The Atlanta Falcons’ only home game this year was an emotional win 35-31 over Michael Vick and his Eagles’ cohorts.  This is going to be another very emotional game as the Falcons will be thinking about revenge.  The Falcons were thrashed 48-21 at the Georgia Dome by the Wild Card Green Bay Packers.  The Packers are averaging 37.0 points per game so far this year and 429.3 total yards of offense.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons would love to get Michael Turner going against the Packers, but that won’t be easy.  The Packers are only giving up 71.0 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  That could mean that the Falcons will get into a firefight with the Packers.  The Packers are giving up 335.8 yards passing per game so far this year, so Ryan will have success if he has time to throw the ball.  The Packers already have 11 sacks this year while the Falcons have allowed 14 of them.  Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez will give the Falcons a fighting chance tomorrow night.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come out spreading the field and throwing the ball, and why not?  The Falcons are giving up 275.5 yards passing per game so far this year and they only have 5 sacks.  Aaron Rodgers could be in store for another epic performance against the Falcons.  The Falcons don’t have enough good players in the secondary to cover all of the WRs and TEs the Packers have.  The Falcons are also going to have to deal with RBs Ryan Grant and James Starks, who will make them pay for using extra DBs to stop Rodgers and the passing game.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, FALCONS 31

The Falcons are now 0-2 on the road this year after losing to the Bucs in Tampa last weekend.  But, the Bucs and Bears are both much better teams than the Seahawks, so I think the Falcons are going to break the seal on the road this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons should come out throwing the ball against the Seahawks.  The Seahawks have only five sacks so far this year, so Matt Ryan (he has been sacked 13 times already this year!) should have time to throw the ball this Sunday.  Look for Ryan to keep the passing game short to WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez, before attacking over the top to rookie WR Julio Jones.  The Seahawks are giving up 218.3 yards passing per game, so I think the Falcons are going to have a good passing day.  That doesn’t mean that Michael Turner isn’t going to get his carries though.  He will likely have to earn every yard he gets this Sunday as the Seahawks are only giving up 3.1 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks would probably benefit in trying to get RB Marshawn Lynch the ball early in this game.  If he has success running the ball, it will keep the Falcons’ pass defense honest while also slowing the pass rush a bit.  Tarvaris Jackson has already been sacked 14 times already this year, so DEs John Abraham and Ray Edwards could be living in the Seahawks’ backfield this weekend.  Jackson’s favorite receiver is Sidney Rice, so the Falcons should consider double covering him and dare Jackson to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, SEAHAWKS 14

The Atlanta Falcons and Buccaneers both won games with big comebacks last weekend.  So it’s possible that they could both have let downs, but I have doubts about that.  The Falcons swept the Bucs by outscoring them 55-45 in two very competitive games last year.  Here is a look at the matchups this Sunday in Tampa:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to come out running the ball against a Buccaneers’ D that is allowing 156.0 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year.  Michael Turner is in line for a big game and he rushed for 195 yards and 3 TD runs in the two games against the Bucs last year.  The Buccaneers need to get pressure on Matt Ryan or he’s going to have success throwing the ball as opposing QBs have a 102.1 QB Rating against them so far this year.  WRs Roddy White, Julio Jones and TE Tony Gonzalez give Matt Ryan a very impressive trio to throw the ball to.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers are likely to also come out running the ball as LeGarrette Blount had success running against the Falcons last year.  He carried the ball 33 times for 149 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run against them in 2010.  Blount is a big boy, but he’s not much of a pass catcher or blocker, so the front seven will have to deal with him.  The Falcons are giving up 301.5 yards passing per game so far this year, and WR Mike Williams (10 rec, 157 yards, 2 TD) grabs played well against them last year.  The Falcons much get a good pass rush on Josh Freeman to try to force him into making some mistakes this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, BUCCANEERS 23

The Falcons had to be very disappointed in how they played last weekend in Chicago.  The home opener tomorrow night is against Micheal Vick and his Eagles.  I look for the atmosphere to be electric in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups:

When the Falcons have the football:  The Eagles have a weakness at linebacker, especially in the middle where rookie Casey Matthews is starting.  The Falcons gave up 154 yards rushing (5.9 ypc) to the Rams last weekend.  Look for Michael Turner to have a very, very heavy workload in tomorrow’s game against the Eagles.  Matt Ryan is going to be challenged by the Eagles’ secondary, as they have an impressive bunch at CB.  I still look for Ryan to challenge the Eagles on the shorter stuff to WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez.  I also look for him to take some deep shots for rookie WR Julio Jones.

When the Eagles have the ball:  OLBs Sean Weatherspoon, Steven Nicolas and DEs John Abraham and Ray Edwards are going to have to set the edge and contain Michael Vick in the pocket, where he’s least effective.  MLB Curtis Lofton will be the guy mostly responsible for stopping Vick when he takes off running and he will also have to deal with Lesean McCoy quite often, as he is a very underrated RB.  The Falcons hope that John Abraham and Ray Edwards get consistent pressure on Michael Vick which would help the corners have a better chance of being effective against WRs Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, EAGLES 27

This is going to be an excellent opening day game in Chicago.  The Falcons and Bears had the best two records in the NFC last year as they combined to go 24-8 in 2010.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to have to be balanced on offense to have success against the rugged Bears’ D.  LBs Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Nick Roach are going to be keying on Michael Turner, so it sets up for some impressive collisions this Sunday.  The Falcons’ tackles are going to be under a lot of pressure this Sunday as Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije are big time pass rushers.  Matt Ryan could keep the passing game of the shorter variety using WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez like they did last year.  If the Bears sneak up to stop the short stuff, look for Ryan to work some play action with the idea of throwing deep to rookie WR Julio Jones.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Falcons are likely going to key on stopping Matt Forte first.  MLB Curtis Lofton is going to be chasing Forte around all night in both the running and passing game this Sunday.  If the Falcons are able to shut Forte down and make the Bears’ offense one dimensional, they will then start sending everyone after Jay Cutler, trying to force him into making a big mistake.  The corners are really going to be tested this Sunday.  I think Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson are up to the challenge but the Bears are likely going to spread 4 WRs a lot this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 21, FALCONS 20

The Falcons beat the Packers 20-17 on November 28th in Atlanta and they will be looking to do the same tomorrow night.  It’s not going to be easy though as the Packers beat up on the Eagles last weekend in Philly.  This game could wind up looking like a track meet.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are without a doubt going to come out running the ball in this game.  Michael Turner will be taking on the front seven of the Packers who shut down Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick last weekend.  The Falcons need to be effective running the ball tomorrow if they want to win this game.  They need to control the clock and keep the Packers’ offense off the field.  Matt Ryan will need to be careful when throwing the ball to his WRs in this game as the Packers’ corners (Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams) are thieves.  TE Tony Gonzalez is likely going to be the Falcons’ silent assassin catching tough passes over the middle tomorrow night.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Falcons are going to need to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers or the defense is going to have a long night.  Rodgers threw for 344 yards in the first meeting between these two teams.  Rodgers has too many good WRs for the Falcons to cover in Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson.  The Falcons also will have to deal with rookie RB James Starks who broke out last weekend against the Eagles which gave the Packers balance on offense.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 30, FALCONS 27

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 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 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 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