New Orleans at Atlanta matchups: Saints defense vs. Falcons offense

The New Orleans Saints defense rebounded from an abysmal performance in week one Womens Patrick Robinson Jersey , helping the team pull out a victory against Cleveland last week despite offensive struggles. After evening their record at 1-1, the Saints travel to face bitter rival Atlanta, also with a 1-1 record. New Orleans has struggled to stop the Falcons from moving the ball in recent years, but when the Saints have prevailed it has been due to the ability to cause turnovers. The Saints have seen alot of ups and downs in the season's first two games, but let's have a look at how this Jekyll and Hyde unit matches up against a longtime foe. SAINTS PASS DEFENSE vs. FALCONS PASS OFFENSE Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesThe New Orleans defense is surrendering 11.4 yards per pass attempt, among the worst in the league, and rank 29th in the league defending the pass. They did rebound a bit last week against Cleveland, sacking Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor three times and intercepting him once. Still, coverage breakdowns in the secondary late in the fourth quarter put Cleveland in a position to win or tie the game on two separate occasions. The team's defensive line played well against Cleveland last week, hurrying Taylor on several occasions. Cameron Jordan recorded his first two sacks of the year, and Sheldon Rankins produced good pressure from his defensive tackle position while getting a sack of his own. Both Alex Okafor and rookie first round pick Marcus Davenport had solid games opposite Jordan, and all three are capable of putting quick pressure on the pass pocket from the edge. The team's secondary is still giving up explosive plays down the field, a disturbing trend that theymostly avoided last season. Marcus Williams nabbed the team's first interception of the year last week, after ranking third in the league with 20 pickoffs a year ago, but the team's safeties in general are struggling in deep coverage. Cornerbacks Ken Crawley and Patrick Robinson have been victimized down the field, and the entire secondary has been vulnerable out of the slot. Marshon Lattimore played better in his match ups with Browns wideout Jarvis Landry after getting torched by Tampa Bay's Mike Evans the previous week, holding Landry to just 69 yards on five catches. The Saints defense continues to struggle with athletic tight ends down the middle, but the team's linebackers have reacted well to opposing backs out of the backfield. They will face a stiff test this week, however, with Atlanta's Tevin Coleman coming out of the backfield. The Falcons enter the game ranked just 16th in the league throwing the football, but are led by quarterback Matt Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP. Ryan has gotten off to a slow start this year, completing 62% of his passes for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. This after a 2017 where he struggled with consistency. Ryan's favorite target is one of the best in the NFL, Julio Jones. The perennial pro bowler has 15 catches for 243 yards thus far this season, but has yet to find his way into the end zone. One of the league's more underrated wideouts is Mohamed Sanu. Although he has just six catches on the year so far, he has had big outputs against the Saints in the past. Atlanta used a first round pick on wide receiver Calvin Ridley from Alabama to add to their staple of weapons. Ridley was held without a catch in week one, but had four for 64 yards and a long touchdown last week against the Panthers. Austin Hooper is coming into his own as an effective tight end. The 2016 3rd round pick has eight catches and a score so far, and can create the sort of problems that O.J. Howard and David Njoku have for New Orleans the previous two games. The Atlanta offensive line protected their passer better in last week's win over Carolina, not allowing a sack after giving up four takedowns in their opening night loss to Philadelphia. Center Alex Mack is among the best in the game, but the Falcons will be without left guard Andy Levitre, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, and left tackle Jake Matthews can struggle against athletic edge rushers. The right side of the Atlanta line is an even bigger question mark, with guard Brandon Fusco and tackle Ryan Schraeder looking like they could be overmatched against the Saints talented front line. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images~ Matchup to watch: Marshon Lattimore vs. Julio Jones ~Another marquee match up for the second year New Orleans cornerback and last year's defensive rookie of the year. Lattimore has gotten off to a slow start this season, failing to contain Tampa's Mike Evans in the opener, but tightened up on Jarvis Landry last week. Jones caught a combined twelve passes for 247 yards against the Saints in two meetings last season, and has tormented New Orleans defensive backs since 2011. Like Michael Thomas Youth Mark Ingram II Jersey , the Saints star wideout, it is next to impossible to shut down Jones. If Lattimore can contain the Falcons All-Pro, then a struggling secondary will be able to focus coverages on Sanu, Ridley, and the other Atlanta receiving weapons. SAINTS RUN DEFENSE vs. FALCONS RUN OFFENSE Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesNew Orleans has the league's 17th ranked rush defense, but has limited their first two opponents to just 3.4 yards per rush, 4th best mark in the league. Jordan and Okafor are outstanding run defenders from their end position, and rookie Davenport has been solid against the rush. Defensive tackle Tyeler Davison will miss his second consecutive game with injury. Rankins controlled the inside against the Browns, and is becoming consistently difficult for opposing blockers to contain. He and David Onyemata's ability to stonewall inside run attempts and disrupt the opponent's backfield is vital to the defensive success, and allows the Saints linebackers to flow to the ball more freely. Demario Davis leads the team in tackles, followed closely by A.J. Klein. Manti Te'o rounds out the Saints typical starters at the second level, although Te'o's status for this game is in question with a knee injury. Second year Alex Anzalone and veteran Craig Robertson would be next up if Te'o can't go, and the New Orleans defensive backs are very aggressive run defenders. The Falcons will likely be without leading rusher Devonta Freeman for this game, missing his second straight with a knee injury. Speedy Tevin Coleman will get the bulk of the carries, and is coming off a 100-yd. rushing performance against the Panthers. Coleman is averaging five yards per rush for the Falcons 8th ranked running attack, but the Devonta/Tevin combination has given the New Orleans defense nightmares in multiple matchups. Rookie fourth round pick Ito Smith has stepped up in Freeman's absence to have 46 yards on 9 carries. