Atlanta Falcons Players Who Play Crucial Roles Down the Season's Home Stretch

9-1.  That's the Falcons' record following a grisly 23-19 win over an annoying Arizona Cardinals team that picked Matt Ryan off five times, and forced six total Falcons' turnovers. 

Even though it counts towards the standings equally with more impressive wins like Philadelphia and Denver, yesterday's win did little to suppress creeping doubts about this team after last week's narrow 31-27 defeat in New Orleans. 

Still, I am willing to bet that if I had told you during the preseason that the Falcons would win nine of their first ten games, have a three game lead in the division through Week 11, and be in position to be the top seed in the NFC playoffs, you wouldn't have believed me as much as the diehard fan in you would've wanted to. 

The Falcons will play divisional opponents in four of their last six games, with the other two matchups coming against slumping Detroit (4-6) and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants (6-4). 

Let's take a look at eleven Falcons players whose performances will be pivotal to the Falcons' success these last six weeks leading into the playoffs.

Robert McClain, Cornerback

Remember when you panicked after Brent Grimes went down for the season with an achilles injury following the Falcons' Week 1 win in Kansas City? 

If you're like me, you immediately thought about Chris Owens and flashed backed to him getting abused in the 2011 Divisional Playoff against the Packers. 

Thankfully, Robert McClain has stepped in and provided more than adequate play as the Falcons' nickel back. 

McClain hasn't just made an impact defending passes.  He has also contributed to the Falcons' run defense with several key open field tackles.

With Brent Grimes already out, and Asante Samuel banged up, the Falcons need Robert McClain to continue shining in the secondary given their upcoming matchups with Josh Freeman, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, and Cam Newton.

Kroy Biermann, Defensive End

This one shouldn't come as much of a surprise.  Since Ray Edwards didn't turn out to be the “missing piece” that he advertised himself to be, the Falcons' elusive quest for a pass-rusher opposite John Abraham continues. 

Next man up: Kroy Biermann.  Even before Edwards was officially released, Biermann had taken over the Falcons' starting left defensive end job to the delight of many Falcons fans. 

Biermann is a guy who is easy to root for. 

He has a non-stop motor all over the field on defense, and he's even a core special teams contributor for Atlanta. 

That being said, it's time for Biermann to start putting up some real sack numbers (Biermann is credited with two sacks through Week 11 per AtlantaFalcons.com). 

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is great with smoke and mirrors as they pertain to his defensive schemes, but the Falcons can't rely solely on creative blitz schemes to generate pressure. 

Thomas Dimitroff re-signed Biermann for a reason this past offseason, and now it's time for Biermann to take his game to the next level.

Stephen Nicholas, Linebacker

Sean Weatherspoon may get most of the press on D-Block, but Stephen Nicholas is quietly having a Pro-Bowl caliber season himself with 60 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. 

That being said, Nicholas really struggled in pass coverage against Saints' TE Jimmy Graham in last week's 31-27 loss. 

While most linebackers in the league will have difficulty covering Graham one on one, this is a copycat league and you can be sure that opposing offensive coordinators will be looking to isolate Nicholas in pass coverage these next few weeks.

In addition to a rematch against Graham, Stephen Nicholas and the Falcons' defense will face a talented group of tight ends down the stretch, including Dallas Clark (Bucs), Martellus Bennett(Giants), Brandon Pettigrew (Lions), and Greg Olsen (Panthers).  Nicholas needs to be ready to hold his own in pass coverage whether Sean Weatherspoon returns from his injury or not.

Jonathan Babineaux, Defensive Tackle

Here's a much needed shout out to one of the most underappreciated players on the Falcons' roster.  Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham are the heart and soul of the Falcons' defensive line. 

We have seen and heard plenty about how ineffective the Falcons' defense has been at stopping the run this year.  Whether he is in his traditional role as the “quick tackle” in the Falcons' base set, or playing defensive end in the “Big Tackle Three,”Babineaux is the key to the Falcons' run defense up front. 

Babineaux has always been great at getting penetration in the backfield, and the Falcons will need him to keep it up if they want to keep running backs like Tampa Bay rookie Doug Martin in check in the coming weeks.

Sam Baker, Left Tackle

Here's one name on the “crucial roles list” that probably has not changed since the preseason. 

Sam Baker has had a target on his back for over a year now since he looked like a boy trying to block a man against Julius Peppers in the 2011 season opener in Chicago. 

While many Falcons fans were calling for his release in the offseason, Thomas Dimitroff and the Atlanta brain trust stuck with the man they traded up to draft with the 21st pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. 

