The Atlanta Falcons are still in the playoff hunt, but they are hanging onto their playoff lives by a thread, and they seemingly must win out to even sniff a postseason berth. However, you can’t win out without winning the game in front of you, and this week that is the Detroit Lions.
While the Lions come into this game 2-11-1, they are 2-1 in their last three games after starting the season 0-11-1, and one of those wins came last week in a shocking 30-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals, who have been talked about as Super Bowl contenders all season long. The Falcons got bullied by the 49ers last week 13-31 in a loss that was a big blow to their playoff hopes. Now they have to bounce back this week to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Falcons also have yet to win a game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season, so they are trying to get that pressure off of them. The Falcons have shown they can’t beat good teams as they are 0-7 against teams that are .500 or better this season. However, Atlanta does take care of business against lesser teams as they are 6-1 against teams that are below .500.
With all of that being said, what should we expect from this Lions and Falcons game? John and Hugh give some keys to the game, and things to look out for on Sunday.
On the side of the Detroit Lions, Hugh pointed to that big win against the Cardinals saying “They haven’t had that feeling in a long time, so they are going to try and keep that going.” Hugh also made the point that a team like this has no pressure on them, and they “have no tendencies.”
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Hugh also says to “expect a lot of trick plays” from the Lions because “they are going to throw the kitchen sink at you because they have nothing to lose.”
The Lions could be getting reinforcements this week as well with the possible returns of their top two running backs De’Andre Swift and Jamal Williams. Both Swift and Williams practiced Wednesday with Swift coming back from a long layoff due to a shoulder injury, and Williams coming off the COVID-19 list. However, while the Lions could be getting their best options back in the run game they could be without their best option at quarterback as Jared Goff is currently on the COVID-19 list, and Goff’s chances to play Sunday are unlikely due to the fact that he told 97.1 WXYT-FM in his weekly interview that he had cold-like symptoms that led him to take a COVID test Monday, and then the Lions QB tested positive on Wednesday.
If Goff is unable to play Sunday, Lions backup quarterback Tim Boyle will get the start. Boyle has made one start this season against the Cleveland Browns while Goff was dealing with an injury. The third-year quarterback’s stat line was anything but impressive as he was 15-for-23, throwing for 77 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. If Boyle indeed is the starter on Sunday that seems like it would be advantage for the Falcons.
When it comes to the Falcons, Hugh said it best. “They got beat up a little bit last week.” The San Francisco 49ers manhandled and bullied the Falcons on offense and defense. The 49ers sacked Matt Ryan three times and had him running for his life and on his back all game long.
San Francisco ran for 162 yards as a team with three rushing touchdowns. Both lines for the 49ers owned both lines for the Falcons last week. However, this week the Falcons aren’t playing against a Kyle Shanahan-led offense that features Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jeff Wilson Jr., and company. This week the Falcons are going up against a Lions team that is lead by a rookie head coach in Dan Campbell that probably won’t have starting quarterback Jared Goff, may or may not have De’Andre Swift and/or Jamal Williams, and the rest of the Lions roster is definitely not as talented as the 49ers roster.
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The Falcons should be able to run the football better, protect Ryan better, get more stops on defense, and create turnovers just because of the simple fact the Lions aren’t a good team that is missing its starting quarterback. Now, the Lions have shown they have fully taken on the role of spoiler after their win against the Cardinals last week. But against a desperate Falcons team things could be different.
“At this point they just want to win, and stay alive for the playoffs,” Hugh said, and believes Atlanta should be very motivated to get a win against a team the Falcons should beat.
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All signs point to the Falcons keeping their slim playoff hopes alive, and getting their first win of the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday against the Lions. But then again, the Cardinals were expected to beat the Lions too.