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images~ Matchup to watch: Saints LB's vs. Tevin Coleman/Ito Smith ~Demario Davis was brought in as a free agent to upgrade the New Orleans athleticism at linebacker, and combat precisely the type of skillset that the Falcons have out of the backfield. Freeman's probable absence is big, but Coleman has had some huge successes against the Saints in recent seasons, and Smith is showing himself to be a threat in the open field. Alex Anzalone, a good athlete in his own right, did not play in either game against Atlanta last season, and should also play a big role if New Orleans hopes to contain these explosive backs. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesAtlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has had some big yardage output against New Orleans throughout his career. When the Saints have been successful against him, it's been when they have been able to get heavy pressure and cause turnovers. Despite splitting their games last year, Atlanta was held to an average of under 17 points. New Orleans intercepted Ryan 3 times in their first match up, and sacked him 5 times while getting another pick in the rematch. The Saints secondary has had it's struggles early this season, but the talent along the back end is undeniable. They also look to have an edge in talent up front, and Cam Jordan has had some big games against Atlanta throughout his career. The team's linebackers will be tested, but the Saints need to control the Falcons running attack, and force them to be one dimensional. Jones, Ridley, and Sanu will be difficult to shut down, but New Orleans will look to aggressively pressure Ryan often, hoping that the playmakers in the secondary can create turnovers to pull out a key road win.Saints vs. Chargers 2018: The View From Section 123 The New Orleans Saints travelled out to my backyard of Los Angeles, California this past week, having taken part in joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers in Costa Mesa, and culminating with a preseason game in the Chargers’ surrogate home in Carson.I’ve had the great fortune to see the Saints play four times in Southern California since the 2016 season after they hadn't been to the region for a very long time.I’ve given recaps for those games at San Diego (Week 4) ‘16 Womens DeMario Davis Jersey , at Los Angeles (preseason) ‘17, and at Los Angeles (Week 12) ‘17.This will be the last time the Saints play at StubHub Center, as the Chargers are set to move into their massive new Inglewood venue with the Rams in 2020.I’ll miss seeing the Saints in this quaint venue, enjoying the chance to get up close with the team in ways that could not be afforded in usual NFL stadiums and will most certainly be impossible in LA’s upcoming mega-stadium.Much like seeing your favorite musical act in a tiny club, rather than the local arena, this was a unique change of scenery.Here we go with my view from Section 123 in the second row of the end zone near the Saints sideline***StubHub Center, the NFL’s smallest venue by a wide margin, prepares to host Who Dat Nation - SoCal Chapter.***Head Coach Sean Payton about to take advantage of a pregame photo op.***The Saints’ running backs corps.Who stays, who goes?***The Dynamic Duo of the Saints backfield, both playing in a game together for what will likely be the last time until Week 5.***Cameron Meredith snagging some passes in pregame warmups.***Benjamin Watson follows Cam in line to make a grab.***Drew Brees may seem like a lock to make this team, JT Barrett, not so much.***The 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Alvin Kamara, is primed to make another splash in 2018.***The defensive backfield had long been the Saints most glaring weakness.Now the talent in the secondary is quite impressive, led by the 2017 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marshon Lattimore.***The best leg in the business is currently one of the longest-tenured Saints, and he’s back for another season in Black and Gold.***The pregame huddle led by Head Cheermeister, Drew Brees.***Here’s the breakout star of last year’s preseason game in Los Angeles, Al-Quadin Muhammad.***Here, Muhammad is joined by First-round pick, Marcus Davenport, in his first game action of this preseason.***Cam Jordan proves an impressive sight to behold up close.***Sheldon Rankins certainly ranks 98 out of 100 on the “Big Boy” scale.***Expectations will be undoubtedly high for this pair in 2018.Add in Ken Crawley to complete the Saints’ “No Fly Zone”.***Second-year standout, Marcus Williams has been supremely motivated since he left the field in Minnesota this past January.He was focused yet remained quite loose in warmups.***The team prepares for kickoff.***Chris Banjo focuses on the game at hand.***It’s time for the opening kickoff!***No “View From” post is complete without the “Cariello Special” cheerleader shot.***Tom Savage with the handoff to Jonathan Williams.***The diminutive venue was full of Saints fans. Here is a look towards the Saints sideline.***Finally, some action came to our end of the field, and thankfully it was the best moment of the game!***The “other” Marcus Williams’ pick-six had the legion of Saints fans in attendance in a frenzy.***Boston Scott follows up the pick-six with a 2-point conversion.***Taysom Hill about to throw Cam Meredith’s way near the goal line.***Tre’Quan Smith is in for the Saints’ final touchdown of the game.***The final score shows a satisfying win for the Saints in the City of Angels.***This final shot is obviously not mine, but it came to us courtesy of the @Saints Twitter account and features Yours Truly and the Mrs. enjoying the most memorable moment of the game!***This was a really fun game to attend, definitely better than last preseason’s win at the Chargers and last season’s Week 12 loss at the Rams.Was it perfect?Absolutely not, but the team made some big plays when it needed to, and the depth on this roster is as good as the Saints have had in a very, very long time.The game was fantastic to experience live, and the atmosphere was pretty special.It’s always great to be around so many wonderful Saints fans, when you live in “enemy territory”.Who Dat Nation is alive, well, and thriving in the Greater Los Angeles Area.If any of you were also in attendance for this game, please leave your accounts and reflections in the comments section.Now let’s get done with this preseason and move on to the regular season and the Saints’ march to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII! Who Dat!