As the Falcons prepare to return to the Georgia Dome to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, keep an eye on these storylines.
Two of the best wide receiver duos will be going head-to-head as the Atlanta Falcons take on the Chicago Bears this week. Julio Jones and Roddy White have a combined 765 yards and five touchdowns while Bears receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey have a combined 547 yards and seven touchdowns.
RB Antone Smith has been one of the most explosive players on the Falcons offense with touchdowns over 38 yards in four of the first five games. Smith's 78-yard touchdown against the New York Giants was the biggest play of the day for the Falcons and gave the Falcons a 10-point lead after halftime before the Giants bounced back.
WR Devin Hester has fit into the Falcons offense's puzzle perfectly this year and this week Hester will be taking on his former team in the Chicago Bears. Hester had 18 career non-offense touchdowns while playing for the Bears, but broke the record this season as a Falcon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
These two teams are in the same position. Both the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears are a game behind the leaders in the division and suffering two losses in a row, so both teams are searching for redemption on Sunday.
OL Gabe Carimi and the rest of the offensive line looked solid during the first half of play against the New York Giants. Carimi has shown that both him and the rest of the offensive line have what it takes to hold strong and give QB Matt Ryan time if they can replicate the first half they had this last week.
What the team has lacked on the road, they have made up for at home and returning to the Dome can't come soon enough. Undefeated at home so far this season, the Falcons have an opportunity to get back to a .500 record this Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
The loss against the New York Giants may have been tough, but it's only Week 6 and the season is far from over. The Carolina Panthers only have a one game lead over the Atlanta Falcons in the division, and the Falcons are tied with the New Orleans Saints after they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The division is still a horse race and anything is possible.
TE Levine Toilolo may not have had any catches during Sunday's loss to the New York Giants, but he was a key contributor blocking including on RB Steven Jackson's touchdown run. As injuries depleted the offensive line against the Minnesota Vikings, it was Toilolo that filled in and his versitility has been a valuable asset for the Falcons offense.
A forced fumble on special teams gave the Atlanta Falcons great field position, but the team failed to capitalize and were held to a field goal. The drive before was also held to a field goal inside the 20-yard line. The struggle in the redzone and failure to convert third downs are both areas that need improvement before the Falcons take on the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears final three drives ended in an interception and two fumbles which the Carolina Panthers capitalized on. The Atlanta Falcons need to take advantage of any opportunites the Bears give them in order and replicate that same success.
Starting at center this week after the loss of C Joe Hawley for the season was Peter Konz and he showed he could fill the shoes.
The Atlanta Falcons will be looking to repeat the success of the first half of the game against the New York Giants. RB Steven Jackson ran for a touchdown, special teams forced a fumble and the defense held the Giants to 10 points. Consistency is the emphasis for the team as they continue to prepare for the Chicago Bears.
Keep an eye on these players returning from injury. There is a possibility that WR Harry Douglas and G Justin Blalock could be active for the game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons coaching staff met Tuesday to identify what worked and what didn't in Sunday's 30-20 loss against the New York Giants. The meeting didn't finish without initial plans being discussed for the upcoming Week 6 matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Minutes after the coaching staff's meeting, Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan addressed reporters, sharing some takeaways from the Week 5 game, which saw the Falcons' defense play better against the run, statistically, holding the Giants to 124 yards rushing, 117 yards fewer than the 241 rushing yards allowed against the Vikings in Week 4.
The Falcons' D also limited the G-Men to three explosive plays (20-plus yards or more), thanks in part to a better focus on each play, allowing for better execution of the calls.
On the flip side, Nolan wants to see the progress from Week 4 to Week 5 carried over to the upcoming practice week, ultimately culminating in a convincing Sunday performance with the Falcons facing a deeply-talented Bears team. "I want us to take another step," Nolan said Tuesday. "We played a better team and we played better, in my opinion, against the Giants. We're going to play a good Chicago team, and a little better offense than what we just faced as well, not to take anything away from the Giants; Eli (Manning) is a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, but they (the Chicago Bears) have a lot of big, strong weapons that we're getting ready to face; so, I'd like us to do the same thing, take another positive step and play a little better."
