Atlanta Falcons Looking For 5-0 Start With A Victory Over Washington Redskins
The Atlanta Falcons will have to go through the Washington Redskins on Sunday to remain among the NFL teams still undefeated this year.
As noted by ESPN, the last time the Atlanta Falcons started the season 4-0 (in 2012), they ended up in the NFC Championship game. But the momentum that Atlanta has right now is even hotter than in 2012. So far, the Falcons have managed to win each week by more than the prior week.
Back to work today.
PRACTICE PHOTOS: http://t.co/X8Ar3v4TrK #WASvsATL pic.twitter.com/ZnrdqUdCRD
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 7, 2015
For their season opener, the Falcons hosted the Philadelphia Eagles and won the game by two points, 26-24. Atlanta doubled their margin of victory the following week, traveling to New York to beat the Giants by four, 24-20. In Week 3, the Falcons were on the road in Dallas, beating the Cowboys by 11, 39-28. When the Atlanta Falcons returned home last week, they destroyed the Houston Texans by 27 points, 48-21. After four weeks, those teams combine for a record of 6-10.
With those four victories behind them, the Atlanta Falcons have to focus on their opponents for the NFL’s Week 5, the Washington Redskins. While the Falcons are hoping to remain undefeated, the Redskins are hoping to remain above.500. But as Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith demonstrates in the interview below, the Falcons aren’t taking the Redskins lightly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwyamtfKQso
The Falcons aren’t the only team coming into Sunday’s game with momentum on their side. As noted by Sports Illustrated, the Redskins had a come-from-behind victory last week, scoring a touchdown with just 26 seconds left in the game against the Eagles. They also beat the St. Louis Rams at home in Week 2. The combined record of the Eagles and Rams stands at 3-5 after Week 4.
The Atlanta Falcons’ opponents for Sunday dropped games to the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively. The Dolphins/Giants combined record is also 3-5, meaning that the Redskins’ first four opponents’ combined record is the same as that of the Atlanta Falcons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCfmLeDmbXs
An interesting match-up in this game will be the Atlanta Falcons running game against the Redskins’ run defense. Washington has allowed their opponents just 78 rushing yards per game, which makes them the second best team in the NFL at stopping the run game. Fantasy favorite Devonta Freeman has only averaged 63 rushing yards per game but also has seven rushing touchdowns. Freeman also averages nearly 50 receiving yards per game.
https://twitter.com/AtlantaGARR/status/648475395042361348
Another critical match-up will be Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons passing game against the Washington secondary. With DeAngelo Hall (CB) out for the Redskins, Ryan should find an easier time hitting Julio Jones (WR) or Leonard Hankerson (WR) with the long ball. Hankerson is a former Redskin, as is fellow receiver Nick Williams and right guard Chris Chester.
Vegas odds currently have the Atlanta Falcons as seven-point favorites. Both teams are fighting to stay atop their respective divisions. The Falcons are tied with the undefeated Carolina Panthers in the NFC South. Two other teams have 2-2 records along with the Redskins in the NFC East, including the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
The Atlanta Falcons host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, October 11 at 1 p.m. EST at the Georgia Dome. The game will air live on FOX. According to projections at NFL.com, players to watch this week for your fantasy league include the Washington Redskins’ Pierre Garcon (WR) and Alfred Morris (RB) — both of whom cracked the Top 100 for Week 5 — and Matt Ryan (QB), Devonta Freeman (RB) and Julio Jones (WR) from the Atlanta Falcons, all of whom cracked the Top 12.
[Image credit Scott Cunningham/Getty Images]
