Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons: Complete Week 13 Preview for Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals take each other on in a matchup between division leaders. Arizona brings its 9-2 record into the Georgia Dome to face an Atlanta team who is a better team than their 4-7 record indicates.
Atlanta faces a tough one in the dome as they continue to fight for Mike Smith's job past 2014. If the Falcons can somehow win the division, it will be because they stood up and fought for it with competent coaching, motivated offensive play and talented defense.
Atlanta's competition for the rest of the season is a bit of a Murderer's Row. They get the 9-2 Cardinals at home, travel to Lambeau Field to take on the 8-3 Packers and then finish up in domes against Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Carolina. Hopefully, they can win four of their final games to finish the season at .500.
Atlanta Falcons Week 12 Recap
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Mike Smith screwed up with his clock management at the end of the Browns game, losing yet another contest for the Falcons with his poor coaching decisions. Atlanta needs him to figure out clock management through the remaining five games if it wants to win the division.
Atlanta lost 26-24 to the Browns in last week's game on a last-second field goal. The Falcons didn't play their best game, but they still almost won due to excellent defensive play at the end of the game before the final drive and solid offensive play.
Atlanta needs to rebound against the Cardinals if it wants a shot at winning the division. Sitting at 4-7 heading into the final five weeks, Atlanta might need to sweep its last few games in order to give Smith a shot at keeping his job.
The Falcons luckily didn't have many injuries vs. the Browns that should carry over to future weeks, and getting back William Moore should help them moving forward. Atlanta needs to forget about this Browns game unless it is using it as motivation to perform in future weeks.
News and Notes
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Julio Jones Tries to Best Patrick Peterson One More Time
Julio Jones and Patrick Peterson have a rivalry that dates back to their college days at Alabama and LSU, respectively. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com quoted Julio Jones about the previous matchups between the two talented athletes.
"From my record, the only thing I can remember is I won three and lost one," Jones said. "I whipped him twice in college, lost once in college, and I won one time in the NFL. That's the only thing I can remember. You can take that how you want to take it.
But I ain't really big on no talk or this and that because it's a team game. At the end of the day, you've got to get the 'W.'
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In the first matchup between the two in 2008, Jones went off for seven catches and 128 yards. In the second matchup, he had four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Then in the third matchup, he caught 10 balls for 89 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn't until the pros that Peterson was able to get the better of Jones for one game. Back in 2012, Peterson held Jones to just three catches for 33 yards on seven targets. Atlanta will need to target and hit Jones on more passes this week for a legitimate shot to win. Peterson plays a crucial role in this game.
William Moore Returns to Face the Cardinals
The Associated Press reported that William Moore was activated and Atlanta cut reserve offensive lineman Cameron Bradfield (h/t Macon Telegraph). Kemal Ishmael has been excellent in reserve for Moore intercepting three passes and earning his way to second on the team in tackles with Moore out.
"With Moore returning, Kemal Ishmael is likely to work again in a reserve role. Robert McClain will start for the second straight week at cornerback for Robert Alford (wrist).
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The AP report suggests that Moore's return will mean that Ishmael gets benched again. However, with Dwight Lowery's experience at slot cornerback, the Falcons could wind up keeping the three safeties of Moore, Lowery and Ishmael on the field in various roles.
Putting Moore at linebacker on some plays, Lowery at slot corner on some plays or Ishmael as a box safety on some plays could be a way to have all three players on the field and give offenses some unique looks. Atlanta has the talent at safety to confuse Drew Stanton and should use all of it.
Larry Fitzgerald Might Miss His Second Game of the Season
Larry Fitzgerald has been fighting a nagging sprained MCL injury in his knee. Should he be able to go, the Cardinals are expecting him to go full blast. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com quoted Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians about how he'd use Fitzgerald:
""Last year with his hamstring, he always practiced," Arians said. "And he knew how to gauge it. This is a little bit more severe than that."
If Fitzgerald plays against the Falcons, against whom he's averaging 53.7 yards per game against in his career, it won't be in a limited role.
"If he goes, he goes," Arians said. "That's the only reason he's going to play because he can play."
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Even if Fitzgerald is limited, the Falcons should treat him like he's the guy to stop. Michael Floyd doesn't get a ton of targets, and Robert McClain does better against the mid-speed, more physical receivers. Desmond Trufant should be the one matched up with Fitzgerald if he's healthy.
Without Fitzgerald, the Falcons defensive scheme can be more complex. There isn't a single receiver on the Cardinals that can emulate the talent of Fitzgerald, so the Falcons can decide to run more heavy-blitz concepts attacking the weak interior line of Arizona.
