Neal is the X-factor against the Panthers
Falcons rookie safety Keanu Neal will be the X-Factor against Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who is quarterback Cam Newton’s favorite target.
Olsen caught six of 13 targets for 76 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons in the previous meeting on Oct. 2.
He has 71 catches for 992 yards as he nears his third consecutive 1,000-yard season.
“Greg’s a terrific player and somebody that warrants matchups and warrants talking about those kind of things,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “When you play man to man, who do you feature on him and how do you play? We count on Keanu Neal a lot when we do a good bit of that, but not all the time. And then when you play your zones, you better have awareness for where Greg is at.”
Olsen is trying to become the first tight end to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. An elbow injury knocked him out of the last two series against Washington.
Olsen has played in 156 consecutive regular-season games, the second-longest active streak among tight ends behind Dallas’ Jason Witten (216).
The Falcons are likely to be without weakside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who’s in the concussion protocol program, so there will be extra pressure on Neal.
“He’s done well, too,” Quinn said of Neal. “I think we’d be remiss if we didn’t say that. Some of the ones that don’t go to him were covered well. He’s a terrific competitor. He is that type of player that (will) learn from this.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
