Ricardo Allen's season-ending torn Achilles tendon as "another devastating blow" to the Atlanta Falcons' defense.Unfortunately for the Falcons (1-2)
Youth Alex Okafor Jersey , Manuel has made similar comments too often in the first month of the season. Every week, it seems, the Atlanta defense has to adjust to another jarring injury .After already placing four players on injured reserve, including three top starters on defense, the Falcons will attempt to regroup when they face quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.Allen was hurt early in overtime of last week's 43-37 loss to New Orleans . The Falcons gave up 32 first downs and 534 yards as Saints quarterback Drew Brees took advantage of a depleted defense that already has lost safety Keanu Neal for the season and linebacker Deion Jones for at least eight weeks.Defensive ends Takkarist McKinley and Derrick Shelby also were held out against New Orleans with groin injuries. McKinley is expected to play this week.Players and coaches often recite "next man up" statements of hope, but that jargon carries little weight when that next man doesn't play like the starter he replaced."This time the next man has got to be ready to tackle," Manuel said. "We all saw that. It was nowhere near our standard a week ago."The defensive woes have overshadowed Atlanta's offensive revival. The Falcons lost last week despite Matt Ryan's first career game with five touchdown passes, including three to rookie Calvin Ridley .Atlanta also has lost left guard Andy Levitre for the season with torn triceps.The Bengals (2-1) have ample weapons to take advantage of replacement starters, even with running back Joe Mixon missing his second straight game following knee surgery.Giovani Bernard is expected to start against an Atlanta defense unable to cover running backs out of the backfield for two straight weeks. Alvin Kamara (15 for 124 yards) and Carolina's Christian McCaffrey (14 for 102 yards) each had big receiving days against the Falcons.The Falcons rank 27th overall on defense. The Bengals, only one spot better at 26th, have their own defensive concerns, especially on third down . Cincinnati has allowed opponents to convert 52 percent of third downs
http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-ramczyk-jersey ;, worst in the NFL.New Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin saw indications of improvement against Carolina, when Cincinnati allowed only 2 of 7 conversions on third down in the second half."Believe it or not, I thought we were really close to fixing it this week," Austin said. "I think we'll have an opportunity to fix that. I think we'll be better next week."Here are some things to look for in only the 14th meeting between the Bengals and Falcons:GIO'S MOMENTThe Bengals will rely heavily on Bernard for a second straight game. Bernard had 12 carries for 61 yards in the loss to Carolina, and caught five passes for 25 yards. One of Bernard's best games came in 2014 against the Falcons, when he had 169 scrimmage yards — 90 rushing, 79 receiving — during the Bengals' 24-10 win.RYAN'S OPTIONSWith the Saints devoting extra defensive attention to Julio Jones last week, Ridley ripped man coverages to set a franchise rookie record for touchdown catches in a game. Now the passing game looks more balanced with Jones, Ridley, Mohamed Sanu and tight end Austin Hooper among Ryan's options."It feels good to see all of us involved and we're moving the ball like we want to move it," Ridley said.HELP COMINGThe Bengals get back linebacker Vontaze Burfict after the Atlanta game. He was suspended for the first four because he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.NEW STARTERSDamontae Kazee and Jordan Richards will be Atlanta's starters at the safety spots. Wes Schweitzer took over for Levitre last week. Rookie linebacker Foye Oluokun moves into the lineup in Atlanta's base defense, though nickel back Brian Poole started last week.'BAMA BRAGGINGThree former Alabama players will be lined up in the passing game with a little nostalgia and pride on the line . Atlanta receiver Julio Jones was the sixth overall pick in 2011 out of Alabama
Alex Anzalone Jersey , where cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick guarded him in practice. Kirkpatrick went to Cincinnati with the 17th overall pick a year later. Ridley also is from Alabama.Kirkpatrick said "Bragging rights and everything" will be on the line.AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed to this report Another week of football, and another week of our Interview with the Enemy series. This week, our friend, Patrick Judis of Cincy Jungle, answers 5 quick questions about our week 10 matchup, a battle outside in Cincinnati to face Andy Dalton and the Bengals.***AJ Green is an elite WR in the NFL. How will the Bengals offense replace his production against the Saints?The Saints defensive line is making noticeable improvements as the season goes on, especially up the middle. How is the Bengals offensive line faring this season?If you were the Saints, how would you game plan to attack the Cincinnati defense?Who is one Bengals player that Saints fans might not be familiar with that you expect to make an impact in this game?What’s your prediction for the game? Final score? ***A big thanks to Patrick for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure you check out his work and the rest of the good folks at Cincy Jungle for tons of Bengals content. You can follow Patrick on Twitter @PatrickJudis, Cincy Jungle @CincyJungle, and of course you can always follow me @dunnellz.
