It's been a rough few weeks for the Minnesota Vikings. A tough opening schedule combined with some pretty heavy off the field distractions and The Purple find themselves 1-2 with one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL heading into TCF Bank Stadium this weekend.
Oh, did I mention that three starters went under the knife this week as well?
The Atlanta Falcons come to Minnesota this weekend with a record of 2-1 on the season. Having scored a league best 103 points through the first three weeks, the Falcons high powered offense is led by and unshaken quarterback Matt Ryan and their über talented wide receiver Julio Jones.
Ryan enters Week 4 with the second most passing yards in the league (965) and the third most touchdown passes this season (7). With passer rating of 105.1, Matt's on field play helped lead the Falcons to a blowout 56-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one week ago.
With confidence riding high, the guy they call "Matty Ice" strolls into Minnesota to face a defense that is surprisingly ranked in the top half of the league already. But you don't get a nickname like Matt Ice for no reason. Ryan's cool, calm and collected persona has aided the Falcons on many occasions throughout his career and his late game heroics have made him a man of legend in Atlanta.
Pressure situations don't get to Matt Ryan. Throughout his career, he has led the Falcons on 24 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. His 22 game winning drives between 2008 and 2012 were the most by a quarterback in his first five seasons since 1966.
Ryan's situational records speak for themselves as well. Ryan has led the Falcons to a 36-2 record when he records a passer rating of 100-or-better. He has the team at 20-1 when he throws three-or-more touchdowns.
As the franchise records continue to stack up for Ryan within the Falcons organization, it's increasingly clear that containing Matt Ryan and trying to fluster Matty Ice will be one of the keys for the Vikings if they want to win on Sunday.
Aiding Ryan along the way has been superstar wide receiver Julio Jones. Like Ryan, Jones is coming off of a gigantic game last week against the Bucs (9 catches, 161 yards and 2TDs).
Looking back at some of Jones' career numbers, it becomes incredibly clear why Julio is playing with such a high level of confidence.
Throughout the span of his three-year NFL career, Jones is averaging 83.8 yards and 5.3 receptions PER GAME! His 15.7 yards per catch average ranks him at fifth among receivers with at least 175 catches since 2011. And he's at it again this year with 23 catches and a league leading 365 yards.
The interesting thing to note about the Jones/Ryan connection is that they look for each other often in first down situations. Already this season, Ryan has looked to jump start the offense and catch a defense off guard by hitting Jones early on first down 16 times through three games.
A deep threat with dynamic open field moves, Jones is a perfect compliment to Ryan at quarterback and, when healthy, the duo is one of the most dangerous in the league.
I don't mean to act like this is a secret family recipe to beating the Falcons, but stopping Matt Ryan and Julio Jones is a great place to start. It's unlikely that you will completely stop them, so start with slowing them down and then take advantage of a Falcons secondary that is very susceptible to yielding points of their own and you're off to a good start.
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