ATLANTA FALCONS @ HOUSTON TEXANS 
Vegas Line: Texans + 3
Rob’s Line: Falcons + 1.5
Houston has had to overcome injuries to two of its stars already this season, one of them season ending and one that surely must have seemed liked an eternity. Outside linebacker Mario Williams (converted from defensive end this season) was lost for 2011 during the Week 5 loss to Oakland while wide receiver Andre Johnson missed six games and only returned last week in the win over the Jaguars. Now comes the biggest test yet.
Starting quarterback Matt Schaub damaged the Lisfranc ligament in his right foot against the Bucs three weeks ago and was lost for the season – a serious blow. With a bye week before their next game, backup Matt Leinart had some time to take all the first team snaps he could in practice as he attempted to lead the Texans to the playoffs for the first time in their relatively short history. He began well against the Jaguars, completing 10 of 13 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown before going out with a fractured collarbone – another serious blow.
Step forward third stringer and rookie T. J. Yates. Yates was selected by Houston in the fifth round of this year’s Draft, but never did they expect to have to lean on him to steer this team to the promised land. However, Jake Delhomme aside (who signed this week), the Texans will need to do exactly that and it may just work.
Houston’s strength, particularly when Johnson was out, was their running game and the double headed monster that is Arian Foster and Ben Tate. They’ve carried the load magnificently between them, but with Yates at the helm, defenses will be looking to stack the line of scrimmage, daring Yates to beat them through the air. Now, apparently, he has a good arm and with Johnson getting healthier by the week we may see that, but Atlanta may not need to put seven or eight defenders in the box to stop Foster/Tate as they own the league’s second ranked run defense anyway, giving up just 84 rushing yards per game.
What the Falcons may do is perhaps bring in an extra inside linebacker, but to have the opportunity of keeping to their base packages makes life a little tougher for Yates. There is one intriguing aspect to all of this though and it’s the Falcons’ most glaring weakness…their 23rd ranked pass defense. I wonder whether Texans coach Gary Kubiak may throw in a couple of surprises along the way and seeing as he was a quarterback himself, the possibilities are there.
Realising that perhaps all of the above is too much to dump on to just one team, especially one that’s trying to make the playoffs for the very first time, it’s as though the injury Gods have perhaps been looking to even matters up. The Falcons’ (running back) Michael Turner and (receiver) Julio Jones both didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday, which makes them questionable. However, they did see limited reps on Friday so Atlanta will at least be hoping that both are able to suit up come game time.
The Falcons have won five of their last six with the only defeat coming at the hands of the division rival Saints so there’s a lot to like about Atlanta right now. Their last three victories though have come against the Colts, Titans and Vikings, so they’ve hardly beaten anybody special lately, but I do believe this team to have a similar mindset to that of the Ravens: put a playoff contender in front of me and I’ll play my socks off, sir.
Quarterback Matt Ryan is on a hot streak right now, but, like I say, the Falcons’ recent wins haven’t been the stuff of legend and the outcome of this contest does depend on how Yates performs. The ’experts’ (almost bar none) expect Atlanta to win and there’s a ton of money on them in Vegas, but we mustn’t forget that Houston’s at home here boasting the league’s number one ranked defense and third ranked rushing offense. This, in basic football principles, dating back to the game’s very inception, is how games are won and it’s difficult to forget that.
The Texans will doubtless struggle at some point this Sunday, but if Vegas is giving me a field goal start on them, I’m going to bite their hand off. I’m not ecstatic about my hard earned resting on the form of a third string QB, but this still is, essentially, a very good football team and one I’m happy to bet on with points on offer this week.
http://www.sportingopinions.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment