Unser Chat » The Falcons were struggling again

Greg Lloyd Jersey , and quarterback Matt Ryan was looking for something to spark the team.Ryan got just what he wanted from his teammate, linebacker Deion Jones."That was awesome to get us going," Ryan said. "I felt like the energy that really got everybody into it, and from that point forward we played really well."Julio Jones made an acrobatic touchdown catch on a pass from Ryan, Deion Jones returned an interception for an early score, and Atlanta snapped a five-game losing streak with a 40-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.Playing their final home game of the season, the Falcons (5-9) forced three turnovers and sacked Arizona quarterbacks seven times, a single-game season high for both teams. Arizona (3-11) has dropped two straight and five of six under first-year coach Steve Wilks."I want to start out by saying I take full responsibility for what you saw out there tonight," Wilks said. "It was unacceptable, not even close."Julio Jones caught six passes for 82 yards, all in the first half. His 22-yard score in the closing seconds before intermission put the Falcons up 26-7. Jones beat Patrick Peterson's bump-and-run coverage down the left sideline, turning the cornerback around and twisting around him to make a diving catch.Ryan ran for a 1-yard score early the second quarter and finished with 231 yards passing in his 100th career victory. Matt Bryant added two short field goals, and Tevin Coleman had a 43-yard TD run in the third quarter as Atlanta won for the first time since Week 9 at Washington.Grady Jarrett had two sacks for Atlanta, and Arizona's run defenses allowed 215 yards to the NFL's worst rushing attack.Playing behind a makeshift offense line that has lost six players to injured reserve, Arizona's Josh Rosen was under duress all afternoon and finished with a 38.4 passer rating.The rookie quarterback got the Cardinals off to a fast start with running back David Johnson catching two long passes to set up a short TD run that made it 7-0, but Arizona was essentially done after Deion Jones scored a touchdown for the third time in eight career interceptions.In his fourth game back after spending most of the season sidelined by a foot injury, Jones forced a 7-all tie in the first quarter, snagging Vic Beasley's batted ball from the air in the flats and running 41 yards for Atlanta's second defensive TD of the season.QUESTIONS IN THE DESERTIt feels like a couple of months have passed since Arizona enjoyed a season highlight under Wilks, a 20-17 win at Green Bay two weeks ago.The Cardinals were flat last week at home against Detroit and gave themselves almost no chance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Even with so many injuries, the performance was so uninspiring that Wilks might be wondering if he will return for a second season.Arizona showed why it began the day with the league's worst scoring offense, worst passing attack and second-worst ground game."Obviously on the road, you can't spot people points and turn the football over like we did today," star receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "It was just an avalanche after the start."KEY INJURIESJulio Jones injured his ribs on the TD catch and only played a few snaps in the third with the outcome all but assured. Jones missed practice one day this week with flu-like symptoms.Cardinals cornerback David Amerson and left tackle Joe Barksdale each left with concussion symptoms and didn't return. Amerson collided with Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu in the first. It wasn't clear when Barksdale was hurt.Injured Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman likely won't return this season, but he was on the sideline cheering on his teammates. Tight end Austin Hooper did not catch a pass and was only targeted once as he played through a sore knee he hurt last week at Green Bay.Johnson, playing with a sore quadriceps, ran 11 times for 33 yards and caught three passes for 68.EYES ON THE PRIZEThe Falcons had a respite from season-long difficulty in creating takeaways. Brian Poole had an interception and combined with Jarrett on a strip-sack fumble recovery. Bruce Irvin had his best game with Atlanta, finishing with 1陆 sacks and three QB hits."It was good to come out and have a good showing on defense today Kevin Greene Jersey , get a couple turnovers, a couple forced fumbles," Jarrett said. "Deion Jones got a touchdown. So it was good to come out and make some stuff happen on D."ALL DOUBT ERASEDBeginning the game with a less than 1 percent chance of making the playoffs, the Falcons were mathematically eliminated."You make your bed throughout the year, and today was a good day for us as a team, but obviously not playing in the postseason is disappointing," Ryan said. "But we'll enjoy the win today and try to win these next two."UP NEXTCardinals: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.Falcons: Visit Carolina next Sunday. While the Steelers currently have 90 players on their offseason roster, it is time to take a stab at who will make the 53-man roster."