Two weeks ago, it was Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots. Last weekend, it was Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and the Saints. This week, Mike Zimmer's defense was preparing for Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White, and an argument can be made that it's the toughest test yet.
Ryan leads all NFL quarterbacks at 8.69 yards per pass attempt and has thrown for 965 yards through three weeks. Jones is tops in the league with 365 receiving yards. And White, his fellow Falcons wide-out, says he will play Sunday after sitting out a week with a hamstring injury.
Throw in wide receivers Harry Douglas and Devin Hester and that's a lot of dudes to worry about.
"Julio has been great. Obviously, Ryan can move, get out of the pocket. He's got a great arm and throws the ball down the field very well," Zimmer said. "But then they've got Roddy White and Hester's playing great, Steven Jackson in the backfield. They've got a lot of weapons, so we're going to have to do a great job of being in the right place. We're going to have to stop the run better than what we did last week. We've got to make sure we're in the right position in coverage all day."
With Jones back to full strength after season-ending foot surgery in 2013 and Ryan throwing the ball well, the Falcons lead the league in both points per game (34.3) and yards per game (455).
Vikings cornerbacks will be tested, especially when on the outside with Jones and White.
"They're tough to cover, man. They're great receivers," said cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who played against the Falcons twice a year when he was with the Panthers. "You've got to get up in their faces and press those guys. You can't be scared of them. You can't play off those guys. That's when they're real tough — after the catch, making people miss — especially Julio Jones."
