Falconsroach7
Starter
The Atlanta Falcons ousted their hated division rival 41-34 in a shootout in Louisiana to send their hated division rival to 3-3 while they improved to 5-1. The final score indicates a much closer game than it really was, as Atlanta dominated its way to a 38-20 lead before NO added 2 late touchdowns. Matt Ryan had a near perfect performance (4 td, 1 pick) while Julio Jones ate the secondary alive, catching 3 balls for touchdowns. Tevin Coleman also contributed nicely, putting up over 100 yards to keep climbing the running back rankings. With this kind of production, the youngster from Indiana could find himself as a household name following the 2015 season. Offensively, Atlanta's trio put up big numbers once more. Defensively, the front 7 looked very sound while the back end was very questionable (sound familiar?) Jalen Collins continues to be very hit or miss and the same can be said for safety play. The only truly dominant player at the second level for Atlanta is Desmond Trufant (1 int), and it has been that way all season. Quinn must find a way to slow down opposing passing attacks. Another interesting defensive note would be Vic Beasley. Expectations were high for Vic, and he's mostly met them. He's had 5 solo tackles on the year, 9 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 2 sacks. He's also added 1 pass deflection to his name. While it's not phenomenal, he's been stout against the run and has applied pressure. He shows a lot of promise, and he should develop more as the season wears on. However, on the whole, the Falcons have had a very good rebound season following last season's 6-10 debacle. Optimism swirls around the team as the falcons begin to set their sights on working towards earning their first divisional crown since 2012. The NFC south race appears to be headed by Carolina and Atlanta, and it could come down to the wire as the season wears on since both teams carry only one loss. It's still too early to look at the playoff picture, but Atlanta could potentially vie for a first round bye. In the meantime, the team can celebrate this outstanding road victory that eptimozes the culture change Quinn brought while beginning to look forward to travelling to Tennessee and squaring off against rookie sensation Marcus Mariota