(1-0) Denver Broncos at (1-0) Atlanta Falcons Preview

Matt Ryan before the Chiefs contest
(AtlantaFalcons.com)

After earning their first season opening victory in three years and their first road opening victory since 2006 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Falcons return home for a national television contest against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are coming off a 31-19 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers as Manning threw for (253) yards and two touchdown passes in his first game since 2010. The Falcons are looking to slow down one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in their first game since losing corner back Brent Grimes with an Achilles injury. Peyton Manning will bring a Denver Broncos team into town that is coming off winning the AFC West and still have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Denver brings in the best rushing team in the NFL last season lead by Willis McGahee. The Falcons will look to improve to 2-0 after their victory on Sunday, in which Matt Ryan had arguably his best outing in his five year NFL career after throwing for (299) yards and scoring (4) touchdowns, which included one on the ground and this will be one of the biggest test for the fifth year quarterback, who many experts have compared these two players careers in their first four years in the NFL. Matt Ryan will also look to win his fifth consecutive home opener and continue his dominance against the AFC. In his five seasons, Ryan have an outstanding home record of 7-1 against the other conference, and his only loss was in 2008 against Denver. Atlanta will look to win their first Monday Night Football game since 2005 and their first ESPN prime-time game since 2004. The Falcons are also looking to end Peyton Manning's winning streak against the franchise, which is now three consecutive games and his career average against Atlanta is staggering. Manning, in his four games against the Falcons, he's averaged (261) passing yards, (72%) completion percentage, (3) passing touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of (112.7). With a victory, the Falcons will beat the Broncos at home for the first time since 1975. This will be one of the most anticipated home games of the season and now I will give my keys to victory, key match-ups, and my final prediction.



KEYS TO VICTORY OVER THE DENVER BRONCOS:

1.Falcons must establish themselves on the ground to open up their passing attack:

Michael Turner runs the ball vs Kansas City
(AtlantaFalcons.com)

Atlanta needs to open their game by running the football. In last week's victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Falcons carried the ball (23) times throughout the game , which most of them were used once Atlanta had a commanding lead on the Chiefs late in the game and against Denver, the Falcons must utilize their players. Michael Turner or Jacquizz Rodgers must run for at least (70) yards or more to give the team a huge boost on offense because you don't want to give Peyton Manning the ball and allow him to control the tempo of the game. The Falcons must establish balance on the ground and with a successful effort through the rushing attack, Matt Ryan will have control of the match-up and his play-action passes will be effective and cause the Broncos defense to struggle against Atlanta's talented offense. Michael Turner will need to set the tone for the running game because he's still a defensive mismatch and when he's posting over (100) rushing yards in a game, the Falcons are 22-5. Although new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is transitioning the offense to a more passing based scheme, this team have talented running backs to keep their strategy balanced. The Falcons need to conduct productive but smart and balanced offensive possessions to score points and keep Peyton Manning on the sideline. In some of the key victories the Falcons earned in prior seasons, the Falcons have established their dominance on the ground and opened up many opportunities in the air attack and on Monday, Atlanta will need the same impact to earn a victory. Getting a productive game from either Turner or Rodgers complimented by a more confident Matt Ryan will cause a headache to Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.


2. Matt Ryan needs to utilize all of his offensive weapons in the passing attack:

Harry Douglas reception against the Chiefs last week
(AtlantaFalcons.com)

