Will the Falcons hold up against some elite NFC competition? The Cardinals are 9-2 and appeared headed for a Super Bowl run. The Falcons have not won a game against a team with a winning record since defeating Seattle in the playoffs after the 2012 season. This is where they make a stand and either legitimize their playoff status or start their descent with three consecutive games against teams with winning teams. Over the past two seasons the Falcons' eight wins have come over the Bucs, Rams, Redskins and Bills in 2013 and the Bucs (twice), Saints and Carolina in 2014.
Is Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles auditioning for Arthur Blank? Bowles will be one of the hot names when NFL head coaching vacancies come open this offseason. The Falcons likely will watch closely when he brings the Cardinals' defense to the Georgia Dome. The Cardinals recently gave Bowles, who was the defensive coordinator/secondary coach at Morehouse in 1997, a contract extension through 2017. Arizona coach Bruce Arians said on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently that the deal was done, in part, to allow Bowles to be selective if he's approached about head coaching jobs.
Again, why didn't the Falcons take Tyrann Mathieu in the draft? Former LSU player Mathieu, after a troubled college career, is doing well in the pros. He is expected to return from injury against the Falcons and start at free safety. He was a controversial figure after his expulsion from LSU, which came after he was a Heisman trophy finalist in 2011. The Falcons selected cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford in the first and second rounds of the 2013 draft. They traded away their third-round pick. Mathieu went to the Cardinals in the third round, 69th overall.
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