Can the defense get to quarterback Andy Dalton? The Falcons didn't record a sack against the Saints, as they allowed 472 yards, 30 first downs and 34 points. The defense didn't look cohesive and was caught out of formation several times by the Saints before the Falcons went to a vanilla look in the second half. The Falcons are trying to blend six new starters into the defense, and things looked a little ragged early against the Saints. They'll need a much better effort against the Bengals.
Can the Falcons take their show outdoors on the road? The Falcons have lost their past six games played outdoors. They lost all five outdoor games last season to Miami, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Green Bay and San Francisco. The Falcons, a proverbial "Dome Team," last won outdoors, 24-23, against Tampa Bay on Nov. 25, 2012. The Falcons were 1-7 on the road last season. The Bengals were 8-0 at home. Establishing the running game will be important against the Bengals, who held Baltimore to 94 yards rushing last week.
Keeping track of A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard. Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson threw a myriad of formations at the Ravens last week. He was trying to disguise his two main weapons, wide receiver Green and running back Bernard, and slow the Ravens' blitzes. Green and Bernard accounted for 34 of 64 (53 percent) of the touches or targets. Green had nine targets in the passing game and one rush. Bernard had 14 rushes and was targeted 10 times in the passing game. "They are very multiple in their formations, which was very evident last week," Nolan said. "It's an exciting offensive."
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