Game 15: Falcons vs. Vikings

The Falcons and Vikings are both 9-5 as they head into this game in Minnesota. The Falcons lost the last time they met, getting torn up 34-3 in Minnesota during the 2007 season. The Vikings have won their last four games and six of their last seven since they had a bye week. And the loss was to Tampa Bay... huh? I guess that was a fluke loss. It happens sometimes.

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Matt Ryan	90.0	242-389	62.2%	3,146	14-9	5
Gus Frerotte	73.7	178-301	59.1%	2,157	12-15	4

The Falcons have the best rushing offense in the NFL and the 5th best offense overall. The Vikings have the #3 rushing offense, but the passing game ranks them at 26th in the NFL, pulling the overall offense to 17th overall.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Michael Turner	332	1,421	15	6	41	0
Adrian Peterson	320	1,581	9	19	109	0

The Vikings have the better running back. Barely. It seems rather disappointing that the runningbacks aren't used as much as receivers...

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Roddy White	82	1,310	6	1
Michael Jenkins	42	644	3	0
Harry Douglas	21	310	1	0
Bernard Berrian	42	865	6	0
Bobby Wade	44	509	2	2
Visanthe Shiancoe	33	446	5	0

Roddy White is a threat, needless to say, as he piles on some yardage and has 82 catches, averaging close to 6 catches per game. If the Falcons win this game, it would be due to White grabbing 6 to 7 catches and piling up close to 100 yards of offense. The somewhat upsetting thing is that besides White and Jenkins, the Falcons do not have much of any other targets out there. Douglas has 21 catches and Jerious Norwood has 33 catches, which means they get a couple thrown their way per game. The Vikings utilize Berrian and Wade as their targets, Berrian getting the meat of the yardage while Wade settles for an average of 11 1/2 yards per catch. Berrian is the bigger threat.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
John Abraham	33	15.5	0-0	1
Chris Houston	55	0.0	2-1	14
Erik Coleman	81	0.0	3-0	0
Jared Allen	48	14.5	0-0	3
Antoine Winfield	80	2.0	2-0	10
Chad Greenway	101	5.0	0-0	5

Jared Allen has caused two safeties this season... There was also a Kevin Williams on the Vikings who was noteworthy. He has 8.5 sacks. My concern is this: The Falcons have a pretty bad looking defense right now. They rank 23rd, whereas the Vikings rank 8th in the NFL. Here's how the game is going to look:

The Falcons depend on their running game to set up the passing game. If they can establish the rush early, they should score a few points. The Vikings also depend on their running game, but they don't have the receivers that Atlanta has, so they just about solely depend on the run with a pass mixed in here and there. Then they turn the ball over to the defense and hope that they can hold their opponents to a minimum amount of points so that they [the Vikings] can win. So the key match up really is the Vikings defense vs the Falcons offense. Based on what I see here, the Vikings are going to score their points regardless...
Forecast: Well, who is going to win in the Vikings D and the Falcons O? I honestly feel that it is going to be a close game, decided by a touchdown or less... I like the Falcons in this one. I can't put my reason for why I believe that will be the case, maybe it is the passing game plus their rushing game... not really sure. Score: 20-17

Home Field