Falcons need team effort to stop Cardinals offense

Flowery Branch — In their first playoff game in four years, the Falcons will call on cornerbacks Chris Houston and Domonique Foxworth to defend the Arizona Cardinals’ passing game.

They’ll also seek help from defensive tackle Justin Babineaux, defensive end John Abraham and even quarterback Matt Ryan.

In other words, it will take a lot more than the Falcons secondary to slow down the Cardinals, ranked No. 2 in the league in passing yards.

Said Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy, “When you have guys on the other team that can beat you on any given snap on any given Sunday, it takes a total team effort to stop them.”

The Cardinals have shredded defenses this season, putting up 427 points, tied for third in the league. Quarterback Kurt Warner threw 30 touchdown passes. Receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston all had 1,000-yard seasons. Fitzgerald and Boldin will join Warner at the Pro Bowl.

“Those are two great receivers that are going to make catches,” Houston said. “We’ve just got to try to control them.”

Green Bay Packers football operations director Reggie McKenzie figures the Falcons will be able to do something to match the Cardinals.

“They can throw the ball, but Atlanta can put pressure on the quarterback, also,” he said. “They play good team defense and it’s not just about the individual matchups.”

Conceding that stopping the passing game is likely out of the question, controlling the Cardinals will start with harnessing their running game.

Arizona doesn’t run well — it’s last in yards per game and second to last in yards per rush — but it will likely need at least a semblance of a running game. In the Cardinals’ seven losses, they ran for more than 50 yards just once. In their nine wins, they ran for less than 76 yards just twice.

However, the Falcons gave up the eighth most yards in the league and allowed an average of 4.9 yards per rush.

Said Babineaux, “The main thing is stopping the run and then trying to get after Kurt and disrupt his rhythm.”

Forcing the Cardinals into passing situations — like taking an early lead, which is where Ryan and the Falcons offense come into play — will make defending them more predictable.

As Babineaux put it, Warner likes to deliver the ball quickly on first and second downs, but “I don’t think, if you’re third-and-long, you can get the ball out that fast.”

At some point, though, the Falcons will look to their secondary — Milloy, Foxworth, Houston, safety Erik Coleman and nickel back Chevis Jackson — to do their part. Whether they have Milloy patrolling at safety is not certain. The veteran missed the final regular-season game with a back injury and practiced on a limited basis Tuesday.

“This is a league made up of stars,” Milloy said. “What I tell the young guys is, this is an opportunity to make a name for yourself. We understand the challenge ahead of us.”