Quarterback Matt Ryan faced
numerous questions about his health this off-season. So far Ryan has put those
concerns to rest as his Atlanta Falcons are soaring high atop the NFC South.
Heading into the weekend the
Falcons are enjoying a 5-2 mark. The side have the sixth-best offence in the
league, averaging 370.9 yards per game thanks to a potent rushing attack that
ranks fifth with 137.4 yards per game. Ryan, who suffered a turf toe injury
late last year, has 1,714 passing yards to go with 12 touchdowns.
Ryan’s maturity and presence in the
pocket is remarkable considering he’s just in his third year and he’s only 25
years-old. That calm under pressure is a big reason why wide-out Roddy White
(747 yards, five TDs) and tight end Tony Gonzalez (292 yards, three TDs) have
looked good statistically.
Then again Ryan has dumped some of
the scoring load on his backfield. Back Michael Turner looks healthy again and
his numbers (597 yards, three TDs) point to a repeat of his 2008 campaign where
he had a team-record 17 TDs and 1,699 rushing yards.
On Sunday that offence will need to
be in top form against the opportunistic defence of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay are arguably the biggest surprise of the season at 5-2. Stats-wise
there is not much that jumps out though ageless veteran Ronde Barber (43
tackles) and athletic newcomer Aqib Talib (21 tackles) have a penchant for big
plays.
Meanwhile the offence has raised a
number of eye-brows. QB Josh Freeman is playing beyond his years with 1,533
yards and eight TDs. Making him look good is wide-out Mike Williams who sports
four TDs and 470 receiving yards.
Tampa Bay will be a tough out for
many teams this year but the Falcons seem poised for the division crown. I give
Atlanta the edge in this match but only by a field goal.
Another Sunday contest with a
substantial level of intrigue is the New York Giants against the Seattle
Seahawks. The Giants are atop the NFC East while the Seahawks pace the NFC West.
For most people it’s the first major look at a rejuvenated and surprising
Seattle team under ageless hurler Matt Hasselbeck (1,408 yards and six TDs).
The Giants seem to have righted the
ship early on this year. Defensively the intensity is there behind sack masters
Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. On offence QB Eli Manning has made good use of
his young wide-out core (headlined by Hakeem Nicks) and running back Ahmad
Bradshaw.
Seattle could be a serious threat
this year but I see New York coming through by about 10 points thanks to Eli
and company.
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