Falcons vs. Giants: Why Victor Cruz Spells Trouble for Atlanta Secondary

The Sunday slate on Wild-Card Weekend kicks off with an NFC showdown, as the Atlanta Falcons travel to the Big Apple to do battle with the NFC East champion New York Giants.

The game will feature one of 2011's biggest breakout stars in Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who came out of nowhere to finish third in the National Football League with 1,536 receiving yards and a league-best 18.7 yards per reception among receivers with more than 50 catches.

The Falcons were a very respectable pass defense this season, finishing eighth in the NFL in that defensive category, and the return of top cornerback Brent Grimes will certainly help as Atlanta tries to slow the New York offense.

However, neither Grimes nor fellow starter Dunta Robinson are true "shutdown" cornerbacks, and Cruz has repeatedly shown the ability to get behind slower defensive backs this season, with nine receptions of 40 or more yards, good for second best in the NFL behind only Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions.

In fact, Cruz is quite capable of causing defenses fits even when the ball isn't thrown his way. It's as if defenses bracket the second-year pro with double coverage, opening things up for fellow wideout Hakeem Nicks. Nicks managed a none-too-shabby 76 catches for 1,192 yards and seven scores of his own in 2011.

"Pick your poison" isn't generally the type of game that defensive coordinators are fond of playing, but with the Giants' fine duo of wideouts, there's not much else to be done.

The Falcons will likely match the more athletic Robinson on Cruz, hoping that some over-the-top help from free safety Thomas DeCoud can keep Victor Cruz from breaking off a big play.

Stopping Cruz from doing so has been much easier said than done in 2011, however.

So, don't be surprised if you see No. 80 doing a salsa dance in the opposing end zone on Sunday.