Falcons vs. Giants: Keys to an Atlanta Victory over New York

Matty Ice is feeling the heat. 

Despite his reputation, Matt Ryan has never won a playoff game.  Will he and the Atlanta Falcons melt under the pressure of being underdogs to the New York Giants?

If the Dirty Birds want to upset Tom Coughlin and Co., here are the goals they must accomplish.

 

3. Force NY offense to be one-dimensional

This one shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish.  New York has the worst rushing offense in the entire NFL this season.  That doesn’t mean that they aren’t a threat to run the football, though, because Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are still talented running backs.

Shutting down the once-dynamic duo early will result in the Giants putting the football in Eli Manning’s hands for good.  And that will lead to making goal No. 2 much easier.

2. Pressure Eli Manning

Without a rushing attack to worry about, Atlanta’s front-four can pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.  In 2011, mediocrity has defined the Falcons’ pass rush as their defensive unit ranks 19th in the NFL in sacks.  They can thank Ray Edwards and his disappointing 3.5 sacks for the down year.

Still, Atlanta has the talent in Edwards and the ageless John Abraham to force Manning into mistakes.  Manning is absolutely scorching right now, so pressure is the only thing that’s going to slow him down.

 

1. Establish the running game

Atlanta is 10-2 when Michael Turner runs the ball at least 15 times.  Those two losses were to the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. 

A balanced Falcons offense with Turner, Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez is nearly unstoppable.  If Turner breaks out for a big game, Atlanta will not lose.  New York’s suspect defense has no shot to hang with a Falcons offense that’s clicking on all cylinders.

 

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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