Matt Ryan, who is coming off the best game of his NFL career, will have another challenging test against one of the best defensive units in the league. Ryan must utilize all of his weapons against the Broncos secondary, who runs a lot of cover four or cover six schemes to prevent the deep pass from their opposing quarterback.In a Cover 4 scheme, this usually refers to four deep defenders, each guarding one-fourth of the deep zone. Cover 4 schemes are usually used to defend against deep passes and their defensive front will try to get after Ryan throughout the game. The main weakness of Cover 4 shells is the large amount of space left open by the retreating defensive backs. Since the defensive backs are working for depth, short pass routes underneath can enable the quarterback to make short- and medium- length passes, as well as isolate a defensive back on a wide receiver near the sideline with little help. In the Cover 6 defense, the field safety and field corner cover fourths of the field, and depend on a field outside linebacker to support underneath them. The free safety covers the boundary-side deep half and the boundary corner plays the flat. Although their scheme is effective, this will be a disadvantage for the Broncos secondary. Matt Ryan need to throw screens to Jacquizz Rodgers and his explosive receiving core and allow your players to create big plays from short passes. Another significant route is throwing slant passes across the middle to Harry Douglas. Harry Douglas could be a sleeper in the offense on Monday Night because due to the lack of tight coverage, Douglas can create a big play in the passing attack and Ryan don't have to force long passes down the field in order to create a impact on offense. Another significant advantage is having receivers such as Julio Jones and Roddy White. In the victory against Kansas City, Matt Ryan was throwing from ten to twenty yard passes to his receivers and Jones  was able to turn the passes into big receptions. The Falcons receiving core all possess the ability to turn any small pass into an impact play to extend drives or score points. 

3. Special teams must provide manageable field position for the Falcons offense:

Jacquizz Rodger's explosive return vs Kansas City
(Kansas.com)

The Falcons will need a big lift from their returners to place the offense into great position when they are on the field. Kick returner and backup running back Jacquizz Rodgers had a productive game against the Kansas City Chiefs and almost scored a special teams touchdown for the first time since 2010. Rodgers is a change of pace athlete and was successful in his tenure at Oregon State and can also provide a big lift for the Falcons special teams unit who were looking to have an explosive asset to this portion of the game after losing returner Eric Weems in the free agency to the Chicago Bears. Rodgers is one of the most explosive players to the Falcons return unit and his excellent vision to find open field can help the Falcons offense by placing them in a good spot on the field. On punt returns, the Falcons will need a huge boost from third year corner back Dominique Franks. Franks, who is the current punt returner, is another player who possess a tremendous amount of speed and his vision to find open lanes are a benefit to our special teams unit. During his career at Oklahoma, Franks was a explosive punt returner who had the ability to place their offense in great position and he'll able to provide the same impact for the Falcons special teams unit. Another significant benefit for Franks is that he was a former running back who converted to corner in his junior year in high school. With the knowledge of both a running back and a corner, this is another benefit for him to give us a huge lift on Monday. Denver had a tough time for a small portion of their previous game dealing with Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown so the Falcons must utilize their weapons to provide a game-changing play for their team. 

4. The Falcons defense must set the momentum against Peyton Manning:

John Abraham sacks Matt Cassel vs the Chiefs
(AtlantaFalcons.com)

The most significant factor to help the Falcons earn a huge victory at home against the Broncos is on defense. Under new coordinator Mike Nolan, the Falcons are looking to show more aggressive looks against their opposing offenses; however, the Falcons must play smart and effective defense against Peyton Manning. Manning is one of the smartest quarterbacks I've ever seen and he can make great passes whether he's able to stand in the pocket and find  a good receiver or even make a pass when he's under a lot of pressure so the Falcons will have to throw different looks at him. In last week's victory against the Steelers, the Pittsburgh defense  was sending Troy Polamalu or another safety out to blitz for majority of the game and after a stretch of successful plays, Manning started to recognize the scheme and it forced the Steelers to struggle. The Falcons will have to send some blitz packages as well as play tight coverage against the passing attack because Manning is such a smart individual and he can recognize many schemes that his opponents will use against him. The Falcons front four must also get a lot of pressure against the Broncos offensive line and force Peyton Manning out of his comfort zone and make him throw passes under pressure or get sacks against him. John Abraham will be the key for the defensive unit to apply pressure to Denver's offense. Last, but not least, the Falcons defense must get the Broncos off the field on THIRD DOWN!!! In last week's victory against the Chiefs, Atlanta struggled surrendering (11) third down conversions and against the Broncos, this can't happen because you're allowing Peyton Manning the opportunity to extend drives, which could ultimately result in points scored.


