Arizona Cardinals Familiar With The Atlanta Falcons
By Scott Allen
The Arizona Cardinals travel to face the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta
The Arizona Cardinals face a team this Sunday that they should be very familiar with in the Atlanta Falcons. This is the seventh meeting in the last nine seasons. One of those meetings was the NFC Wild Card game in 2009. The Cardinals defeated the Falcons last season in Glendale 27-13.
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The last time the Cardinals went to Atlanta was in 2012. That was a game they jumped out to a 13-0 lead and eventually lost 23-19 due to a complete lack of offense. Of course the offense is a big question once again however this 2014 offense is light years better than the 2012 offense, despite the lack of points on the board.
Defense ruled the day in 2012. Last season in Glendale it was a bit of the same. Running back Andre Ellington had a huge day against the Falcons last season. Ellington ran the ball 15 times for a career-high 154 yards, thanks in big part to an 80-yard touchdown run.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has actually had a pretty good season to date. He has a completion percentage of 65.1. He has 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Those aren’t usually the type of quarterback numbers you’d associate with a 4-7 team, a 4-7 team mind you that has a lot to play for being in first place in the NFC South.
Their defense is the main culprit this season. They had a 21-0 lead last month against the Detroit Lions at halftime, only to lose 22-21. Last week they had their game against the Cleveland Browns all but wrapped up. However they allowed the Browns to march down the field in 44 seconds and win the game 26-24.
This Cardinals regime has seen the Falcons just once before but some of these guys were there for the loss in 2012 as well. They need to remember that one and finish the job this time. Easier said than done but this isn’t Seattle.