The last time the Falcons and New York Giants played each other was in the playoffs last year and the Giants killed the Falcons, 24-2. The Falcons are looking to avenge themselves from that loss and from their lackluster performance against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday.
The Giants are currently 8-5 on the year, but even with that mediocre record, everyone knows they are the defending Super Bowl champions. Most importantly, they still play as a championship caliber team. They showed that as they beat the New Orleans Saints last week, 52-27. Rookie running back David Wilson had a fantastic day against the Saints, rushing the ball thirteen times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for 97 yards and another touchdown. He will most likely get the start at running back today with leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw ruled out for the game. Eli Manning will also be a threat as usual. In the playoff game last year, he threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns and in the last three weeks he has eight touchdowns and two interceptions. The Giants are the only NFC team that Matt Ryan hasn't beaten in his career.
The Falcons had a terrible game last week against the Panthers, losing 30-20. They never got going until the second half, but they were already down 23-0 and it was too late. Running backs Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers were even worse, combining for only 35 yards rushing. The two will have to perform better today, but the Giants great defense will cause problems. Last year in the playoff game the Falcons only had 64 rushing yards, so it could be a long day again for Turner and Rodgers. The Falcons will have to step up their game in two other areas in order to win today.
First, Ryan needs to have a superb day and beat the Giants for the first time. In the playoff game, he threw for a meager 199 yards and was sacked twice. If the Falcons want to win, Ryan needs to throw for 300-plus yards and a few touchdowns to get the offense going, because it most likely won't happen with the running game. Also, Ryan needs only 68 passing yards to become the first Falcon ever to have back-to-back seasons of 4,000 passing yards in a year.
Second, the offensive line needs to be a brick wall against the Giants' feared rushing attack. The Giants have 31 sacks on the year as a team. They have four terrific pass rushers in Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Chris Canty. Those four have combined for seventeen of the teams' sacks. The offensive linemen need to stop the Giants in order to give Ryan enough time to pass. And if the Falcons decide to run the ball, the line needs to push the Giants back and create openings for the running backs to go through.
It will be a tough battle today. The Falcons have already wrapped up a playoff spot and are tied with the Houston Texans with the best record in the NFL. They seem content with that as of late, but if they want to beat the Giants, they have to play with more intensity. Otherwise, look for the Giants to beat the Falcons, and move closer to clinching their own playoff berth.
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