Falcons vs. Giants: 4 Reasons to Believe Atlanta Scores Monster Road Win

The Atlanta Falcons are ready to erase the memory of last season's blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers. They have more than enough weapons to go on the road and defeat the New York Giants. A lot of Atlanta's strengths match up well against the Giants' weaknesses.

Atlanta's coaching staff will enter the game targeting those areas, as well as looking to establish some early confidence. Winning a playoff game on the road isn't easy, but this team has the leadership needed to pull off the win.

The New York Giants' Inability to Run the Football

The New York Giants offense needs to be able to run the football. Their game plan relies on clock management and play action. If the defense doesn't respect the play action, Eli Manning will have a more difficult time finding open targets.

Manning has had a terrific season, but asking him to throw 50 passes today would be a lot of pressure. The Giants' struggles running the football are due to poor line play. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are more than capable of having a big game, but they need the offensive line to play at a higher level.

The Atlanta Falcons should focus on shutting down the run early, forcing Manning to throw the ball often.

The New York Giants' Weak Pass Defense

The combination of Julio Jones and Roddy White might be the most explosive wide receiver duo in the NFL. Both of these players are capable of making plays deep down the field, which puts a ton of pressure on the defense. The New York Giants will have a tough time shutting down the Atlanta Falcons passing game.

They are allowing over 255 passing yards per game, and at least one deep bomb. Atlanta is going to utilize play action to suck up the defensive backs and strike deep. The back end of the Giants secondary is going to be tested early and often.

If Atlanta jumps out to an early lead, it puts more pressure on Eli Manning and the offense.

The New York Giants' Struggles Stopping the Run

Despite having a ton of weapons on the outside, the Atlanta Falcons prefer to be a run-heavy team. Michael Turner is the key to the offensive success of the Falcons. The New York Giants can expect to get a heavy dose of Turner today.

Turner can expect to have a big day, as the Giants defense is allowing over 120 rushing yards per game. The biggest reason for their struggles against the run is inconsistent linebacker play. This team is still utilizing Chase Blackburn as their starting middle linebacker. Blackburn isn't the type of player capable of leading a Super Bowl-caliber defense.

Motivation

The Atlanta Falcons want nothing more than to erase the horrible memory of last season's loss to the Green Bay Packers. That game completely embarrassed this team, and was likely used as motivation all season. Going on the road and earning a victory against the Giants will go a long way to putting that loss in the past.

Nobody will be more motivated than Matt Ryan, as his struggles last year were one of the factors to their loss. Expect to see Ryan focused and ready to make a statement today. The Atlanta coaching staff likely will want to give Ryan the opportunity to get on an early role.