Atlanta Falcons: Updated Game-by-Game Outlook for 2012

With a 5-0 record, it would take a major collapse for the Atlanta Falcons to miss the playoffs.

Matt Ryan is playing like an MVP. The defense is forcing turnovers like never before. And this team has the talent and discipline to dominate an opponent one week, as well as the resiliency and confidence to squeak out a come-from-behind victory the next.

Come to think of it, a perfect season may not be out of the question for these Falcons.

Of course, the Falcons will have to win the remaining 11 games on their schedule to do so.

Here's a look at who they'll be facing.

Week 6 vs. the Oakland Raiders

Which Raiders team will show up at the Georgia Dome this Sunday?

Will it be the one that got blown out by the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 or the one that clawed and chewed its way to a slim victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers the very next game?

It's easy to take a look at Oakland's 1-3 record and predict an easy win for the Falcons. But Matt Ryan and company already have needed last-minute efforts to defeat inferior teams, and they could be in for yet another surprisingly close battle when they take on the Raiders. 

Key to Falcons Victory: Shut down Darren McFadden.

Oakland's rushing offense ranks dead last in the league. But McFadden is always a threat to take one to the house, especially against Atlanta's susceptible 27th-ranked run defense.

Week 8 at the Philadelphia Eagles

The Falcons will have an extra week to prepare for their game against the Eagles.

They'll need every single day.

The Eagles are a big threat to hand the Falcons their first loss, and it's not just because of their 11th-ranked offense or eighth-ranked defense.

Atlanta is 0-5 in Philadelphia dating back to 1988, and they'll take on an Eagles team coming off their own bye. Eagles head coach Andy Reid happens to be 12-0 lifetime coming off the bye.

Key to Victory: Capitalize on turnovers.

The Eagles have turned the ball over 14 times this season, second only to the Kansas City Chiefs' 19. That's good news for the Falcons, who are second in the league in takeaways with 14.

Week 9 vs. the Dallas Cowboys

Mike Smith has only played the Cowboys once as head coach of the Falcons—a brutal 37-21 beat down in 2009, in which Tony Romo threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns.

Romo will be facing a new-look Falcons defense in this Sunday Night Football matchup, but his ability to pick a secondary apart hasn't disappeared.

Not to mention the Falcons will have to worry about a new threat this time around: DeMarco Murray.

Key to Victory: Frustrate Romo.

The Cowboys offense still runs through Romo. If he gets into a rhythm, it'll be difficult for the Falcons to keep up, especially against the currently top-ranked pass defense in the league.

To keep that from happening, Atlanta will need to get to Romo early and often and disguise its schemes in the secondary.

Week 10 at the New Orleans Saints

The Saints are 1-4 and look to be a long shot to make the playoffs.

But that won't keep them from playing like it's the Super Bowl against their NFC south rivals.

This game has the makings of a high-scoring affair, with Matt Ryan's air attack taking on the league's last-ranked defense on one side and the passing machine known as Drew Brees leading the Saints on the other.

Key to Victory: Get the final possession.

Prior to last December's 45-16 blowout, the last six head-to-head matchups between the Falcons and Saints were decided by eight points or less. This one could easily come down to whoever has the opportunity to score last.

Week 11 vs. the Arizona Cardinals

Many had already chalked this one up as a win for the Falcons when the 2012 schedule was unveiled.

That was before the Cardinals stormed to a 4-1 record to start the season.

But the Cardinals share more than just a good record with the Falcons.

So far this year, Arizona won comeback games against the Seahawks and Dolphins, defeated Bill Belichick's Patriots and soared past the Eagles by a score of 27-6. 

Dominating teams one week and orchestrating comeback victories the next. Sound familiar?

Not to mention that, much like the Falcons, an efficient passing game and winning the turnover battle has helped the Cardinals get to where they are.

Key to Victory: Avoid mistakes.

As does Atlanta, the Cardinals thrive on their opponents' miscues. It'll take a mistake-free game from the Falcons to win this one. 

Week 12 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Unless the Buccaneers turn things around between now and Week 12, they may only be trying to play spoiler to their division rivals in this game.

But that's good-enough reason to expect a hard-fought game from Greg Schiano's squad.

Key to Victory: Air it out.

The Buccaneers are allowing a league-worst 345 passing yards per game. That's music to Matt Ryan's ears, who should have a field day passing the ball to Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. 

Week 13 vs. the New Orleans Saints

All eyes will be on the Falcons when they invite the Saints to the Georgia Dome on Thursday Night Football in their second meeting of the season.

Atlanta will once again be faced with the task of keeping up with the Saints' pass-happy offense, but a new element will be added to the mix—familiarity.

Key to Victory: Make adjustments.

This game will be the second meeting in four weeks between these two teams. How well the Falcons can improve on the things that didn't work in the first meeting—and countering those that did for the Saints—will play a big role in their chances to win.

Week 14 at the Carolina Panthers

The last three times the Falcons have faced the Panthers, they've needed fourth-quarter heroics to win.

Chances are they want to avoid needing them yet again in this Week 14 matchup.

Key to Victory: Stop the run.

Barring injury, Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will pose the same threat to Atlanta's defensive line as they did in the first meeting, when the Panthers ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

That puts the pressure squarely on Atlanta's front four to shed their blocks and meet the ball-carrier in the backfield rather than have their teammates in the secondary do so down the field.

Week 15 vs. the New York Giants

Everyone in Atlanta remembers the pain of last January's 24-2 playoff loss to the Giants. 

The opportunity for revenge comes in Week 15 of this season.

The Falcons will be coming off three straight division games, but you can bet they'll be looking to play their very best against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Key to Victory: Win at the point of attack.

The last time these teams met, New York's pass rush was too much for the Falcons, while the Falcons' own pass rush was virtually nonexistent.

If they can improve in those two areas, Ryan and the Falcons can expect to put up much more than a measly two points in this game, all while forcing much-needed turnovers by the Giants. 

Week 16 at the Detroit Lions

Detroit currently ranks near the top of the pack in both pass and run defense while owning the third-best overall offense in the league.

It's hard to imagine this team stands at 1-3 at this point in the season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them back in the playoff mix by this Week 16 Saturday-night contest.

This game could decide whether or not the Falcons get home-field advantage through the playoffs. They shouldn't take this one lightly.

Key to Victory: Don't give up the big play.

The Falcons will have their hands full defending Matt Stafford and his potent passing attack. He'll surely be looking to go over the top to Calvin Johnson more than a few times. It'll be up to Atlanta's secondary to ensure he comes up empty whenever that happens.

Week 17 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For the second consecutive season, the Falcons finish at home against Tampa Bay.

This is far from the same Buccaneers team that came out flat in the Falcons' 45-24 season-finale win last year. But that isn't to say they've suddenly turned into a playoff contender.

Key to Victory: A good performance from backup quarterback Dominique Davis.

If the Falcons keep playing as well as they are now, they should have the division crown and a spot in the playoffs secured.

As much as a perfect record is tempting, the only goal here should be to avoid injuries with the postseason right around the corner.