FALCONS (3-1) VS. BRONCOS (4-0)
SUNDAY, 4:05 P.M. ET, SPORTS AUTHORITY FIELD AT MILE HIGH, DENVER uTV: CBS, DIRECTV 712
Announcers: Chris Myers, John Lynch, Pam Oliver
About the Falcons: After scoring 128 points in the last three weeks, the Falcons take their led aerial show to Denver to face the rugged Broncos defense. Ryan passed for 503 yards, including 300 to WR
in Atlanta’s 48-33 victory against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He averaged 18.0 yards per completion against the Panthers, and the Falcons had 10 possessions with at least 10 plays. For the season, Ryan has completed 72.1% of his passes, totaled 1,473 yards (368.3 per game and 10.52 per attempt) with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Three of his four touchdowns against the Panthers went for 35, 42 and 75 yards. The 300 yards by Jones were the sixth most in league history.
The Broncos didn’t miss a beat when QB left the 27-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers late in the first half because of an injury to his left shoulder. With Denver leading 14-7 at the time, rookie led a drive to a field goal and a 17-7 halftime lead. For the game, he completed 14 of 24 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and a 94.1 passer rating. Lynch threw his first touchdown pass as a pro, hitting WR on a 5-yard play in the fourth quarter for the game’s final points. Siemian’s availability this week is uncertain, but coach said he could have returned to the game if necessary. Of Lynch, Kubiak said, “I thought he handled himself well. He made some big third downs for us. He got the ball down the field, and I really liked the way he avoided some bad plays and threw the ball away. I thought that was impressive.”
Matchup to watch: Broncos CBs Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones. It remains to be seen how often each of Denver’s corners will be matched up on Jones, but the competition will be fierce. Talib had two interceptions against the Bucs and has three this season, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
It seems to be a different pass rusher each game who puts up big numbers. One game, it’s OLB with three sacks, then OLB Sunday, Wolfe had 21⁄ sacks while adding six tackles, two for losses, and finishing with five quarterback hits.
Yards the Falcons gained on two touchdown drives against Carolina that began at the 1- and 2yard line. Each possession featured a 10-yard penalty but took a total of only 9:20 off the clock.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Limiting Ryan: The Broncos have allowed 64 points and two passing touchdowns. They also have 12 sacks, and Ryan has been sacked nine times in the first four games. The Denver defense entered Week 4 with a 68.5 passer rating against, and Bucs QB Jameis Winston had a 40.1 rating Sunday.
A better question might be: Does it matter? WRs Sanders (eight catches, 88 yards) and
(six, 94) combined for 14 receptions and 182 yards, and each had a touchdown Sunday against Tampa Bay.
The Broncos are trying to make running a priority. RBs (19 carries, 49 yards) and
(seven, 30) combined for 26 carries and 79 yards Sunday, and Atlanta’s runners were similar. (13, 57) and (eight, 19) totaled 76 yards on 21 attempts.
Howard Balzer