The Jury Is Still Out on Foles, Another Look at Hundley, How Atlanta Could Cover Kamara

Plus, Tom Brady has a chance to attack the Buffalo D, how the Cowboys could tweak their approach for Russell Wilson, and a big test for the much-improved Ereck Flowers

1. The jury is still out on POAW (Philly’s Offense After Wentz); some of Nick Foles’s impressive numbers last week against the Giants were circumstantial. (Two examples: His TD to Trey Burton was on a blown coverage; the touchdown to Nelson Agholor was a great catch on a poor underthrow.) At times, Foles’s field vision and timing looked rusty. That can be corrected with more reps—and the fact that Foles showed outstanding pocket poise (especially on Alshon Jeffery’s four-yard touchdown) suggests it will. The Raiders are a more creative defense under John Pagano, but still not a good one. Christmas night presents a great chance for Foles to find his rhythm.

2. Besides his health, another reason to shut down Aaron Rodgers is it gives the Packers two more games to evaluate Brett Hundley. Saturday night against Minnesota will be the first time Hundley has faced a team he’s played before. The Packers need to find out whether he can be their long-term backup QB.

3. Who will Falcons head coach Dan Quinn put on Saints star rookie running back Alvin Kamara in man coverage? Typically, Deion Jones covers running backs in Atlanta’s matchup calls. But Kamara is not your typical back. Saints tight ends Josh Hill and Michael Hoomanawanui are unathletic; don’t be surprised if Atlanta’s usual tight end matchup piece, safety Keanu Neal, takes Kamara.

4. He’s gone largely unnoticed because the Bears haven’t won, but Akiem Hicks has been as destructive as any defensive lineman in football this year. On Sunday he’ll battle Browns second-year right tackle Shon Coleman, who is long-armed and talented but still a work in progress.

​5. The Jaguars and Rams had great success playing Cover 4 against the Seahawks the past two weeks. Cover 4 is a zone structure with man-to-man principles. Each safety and outside corner is responsible for one-fourth of the field, which balances the defense and helps keep eyes on the quarterback. It’s a great way to defend Russell Wilson and Seattle’s rudimentary route combinations. Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys, normally a Cover 2 team, play more Cover 4 on Sunday.

6. If Titans first-round rookie receiver Corey Davis is to have a fruitful career, he must style his game after Eagles wideout Alshon Jeffery. Like Jeffery, Davis is long and strong-handed, but he’s not twitchy or fast. His success will come from out-sizing defenders, not out-running them.

7. In Week 13 against Buffalo, the Patriots ran the ball on more than half their snaps, and they didn’t attack vertically downfield. That’s a little surprising given that the Bills are a zone-based defense with a mediocre pass rush. Tom Brady usually feasts on those. It’ll be interesting to see New England’s approach in Round 2, with the Bills coming to Foxboro on Sunday.

​8. The Ravens are at their best offensively when Joe Flacco, who has been overly cautious for much of this season, is throwing downfield on first down against predictable defensive looks. Or, when tailback Alex Collins is getting around the edge in the ground game. This Saturday there’s an opportunity for both against a Colts defense that’s playing with mostly second-string defensive backs and one of the league’s most vulnerable linebackers, Antonio Morrison.

9. The Texans interior O-line saw a slew of designer pass rushes from the Jaguars last week. Backup right guard Greg Mancz and left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo (who starts but would be a backup on 30 other rosters) were attacked repeatedly with stunts. The Steelers are one of the league’s best blitzing defenses, but theirs tend to come off the edges, particularly with slot corner Mike Hilton, who has been tremendous in Year One. Especially given that Ryan Shazier, an explosive inside blitzer, is gone, Houston must be on high alert for edge pressure Christmas afternoon. On third downs, look for Bill O’Brien to go shotgun and flank T.J. Yates with running back Lamar Miller and fullback Jay Prosch, creating a seven-man protection.

10. Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers still plays with ugly technique, but this year he’s the most improved pass-blocker in football (he had more room to improve than most). Flowers started slowly and then struggled a bit against bull rushes in last week’s Eagles game, but he recovered in the second half to finish strong. Now he gets maybe his stiffest challenge: Arizona’s limber, technically savvy veteran Chandler Jones, who leads the league in tackles-for-loss (25) and sacks (15).

• Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.

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Atlanta Falcons try to avoid upset vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers amidst NFC South race

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn works the sidelines against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, November 12, 2017. File photo by David Tulis/UPI

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons, who are in the thick of the NFC playoff race, don’t plan to look past Tampa Bay and quarterback Jameis Winston in a classic trap-game scenario.

"Focusing on the next team could be a little bit distracting," Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell said. "We have to focus on (Tampa Bay) because every game at this point is a must-win."

The Falcons watched the Monday night game earlier this week. They were stunned by Miami’s victory over New England where the unstoppable Tom Brady failed to pick up one first down on third down.

The Falcons don’t want their trip to Florida to end up in a similar result.

"We just have to really go into Tampa with the mindset that we have to dominate," Campbell said. "We can’t go in there saying, ‘Oh, we are playing Tampa; they are 4-5’ or whatever their record is (4-9) and they are not playing well.

"This is the NFL. Everybody is good. If we go in there with the mindset that we are playing a lower-caliber team, that’s how teams get upset. That’s how they get beat. We just have to treat every game the same and approach it the same."

If the Falcons win their remaining games, they will repeat as NFC South division champs.

The Falcons (8-5) trail the New Orleans Saints (9-4) and Carolina Panthers (9-4) with three games to play.

The Falcons haven’t been dazzling for much of the season and are coming off a 20-17 win over the Saints. In that game, quarterback Matt Ryan was misfiring, there were some curious coaching decisions during the two-minute drill before halftime and a declined penalty late that could have backfired.

"All three phases have some things to work on," Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said. "Some of it was even individually, player-wise, technique-wise, some scheme things. That’s what we’re chasing; our best performance, and we feel like that’s out there for us, so we’re going after that hard."

The Falcons beat the Bucs 34-20 on Nov. 26 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bucs played without Winston, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

"We’re going into what could be a tough environment on Monday night," defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. "They are going to be ready. We already beat them once this season. If you get punched in the mouth once, what are you going to do? You’re going to fight back. So, they are going to be ready to fight and we better be ready to brawl with them."

Detroit needed a last-minute field goal last Sunday from Matt Prater to prevail 24-21, as the Bucs couldn’t overcome five turnovers. Winston had two interceptions and a fumble. Running back Doug Martin and tight end O.J. Howard also had fumbles.

"I saw that game, and just seeing the different examples of finishing, two-minute (drills), and end of games that come up, so we always check those around the league," Quinn said. "Yeah, I had a chance to get a whole game in TV-wise from them. It kind of showed, I thought, the resiliency of their team. After that many turnovers, having a chance to go battle for it at the end, that shows the toughness of their group."

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The Safety Of Atlanta

If you live in any of the cities along the outskirts of Atlanta, you likely have access to their local news. Even as far down as Macon nearly 100 miles to the south, tuning in to the evening broadcasts of Atlanta stations can easily be a part of your daily routine. Atlanta newspapers are also in circulation throughout the entire state. So naturally, this allows for a lot of different preconceived notions about the city from the perspective of its surrounding outsiders.

One of the leading assumptions of the city from GA’s other residents lies within its safety – or a lack thereof! The news tends to sensationalize the juiciest stories that will keep people watching or reading, and unfortunately that often equates to the most dire events of the day. Local outlets are just as guilty as those that focus on national and international events. As a business, it’s in their best interest to focus on whatever will draw in the most attention. Sadly, it seems negativity is often like a magnet to the masses.

As such, all of the most tragic stories from Atlanta are often the only ones that other residents of the state ever hear about. It’s understandable that a negative view of the city would be formed as a result, but it’s hardly fair. Every locale has its share of horror stories, but ignoring all of the positives in favor of those is ultimately shortsighted.

For many, Atlanta is a city they absolutely love and cherish. It has been the home of great progress in many mediums, from societal to technological and so on, and it even has a booming art scene and plenty to do on the evenings and weekends. Before assuming the worst, perhaps give it a shot firsthand sometime!

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