Tale of the tape
Week 5: Atlanta Falcons At Washington Redskins
| Matt Ryan knows what has been said about him. He’s heard all the talk that he can’t win a playoff game. Well, Ryan won’t be able to do anything about that until January, but he’s doing all he can to play like the best quarterback in the league. He threw for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Panthers in Week Four. | Quarterback | The Redskins got another eye-opening performance from rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. While his numbers were good – 26-of-35 for 323 yards passing, 43 rushing yards and 1 TD – it was his ability to lead the Redskins downfield in the fourth quarter that gave them a tough road win over the Bucs. |
|---|---|---|
| The Falcons have a plethora of weapons for Ryan to choose from. The Falcons may have the most productive wideout in the league in Roddy White while Julio Jones is a great big-play threat. Michael Turner is a difference-maker at the running back slot. | Offense | |
| The Falcons have been a speed-based defense for many years. The inference is that they don’t have enough muscle in short-yardage situations to kill opponents’ drives, but that may no longer be the case. Outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is an excellent tackler and he will be put to the test against RGIII and Morris. | Defense | The Redskins are an upbeat story, but it’s not because of the defense. Washington’s defensive unit does not often put itself in position to stop decent offensive attacks and the Falcons are a lot more than defense. They have nobody to stop White or Jones. |
| The Falcons feel confident when Matt Bryant trots onto the field. He was 3-of-3 against the Carolina Panthers and he is dependable. Speedy Jacquizz Rodgers is an instinctive returner who has the potential to break big plays. | Special Teams | If he had not made the 41-yard FG attempt in the final seconds, it’s a pretty fair bet that Billy Cundiff would have been looking for a job on Monday. He was 1-of-4 against the Bucs. Sav Rocca is a dependable punter who can kill the football inside the 10. |
The winner is
The Falcons may be the best team in the league through the first quarter of the season. Most notable is the performance of Ryan, who looks like the best quarterback in the league. The Redskins will be pumped to face the best team of the league at home and they will push hard, but they don’t have enough talent to hang in for 60 minutes.
More Tales of the tape
-
NCAA Championship Game: #1 Louisville Vs. #4 MichiganRick Pitino has been here before, after making his 7th Final Four appearance, he’s now in his third go-round in the title game. He’s got plenty of experience on the big stage and he has the Cardinals playing high level basketball at the right time.
-
NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend: #4 Michigan Vs. #4 SyracuseNo. 4 Michigan and No. 4 Syracuse square off in Atlanta this weekend with the winner getting a shot to play for the National Title.
-
NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend: #1 Louisville Vs. #9 Wichita StateRick Pitino and No. 1 Louisville take on No. 9 Wichita State in Atlanta this weekend for a shot to play in the National Title game on Monday.
