5-0 is a difficult feat for any NFL team to achieve. The Denver Broncos will attempt to reach that mark for the second consecutive season. The 3-1 Atlanta Falcons stand in the way as they visit Denver on Sunday. It is a matchup of good offense against great defense — though the Broncos has a pretty good offense, too.
Everyone is wondering are the Falcons for real?
Well, Atlanta started 5-0 last season and finished just 8-8. Struggling in games in which their opponents possessed any type of defense whatsoever. The Falcons have put up the most points in the NFL to this point, but they haven’t exactly played against stellar defenses. Atlanta has faced a bad Tampa Bay Bucs defense, a suspect Oakland Raiders secondary, an awful New Orleans Saints defense and a Carolina Panthers defense that is trying to figure out their secondary on the fly this season.
There is no denying that Julio Jones is a superstar in this league. Atlanta’s running game has been solid and Matt Ryan has returned from the dead. But the Falcons have not seen a defense like Denver’s. The Broncos will be able to shut down the Atlanta passing game with a good pass rush and great secondary play, even if the Falcons are be able to move the ball on the ground against the Broncos.
Denver’s offense has opened up over the past few weeks, and if Trevor Siemian starts, the Broncos will have much success through the air. This is a bad Atlanta defense which is allowing an absurd amount of points in every game they have played this season. The Broncos will get a sizeable lead and lean on CJ Anderson to close the game out.
Atlanta is fool’s gold, a product of an easy schedule. Yes, the Falcons beat the Raiders on the road. However, Oakland was playing a sandwiched-in home game between three roadtrips out east. Do not make anything more out of that than a good win for Atlanta.
Denver will be able to contain Atlanta’s offense and score on the Falcons defense. The Broncos get to 5-0 with a comfortable 37-23 win. Happy Sunday!
To hear more about the game, check out the podcast below …
Catch Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh this weekend from 2p-4p on Saturday and 6p-8p on Sunday for Broncos postgame coverage on AM 1340 | FM 104.7. Stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.