10 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), LB Mike Peterson (10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and safety Thomas DeCoud (10 tackles) also pitched in for the Falcons on D.  The Texans finished up with 162 yards rushing on 44 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 25 passes (48%) for 175 yards in this game.  The Falcons are now 7-5 on the year.

The Falcons have won two games in a row as they appear to be back on the right path.  The Texans have won five games in a row, but they are on their 3rd string QB, rookie Tyler Yates, who will be making his first NFL start this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Texans have the best defense in the entire NFL, so the Falcons are going to try to have to be balanced and mix things up with the playcalling, including using more pass play on first down.  Michael Turner could have a surprisingly good game this weekend as the Texans are only giving up 92.5 yards rushing per game this year, but 4.2 yards per carry.  The Texans are a blitz heavy defense (35 sacks this year) and they force QBs into making mistakes (15 interceptions), so Matt Ryan is going to have to be careful with the football this Sunday.  Matt Ryan is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly this Sunday, while also being careful with the ball….and that’s often hard to do.  Roddy White, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez are going to have to catch short passes and make things happen after they get the ball this weekend.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are likely to be run heavy in this game despite the Falcons only giving up 83.5 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  Arian Foster and Ben Tate are going to seriously challenge the front seven of the Falcons.  The Falcons will need to get a solid pass rush on T.J. Yates, because he has the weapons to throw to in order to have success with his right arm.  Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels are likely to be Yates’ top targets in the passing game, so the Falcons’ secondary will have to pay special attention to them.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 20, FALCONS 17