The Tantalizing Ten: Falcons Edition
Intro: Each week, we will take a look at 10 players that will have a big impact in the game. Who are the "Tantalizing Ten" when the Colts (4-5) return from their bye week with a trip to Atlanta (6-3) on Sunday afternoon?
For the second time in 2015, the Colts will turn to Matt Hasselbeck to save their season. The 40-year-old Hasselbeck should have some familiarity with the scheme he will see on Sunday. New Falcons head coach Dan Quinn came over from Seattle in the offseason. Hasselbeck and Quinn were together with the Seahawks back in 2010.
Put it simply, Jones is a freak. He's putting up MVP-type numbers in 2015. Jones is leading the NFL in receiving yards per game (114.3), receptions per game (8.8) and receptions (80). He is second in the NFL in receiving yards (1,029), receptions for first downs (50), targets (119) and yards after catch (392). Vontae Davis will have his hands full with the 220-pound Jones.
What doesn't seem to be getting a ton of attention this week is the third-ranked Falcons run defense. In 2015, Atlanta has held DeMarco Murray, Arian Foster and Alfred Morris to a combined 34 rushing yards on 24 carries. Frank Gore is coming off 50 combined carries the past two weeks and saw a consistent workload when Hasselbeck was under center earlier this season.
Henry Anderson going on injured reserve is a major, major loss for the Colts. It will be a "by committee" type approach in filling Anderson's loss with Billy Winn likely getting the first crack. Winn has started before in the NFL so he will have to anchor some of the reps that Anderson was so disruptive with during the first half of the season.
By far one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season has been the play of Devonta Freeman. Once Indiana University rookie Tevin Coleman got injured earlier in the season, Freeman has flourished in a multitude of roles. Freeman has played the most snaps of any NFL running back and his 64 first downs are the most in the league.
It's been a while since we've seen Vontae Davis in his shadow role. That will change on Sunday with Julio Jones, the Falcons' top offensive weapon. The one-on-one matchups for Davis in the second half of the season likely won't end here. The Colts will see Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and Houston's DeAndre Hopkins in December.
While the potential one-on-one matchup between Julio Jones and Vontae Davis is the big one this week, T.Y. Hilton could have one of his own come Sunday. Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant has allowed an NFL-low 14 receptions this season. Hilton is coming off a very impressive five-catch, 82-yard game against Denver's blanketing secondary.
With D'Qwell Jackson a little banged up this week, the Colts will need Jerrell Freeman playing at his highest level. Freeman and the Colts are also going to have to tackle very, very well in space this weekend. Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman excels out of the backfield and ranks second in the NFL with 26 missed tackles forced.
Under Rob Chudzinski, we saw a serious increase in the reps for the Colts tight ends versus Denver. Dwayne Allen received his most playing time of the 2015 season two weeks back. The tight end position should benefit from obviously Chud using the group more, and also Matt Hasselbeck involving them like he did earlier this year.
The former No. 3 overall pick comes into Sunday riding an NFL-best 16 straight games of at least 250 passing yards. Matt Ryan and the Falcons were tremendous through the early part of the season. Turnovers and red-zone inefficiency have plagued the unit lately.