Injury Report
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| Pos | Name | Injury | Weds | Thur | Fri | Game Status |
| WR | Roddy White | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Questionable |
| WR | Harry Douglas | Foot | DNP | LP | FP | Probable |
| OT | Jonathan Scott | Hamstring | LP | FP | FP | Probable |
| DT | Paul Soliai | Not Injury-Related | DNP | DNP | DNP | Questionable |
| CB | Robert Alford | Wrist | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| S | William Moore | Shoulder | FP | Probable |
*All injury statuses from the Atlanta Falcons' official website.
DNP: Did Not Practice
LP: Limited Participation in Practice
FP: Full Participation in Practice
Roddy White has been battling ankle injuries through the season and through most of last season. His lack of practicing this week gives the impression that he isn't going to play despite Mike Smith saying he expects him to do so (h/t ESPN's Vaughn McClure).
White would be replaced by either Harry Douglas or Devin Hester on the field. Douglas was also injured but should play this week. Jonathan Scott hasn't been active since he signed with the Falcons, so it'd be surprising to see him active this week even if he is 100 percent healthy.
Paul Soliai seemingly was out for a personal situation off the field. If he's not going to play, Atlanta won't experience much drop off with either Ra'Shede Hageman or Corey Peters playing in his role for this week's game. Robert Alford is out yet again for this week due to his broken wrist.
He's going to be replaced again by Robert McClain or Josh Wilson. They didn't do very well in their first game as the right cornerback rotation. However, they should fare better against worse competition. William Moore is back, though the Falcons could opt to go with more safeties than cornerbacks on the active roster this week.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Drew Stanton vs. Atlanta's Pass Defense
Drew Stanton has been a mediocre quarterback through his starts with Bruce Arians. The trick to beating Stanton is putting him on his butt and creating pressure. Atlanta's safeties are getting back William Moore to bolster an already strong unit.
Desmond Trufant has the ability to take a receiver completely out of the game while Josh Wilson and Robert McClain have been a bit suspect on the other side and in the nickel. Atlanta could decide to play mainly safeties in the secondary in dime and nickel packages to cover some weaknesses.
Julio Jones vs. Patrick Peterson
Julio Jones and Patrick Peterson are going to renew a rivalry that they went through in college. Jones got the better of Peterson when they were playing in the old Alabama-LSU rivalry games. Jones has the speed and route-running ability to create separation from the excellent Cardinals corner.
However, Peterson can jump routes and make Matt Ryan pay if he makes an inaccurate throw. The Falcons need to let Ryan make some throws that could wind up in some contested catches for Jones. Jones has the jumping ability to beat out Peterson on those catches, and the Falcons should test Peterson there.
Jake Matthews vs. Calais Campbell
Jake Matthews has had a bit of an up and down season. Through the first four games, he looked like he was having a seamless transition into the pros. But from week five and through the bye week, he had some issues taking on some of the better pass rushers like Jason Pierre-Paul, Ziggy Ansah and Jared Allen.
This past week, he looked better. But whether he can hang with Calais Campbell remains to be seen. Campbell has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL this year. If Matthews is 100 percent healthy and ready to go, he could be the one who wins this matchup while keeping Matt Ryan upright.
Falcons' X-Factor of the Week: Ra'Shede Hageman
If the Falcons are going to win, it's going to be because someone creates an interior presence in the pass rush. Their best interior penetrator right now is the explosive Ra'Shede Hageman. He doesn't see a ton of snaps, but if the Falcons get a lead and want a pass rusher on the inside, they'll play Hageman more.
He also tends to get his hands up to bat passes often. With Hageman out there knocking passes in the air, the Falcons could end up intercepting Drew Stanton early and often. They just have to unleash the beast that they invested a No. 37 overall pick into. Paul Soliai might not play and that could give Hageman more snaps.
Prediction
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This is Atlanta's biggest test of the season. If the game was in Arizona and Carson Palmer was healthy, I'd be predicting a blowout. But, because the game is in Atlanta, I'm going with the Cardinals in a much closer game. Atlanta doesn't have the coaching or personnel to match up well.
On offense, the Falcons need to find an answer for the blitz schemes the Cardinals will throw at them. If they can do that, they still need Julio Jones and Roddy White to beat single coverages coming from Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie.
On defense, the Falcons have to get after Drew Stanton in the backfield. But that means they have to develop an interior pass rush they don't tend to get unless they blitz. The only lucky thing for the Falcons right now is the Cardinals don't have a ton of passing targets.
Prediction: Cardinals 28, Falcons 21
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.
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