Putting up 40-plus on the woeful Saints is one thing. Doing the same against the defending NFC champions with a reputation for stifling defence – well, now it might be time to take the Atlanta Falcons seriously.
That’s at least true of their offence, which is the main reason behind their 3-1 start. Their 152 points scored are by far the most in the NFL through the first four weeks. The Falcons also lead the league with 478.8 yards per game and 354.2 passing yards per game. They’re No 6 in rushing yards per game for good measure.
Atlanta are already two games up on the rest of the NFC South, with only an opening-week stumble to Tampa Bay – who haven’t won since – blemishing their record.
Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards on the Panthers, a ridiculous 300 of which went to Julio Jones, who came into the game with a somewhat disappointing 188 yards through the first three games. Each player set franchise records for most yards in a game at their positions.
Incredible.
Every catch from @juliojones_11's historical night. #CARvsATL https://t.co/0nQ1rlqs1D
Any concerns about Jones – who had only one catch against New Orleans the week prior – are safely assuaged. Ryan’s day, which also included four touchdown passes, was the latest show in what is turning out to be a career year for the 9-year veteran. He’s on pace for almost 5,900 passing yards. The single-season record is 5,477.
The Falcons have needed almost every bit of their prolific scoring, though, because the defence is almost as bad as the offence is good. But there are at least encouraging signs on that side of the ball. Rookie linebacker Deion Jones has been an athletic disruptor and playmaker. Veteran Dwight Freeney, a late addition in the preseason, has added much-needed pass rushing. Second-year cornerback Jalen Collins will join the team in Denver next week after serving a four-game suspension. Rookie safety Keanu Neal has shown flashes as a hard hitter, though he’s raw in coverage. Desmond Trufant, one of the league’s top cornerbacks, is the unit’s only real constant.
If a defence is struggling early in the season, coaches would at least hope it’s filled with promising young players who are gaining experience and gathering their bearings. The young Falcons defence has allowed 31 points per game, which is 29th out of 32 teams. But there’s no reason to think the rookies and young players won’t improve as the season goes on. As long as the offence keeps lighting other teams on fire, Atlanta can deal with the growing pains on defence.
Preseason rankings had the Falcons having to play the league's toughest schedule, and so far they've more than held their own. Road games at Denver and Seattle the next two weeks will be their toughest tests yet, but with the way the Falcons are scoring right now, there's no team they should fear.
Lowering Arizona
On the other end of the spectrum are the Arizona Cardinals, who – along with the Panthers – are among the league's most disappointing teams at 1-3. Their Sunday home loss to the Los Angeles Rams – who are somehow 3-1 despite only 63 points scored and a minus-13 point differential – was the worst of the three losses, and it's high time to reconsider the lofty place pundits had them in the preseason.
The biggest reason for the fall has been the sub-par play of Carson Palmer, who after putting up MVP-type numbers last season has been downright mediocre this year. And that was before having to leave the Rams game with a concussion. His replacement, Drew Stanton, was even worse, throwing two deflating interceptions. The Cardinals out-gained the Rams 420 yards to 288, but had five turnovers and were generally out-classed at home.
Even worse, Stanton might have to take the starting reigns next week should Palmer not recover. A loss to the equally struggling Blaine Gabbert and the San Francisco 49ers, and it might be time to count the Cardinals out.
Meh
While it’s panic time in Arizona and Carolina, Sunday’s 16-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills should inspire little more than a shrug from New England Patriots faithful.
It was the fourth and final game of Tom Brady’s suspension, and the prior three weeks while starting Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback were so impressive that Bill Belichick and company could get away with treating Buffalo as little more than a preseason opponent. If Belichick were concerned about the threat the Bills (2-2) posed in the AFC East, the Bills would have lost on Sunday. Instead, the Pats were just fine with rolling out hobbled, third-string Brissett, a vanilla game plan, falling to 3-1 and preparing for the rest of the season with Brady at the helm.
Sure, every game counts in the 16-game NFL regular season, but the 4-time champion Patriots have far bigger concerns than a Week 4 match with a desperate Buffalo team. Sunday’s 16-0 loss was as meaningless to the Patriots as such defeats go.
Play of the week, Non-Julio Jones Division
Julio took most of the headlines, but perhaps lost in the shuffle was the day by Oakland Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree, who had 3 receiving touchdowns for an on-the-rise Raiders offence. The last one from quarterback Derek Carr was a beauty that gave Oakland the lead for good over Baltimore.
Stat of the week, Non-Atlanta Falcons Division
Dallas Cowboys rookie sensation Dak Prescott hasn’t just held down the starting quarterback job in Tony Romo’s stead, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
As the Dallas Morning News points out, there are 25 quarterbacks who have started all four of their teams' games this season. Prescott is the only one among them to have not thrown an interception. He's thrown 131 passes with no picks, an NFL rookie record.
With three straight wins, the Cowboys look just fine, and Romo can take his time coming back.
kjeffers@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
