Can't see the Falcons winning Sunday. Could see them winning at New England, at Dallas, at New Orleans. Thought they would at Carolina. But not at the New York Giants.
Three reasons why:
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--Matt Ryan is slumping as badly as home builders, and he's not likely to rebound with no Michael Turner (ankle) in the huddle. If Turner's backup, Jerious Norwood (hip), plays at all, he will be limited. Jason Snelling busts his butt, but asking him for 20 carries is cruel and unusual punishment.
--The Giants hold the distinct advantage of a week off prior to this game. (That's four rested teams the Falcons face this year, which the club should point out of schedule-makers. Unfair.)
--The Giants (5-4), a proud franchise with a Super Bowl trophy that has not lost its sheen, have dropped four straight. In the NFC East, five in a row puts a serious crimp in title plans. This will be a motivated, partly desperate team.
Ryan does get his left tackle, Sam Baker, back. Protection should be shored up.
But the drop-off from Turner to the next guy is vast, so the Giants' D can key on the quarterback. As for Matt? Splat.
Giants have lost to four pretty good teams, but the Falcons should be just as desperate to get the season back on track.
Has Eli's foot injury contributed to the Giants losing streak? Is he better? Can we get any pressure on him?
Not sure why asking Snelling to step up should be a problem. He's got a great per yard average, and he weighs 20 lbs. more than the league leading rusher. Besides, Tony Gonzales is almost a running back anyway. Flip him a bunch of screens to keep the D off of Ryan.
The off week for the G's is a problem for us. Really crappy scheduling luck. The Falcons should be getting pretty good at dealing with that circumstance though. Not sure what the strategy would be though; no huddle?
Falcons win by 3.