Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings preview: Week Four

It feels like an eternity since we last saw the Atlanta Falcons on the football field, but in case you have forgotten, things went pretty well last Thursday in the Georgia Dome. However, that is simply one (very lopsided) result, and the team will be back to the business at hand as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in a road tilt on Sunday afternoon. Here is a look at what to expect on the field.

Opponent: Minnesota Vikings

Time/TV: 4:25 pm ET, FOX

Falcons Offense vs. Vikings Defense

The Week 3 massacre against Tampa Bay is not indicative of what we can expect here, but in the same breath, Matt Ryan and the passing game have been tremendous over the first three games. Even with the blip against the Bengals, the Falcons lead the NFL in passing yards per game, and when Julio Jones is healthy, he has proven to be one of the uber-elite wide receivers in all of the NFL. In addition, Roddy White will be back from his injury absence in this game, adding to the dynamic passing attack, and if Dirk Koetter can continue to maximize Devin Hester and his corps of running backs, that would certainly be optimal, especially against the Vikings.

Minnesota has been a solid but unspectacular defense through the first trio of games, currently ranking 13th in the NFL against the pass and 15th in the NFL against the run. Quite obviously, the Falcons are a much, much better team when they are opening things up in the passing game, so it would not be a surprise if the play-calling leaned toward that area of the field. At the same time, however, this is not a “Dome” game, as Minnesota is currently playing home games at an outdoor venue, and in the one road tilt of the season, Atlanta’s offense sputtered in a big way.

On the ground, the situation is uncertain for the Falcons. Atlanta did rush for 144 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and three scores against Tampa Bay’s banged-up front, but for the year, both Steven Jackson (4.1 YPC) and Jacquizz Rodgers (3.9 YPC) have been somewhat underwhelming. The allotment of carries will continue to be a trend to follow for the Falcons in this area, but until Steven Jackson utterly flounders, it will be his job to carry the rock for the game’s first carry and with any goal line work.

Falcons Defense vs. Vikings Offense

The Teddy Bridgewater traveling roadshow begins in earnest on Sunday, as the Vikings lost starter Matt Cassel to injury, allowing them to promote their rookie stud to the first team on a permanent basis. Bridgewater is clearly an upgrade on Cassel from a talent perspective, but at the same time, this will be his first full week as an NFL starter, which likely gives the upper hand to Mike Nolan and this defense in preparation.

In addition to the Bridgewater story line, Minnesota is (still) playing without Adrian Peterson, and as a result, their running game is pedestrian at best. Matt Asiata is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the season, and even in what appears to be a favorable match-up against Atlanta’s defense, he can’t be considered a legitimate threat for explosive plays. Behind Asiata, the Vikings do have a higher upside back in Jerick McKinnon, but to this point, he has only five carries on the season.

The biggest worry spot for Atlanta in this match-up (and virtually every match-up) comes through the air, where the Vikings have two productive wide receivers in Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings. The duo of Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford has played well this season, but the pass rush remains a glaring issue, and in the case of Patterson, the Vikings could do a number of different things to allow him to operate in space.

Teddy Bridgewater is dangerous, simply because he has big-time arm talent, but on paper, this would be one of the best match-ups of the season for Atlanta’s defensive unit.

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Because of the venue and what transpired during the only road tilt of the season, many Falcons fans are uneasy and that is understandable. With that said, the Vikings are simply not the same team offensively without Peterson at their disposal, and even with a defense that holds a claim as a top-15 unit to this point in the year, Atlanta is the better team from top to bottom.

Stay tuned for post-game coverage, and a live game thread that will post on Sunday morning. In addition, be sure to follow ATL All Day for the latest on the Atlanta Falcons.