So far, it's looking like Thomas Dimitroff knew what he was doing.  We have not had much occasion to yell Sam Baker's name this year, and for an offensive lineman (and particularly a left tackle) that's a good thing. 

However, the Falcons have a Week 15 date with Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants coming up, as well as two dates with an aggressive Tampa Bay defensive line.

Sam Baker needs to make sure that Matt Ryan gets to the playoffs in one piece.

Julio Jones, Wide Receiver

Let's get one thing out of the way first.  If given the opportunity to make the Julio Jones trade again, I would have included an additional late-round draft pick so that I could enjoy plays like Jones' 63-yard touchdown catch on Eagles' corner Nnamdi Asomugha without thinking about how badly the Falcons got over on the Browns. 

Julio Jones is the most explosive skill position player that the Falcons have had since Michael Vick was in his prime. 

Dirk Koetter is using Jones in ways that Mike Mularkey didn't, and the Falcons' offense is better for it because opposing defenses recognize the “touch the ball and score a touchdown” threat that Julio Jones presents. 

Jones has been bothered by ankle injury lately, and the Falcons' offense just isn't the same without him on the field.  Julio Jones missed the second and third quarters of the loss at New Orleans, and the Saints outscored the Falcons 21-7 during those two quarters. 

When Jones was on the field, the Falcons outscored the Saints 20-10.  Julio Jones must stay healthy in order to keep this offense from reverting back to the 2010 form that could not put up enough points to contend with elite NFL offenses.

Peter Konz, Guard

Many Falcons fans were wondering where Peter Konz, the team's second-round pick from Wisconsin, had been prior to his entering the starting lineup after Garrett Reynolds was placed on injured reserve. 

Peter Konz held his own in his first start against the Eagles, and the Falcons are going to need Konz to grow up quickly and truly live up to the “plug and play” label that many NFL scouts attached to him in April. 

The Falcons won't go very far in the playoffs if they cannot dominate the line of scrimmage.  Peter Konz will have the opportunity to show that he has what it takes against the likes of Gerald McCoy (Bucs) and Linval Joseph and Chris Canty of the Giants.

Michael Turner, Running Back

Back in training camp, the Falcons made it clear that they were going to reduce Michael Turner's workload this year in part because of Dirk Koetter's new pass-oriented scheme, and in part to keep Turner fresh for the playoff run. 

Well, here we are four months later and the Falcons are 9-1 with six weeks to go.  It's time to unleash the real Michael Turner. 

Yes, the Falcons have one of the best passing-games in the league, but as we learned from the tough New Orleans loss last week, sometimes you have to be able to run the ball. 

Despite some vague rumblings from inside of the Falcons' locker room which may or may not suggest that Turner has lost a step, the Falcons will need Turner to help solve the offenses' red-zone issues by punching the ball into the end zone when the Falcons get close.

Mike Cox, Fullback

After rookie fullback Bradie Ewing went down in the preseason, the Falcons were left without a viable replacement for ex-Pro Bowl FB Ovie Mughelli.  The Lousaka Polite experiment failed, so now Mike Cox (No. 42 above) is back paving the way for Michael Turner, Jason Snelling, and Jacquizz Rodgers. 

While the fullback position has been de-emphasized throughout the league, the importance of having a good lead blocker in goal line situations like the one pictured above cannot be understated. 

If Michael Turner is going to start punching the ball in for touchdowns consistently in these goal to go situations, the Falcons need Mike Cox to bring his lunch pail to work.

Matt Bryant, Kicker

I know it's not a very sexy pick, but think about it for a moment.  How many games this season have already come down to Matt Bryant's foot? 

Now look ahead to the next six weeks and beyond.  As I mentioned earlier, four of the Falcons' last six opponents are from within the NFC South. 

Divisional opponents know each other well, and regardless of the teams' respective records, these games tend to be close.  Matt Bryant has only missed three field goals all year. 

Although the Falcons need to come away from the red-zone with touchdowns, they will need the continued assurance that Matt Bryant can get them three points when they need them.

Matt Ryan, Quarterback

I realize that some of you may think that I'm being “Mr. Obvious” here, but I would be remiss not to include Matt Ryan on this list.  This is a quarterback's league, and teams only go as far as their quarterbacks take them. 

Matt Ryan bulked up in the offseason for the stretch run, and no matter what Ryan may say about not paying attention to the media, he isn't Helen Keller.  Ryan didn't get to where he is in his career without an ego, and you can bet that he wants to shed this “can't win a playoff game label” more than anyone else. 

Ryan had made great strides in this new offense until Sunday's five interception effort.  This team can't afford for Matt Ryan to sulk and get trigger shy now. 

Elite quarterbacks have short memories.  It's time for Matt Ryan to be elite.