5. Dome Field Advantage: 

Atlanta Falcons fans before kickoff
(AJC.com)

Although many people many not view the Falcons home crowd as a factor to a home win, this is  going to be critical on Monday Night. The Falcons vs Broncos game is one of the most anticipated home openers for the Atlanta Falcons in their franchise history. The Georgia Dome must be full and loud from the start in order to make it difficult for Peyton Manning and his young offense to focus in a tough road environment. This is also the first road contest that Manning is playing in with the Denver Broncos and his only game that's in a domed environment. The Falcons fans must make the atmosphere hostile and that can give the Falcons defense an extra boost in front of a national audience on ESPN. Fans need to be in their seats before kickoff and not making their way into the Dome late in the first quarter or halftime, the team needs to feel the support from their hometown fans from the start in order to motivate them to play Falcons football against one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today and one of the best of all-time. Nationally, Atlanta fans are not given much credit for their support of the Falcons and Monday would be a prime example to send a message to the league that this fan base have faith that we can win a big game against a legitimate contender. 



MATCH-UPS TO WATCH ON MONDAY NIGHT:

1. Von Miller/ Elvis Dummervil vs Sam Baker:

Von Miller against the Steelers
(USA Today)

The Falcons offensive line have looked very impressive and this will be the first game where they will face a very tough Broncos defensive line. Sam Baker, who is coming off a season-ending injury looked great against the Chiefs on Sunday, but, the Falcons will receive a test from arguably two of the best defensive ends in the game today. Von Miller, who is coming off a great rookie season posting (11.5) sacks on his way to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and had two sacks against the Steelers last week. Sam Baker struggled against some of the best defensive linemen in the league in 2011; however, he'll look to continue his impressive start to the 2012 campaign. Elvis Dummervil is another guy to watch because the Broncos defense may switch the two linemen to opposite sides of the field and Dummervil is another force that can create havoc in the backfield and the Falcons must be prepared to contain these two individuals. 


2. Roddy White/Julio Jones vs Tracy Porter:

Julio Jones reception against the Chiefs
(Kansas.com)

The Falcons receivers are very familiar with Broncos corner back Tracy Porter. Porter, who was recently acquired by the Denver Broncos, played with the New Orleans Saints for a few seasons and Porter struggled against Falcons receivers. Porter is a talented corner back and is smart on the field; however, his aggression is sometimes a huge reason why he surrender big plays on defense. Roddy White and Julio Jones will need to run double moves to confuse Porter because he's vulnerable to jump those routes and Matt Ryan will have an open pass to his receivers down the field. Porter excels on reading curl or slant routes so the Falcons must be cautious not to force those routes or it could result in an offensive turnover that we're looking to avoid.


3. Falcons secondary vs Broncos slot receivers:

Brandon Stokley against the Steelers
(9news.com)

The Falcons secondary, who lost Brent Grimes to an achilles injury earlier this week, will receive their biggest challenge of the season facing Peyton Manning. Chris Owens and Dominique Franks will have to step it up and prevent receivers such as Eric Decker and Manning's favorite target throughout his career in the NFL, Brandon Stokley. Manning will more than likely target the slot position when the Falcons are on defense to test the corner position and try and have a huge game for Denver. Peyton Manning will show more respect to the outside tandem of Dunta Robinson and Asante Samuel because those guys are intelligent corner backs and will be able to read certain routes and prevent the Broncos receiving core from making major impacts down the field or even in tight coverage. For the Falcons nickel position, you must be cautious of the out and curl routes because Manning love to get his slot receivers involved that way. For example, Owens or Franks will need to play the inside shoulder and trail the route by a yard in order to trick Peyton Manning into throwing the ball to the receiver and at the last moment, they'll be able to either knock down the pass or intercept the ball. Manning's passes in tight coverage are not what they used to be a few years ago so the secondary must prepare to defend the routes with caution.



FINAL PREDICTION AND CONCLUSION:
The Falcons are in for a tough contest against one of the best teams in the NFL and they must be prepared to take their game to the next level and earning a win against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos could be the boost that this franchise need in order to have a successful game on Monday Night. In the end, I think the Falcons running game will have a huge night and Michael Turner will have a great game as the Falcons earn a close victory at the Georgia Dome. My next blog will be the recap of this highly anticipated Monday Night Football match-up, until next time... GO FALCONS!!!! RISE UP


FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: FALCONS 31 BRONCOS 24