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.

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.