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsLatest NewsFeatures and Long FormPredicting the Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster: Post-NFL DraftNew,22commentsWhile the Steelers currently have 90 players on their offseason roster, it is time to take a stab at who will make the 53-man roster.EDTShareTweetShareSharePredicting the Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster: Post-NFL DraftPhilip G. Pavely-USA TODAY SportsThe Pittsburgh Steelers are just settling in with their 90-man offseason roster. The roster which has some former AAF players, Undrafted Rookie Free Agents, rookie draft picks and those veterans we all know and love. But at the end of training camp the team has to narrow their roster from 90 players down to 53. While some might think the practice of predicting the roster is premature, think again. Myseld and Dave Schofield have put together our predictions below. Above each section you will see whether the prediction is mine, Jeff’s, or Dave’s. That way, if you want to criticize us, you can take aim at the correct target in the comment section below.Here goes nothing...OffenseQuarterback (3)Dave:Ben Roethlisberger, Joshua Dobbs, Mason RudolphAnalysis: The only question is who will end up in the number two spot, Dobbs or Rudolph?Jeff: Analysis: No disagreement here...Running Back (3)Dave:James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell Jr.Analysis: The drafting of Snell bumped Trey Edmunds off the 53. These three should be the guys. Jeff:Analysis: Seems the team has their stable of running backs.Fullback (1)Dave:Roosevelt NixAnalysis: The only thing to make this change would be an injury. Jeff:Analysis: Rosie Nix for the win!Wide Receiver (6)Dave:JuJu Smith-Schuster, Donte Moncrief, James Washington, Diontae Johnson, Eli Rogers, Ryan Switzer Analysis: With who they have going into camp Lynn Swann Jersey , there isn’t any need to keep more than these six. Jeff:Analysis: I agree the team keeps six receivers this season, barring injury. Me agreeing with Dave so much so far is making me sick.Tight End (3)Dave:Vance McDonald, Xavier Grimble, Zach GentryAnalysis: Unless they pick up someone else, these are the three. Jeff:Analysis: I believe the Steelers will add another tight end to the mix, but at this time they have to be on the offseason roster to predict them making the 53, so I’ll have to agree with the above trio.Offensive Line (9)Dave:Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, Chukwuma Okorafor, Jerald Hawkins, B.J. Finney, Zach BannerAnalysis: Very similar to last year, only Hawkins was on the IR and not the 53. Hopefully Derwin Grey can get to the practice squad. Jeff:Analysis: Derwin Gray’s only shot at making this roster is if there is an injury at a position ahead of him.Total Offense: 25DefenseDefensive Line (5)Dave:Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu, Isaiah BuggsAnalysis: If Buggs can unseat McCullers as the back-up nose tackle, the Steelers only need to keep five players due to position flexibility. Jeff:Analysis: I agree with Dave only because I hope the Daniel McCullers experiment in Pittsburgh has finally reached its end. However, a part of me feels Buggs could be the next Joshua Frazier.Outside Linebacker (5)Dave:T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Anthony Chickillo, Ola Adeniyi, Sutton SmithAnalysis: They only kept three for most of last year, but their depth this year will help with special teams. Jeff:Analysis: While I think Sutton Smith makes the roster Bud Dupree Jersey , I don’t see Smith actually playing OLB barring an injury. The shocker pick would be Keion Adams showing out in his third year.Inside Linebacker (5)Dave:Vince Williams, Mark Barron, Devin Bush, Tyler Matakevich, Ulysses Gilbert IIIAnalysis: They carry five players with Gilbert because of special teams value. He’ll battle with Matakevich for a game-day helmet. Jeff:Analysis: If there is a shock here it would be Matakevich getting cut if Gilbert shows out. But for what Matakevich lacks in talent, he makes up for in awareness and brains. I don’t see him getting cut.Cornerback (6)Dave:Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton, Artie Burns, Cameron Sutton, Justin LayneAnalysis: Hopefully Artie Burns finds his head again and can be a serviceable back up. If so, Sutton beats our Brian Allen for the last spot. Jeff:Analysis: The Steelers don’t want to admit a huge mistake like drafting Artie Burns, so they will keep him on the roster. But if there is going to be a surprise here it would be a potential trade involving Burns if he proves to be playing well in the preseason.Safety (4)Dave:Sean Davis, Terrell Edmunds, Marcus Allen, P.J. LockeAnalysis: I included Locke making the team as a UFA with him and Allen beating out Jordan Dangerfield. With a couple corners and one linebacker who can play safety, they only keep four. Jeff:Analysis: I don’t have Locke making the team over Dangerfield. It doesn’t change the overall number of players making the roster, but Dangerfield has the experience on his side.Total Defense: 25Special Teams Specialists (3)Dave:Chris Boswell, Jordan Berry, Kameron CanadayAnalysis: I wish it would be anybody else (even Canaday has too many holding penalties), but I don’t see them getting beaten out. Jeff:Analysis: While I wish the team would move on from both Boswell and Berry after such horrible years, their current contracts will likely keep them in Pittsburgh for another season. Let’s just hope 2018 was a blip on the radar.Total Team: 53At this stage of the game, you can see Dave and I don’t differ very much when it comes to our predictions for the upcoming 2019 roster; however, a lot can change after minicamp and OTAs coming up. This is when we will take another stab and update our predictions!Let us know what you think in the comment section below!