Ricardo Allen's season-ending torn Achilles tendon as "another devastating blow" to the Atlanta Falcons' defense.Unfortunately for the Falcons (1-2) Youth Alex Okafor Jersey , Manuel has made similar comments too often in the first month of the season. Every week, it seems, the Atlanta defense has to adjust to another jarring injury .After already placing four players on injured reserve, including three top starters on defense, the Falcons will attempt to regroup when they face quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.Allen was hurt early in overtime of last week's 43-37 loss to New Orleans . The Falcons gave up 32 first downs and 534 yards as Saints quarterback Drew Brees took advantage of a depleted defense that already has lost safety Keanu Neal for the season and linebacker Deion Jones for at least eight weeks.Defensive ends Takkarist McKinley and Derrick Shelby also were held out against New Orleans with groin injuries. McKinley is expected to play this week.Players and coaches often recite "next man up" statements of hope, but that jargon carries little weight when that next man doesn't play like the starter he replaced."This time the next man has got to be ready to tackle," Manuel said. "We all saw that. It was nowhere near our standard a week ago."The defensive woes have overshadowed Atlanta's offensive revival. The Falcons lost last week despite Matt Ryan's first career game with five touchdown passes, including three to rookie Calvin Ridley .Atlanta also has lost left guard Andy Levitre for the season with torn triceps.The Bengals (2-1) have ample weapons to take advantage of replacement starters, even with running back Joe Mixon missing his second straight game following knee surgery.Giovani Bernard is expected to start against an Atlanta defense unable to cover running backs out of the backfield for two straight weeks. Alvin Kamara (15 for 124 yards) and Carolina's Christian McCaffrey (14 for 102 yards) each had big receiving days against the Falcons.The Falcons rank 27th overall on defense. The Bengals, only one spot better at 26th, have their own defensive concerns, especially on third down . Cincinnati has allowed opponents to convert 52 percent of third downs http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-ramczyk-jersey ;, worst in the NFL.New Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin saw indications of improvement against Carolina, when Cincinnati allowed only 2 of 7 conversions on third down in the second half."Believe it or not, I thought we were really close to fixing it this week," Austin said. "I think we'll have an opportunity to fix that. I think we'll be better next week."Here are some things to look for in only the 14th meeting between the Bengals and Falcons:GIO'S MOMENTThe Bengals will rely heavily on Bernard for a second straight game. Bernard had 12 carries for 61 yards in the loss to Carolina, and caught five passes for 25 yards. One of Bernard's best games came in 2014 against the Falcons, when he had 169 scrimmage yards — 90 rushing, 79 receiving — during the Bengals' 24-10 win.RYAN'S OPTIONSWith the Saints devoting extra defensive attention to Julio Jones last week, Ridley ripped man coverages to set a franchise rookie record for touchdown catches in a game. Now the passing game looks more balanced with Jones, Ridley, Mohamed Sanu and tight end Austin Hooper among Ryan's options."It feels good to see all of us involved and we're moving the ball like we want to move it," Ridley said.HELP COMINGThe Bengals get back linebacker Vontaze Burfict after the Atlanta game. He was suspended for the first four because he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.NEW STARTERSDamontae Kazee and Jordan Richards will be Atlanta's starters at the safety spots. Wes Schweitzer took over for Levitre last week. Rookie linebacker Foye Oluokun moves into the lineup in Atlanta's base defense, though nickel back Brian Poole started last week.'BAMA BRAGGINGThree former Alabama players will be lined up in the passing game with a little nostalgia and pride on the line . Atlanta receiver Julio Jones was the sixth overall pick in 2011 out of Alabama Alex Anzalone Jersey , where cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick guarded him in practice. Kirkpatrick went to Cincinnati with the 17th overall pick a year later. Ridley also is from Alabama.Kirkpatrick said "Bragging rights and everything" will be on the line.AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed to this report Another week of football, and another week of our Interview with the Enemy series. This week, our friend, Patrick Judis of Cincy Jungle, answers 5 quick questions about our week 10 matchup, a battle outside in Cincinnati to face Andy Dalton and the Bengals.***AJ Green is an elite WR in the NFL. How will the Bengals offense replace his production against the Saints?The Saints defensive line is making noticeable improvements as the season goes on, especially up the middle. How is the Bengals offensive line faring this season?If you were the Saints, how would you game plan to attack the Cincinnati defense?Who is one Bengals player that Saints fans might not be familiar with that you expect to make an impact in this game?What’s your prediction for the game? Final score? ***A big thanks to Patrick for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure you check out his work and the rest of the good folks at Cincy Jungle for tons of Bengals content. You can follow Patrick on Twitter @PatrickJudis, Cincy Jungle @CincyJungle, and of course you can always follow me @dunnellz.