Despite Record, Cardinals Know Falcons' Offense Has Weapons

The Arizona Cardinals are set to see an Atlanta Falcons offense that hasn't exactly taken the league by storm this year, but weapons still present themselves both through the air and on the ground as well.

When preparing for the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was able to get some inside intel on quarterback Desmond Ridder. 

Ridder, a rookie out of Cincinnati, will be making his third career start against the Cardinals later today. His teammate in college and current Cardinals pass rusher Myjai Sanders was able to feed some Joseph some intel that Bearcats fans already knew: Ridder can ball.

"I did. Well, he [Sanders] said Desmond's a real dude … I said, Yeah, you're right. Desmond's obviously poised, he's got to play six years of college football. He's making his third start against us. Arthur [Smith]'s doing a good job of creating plays for him to have completions and it's a run-first offense, they're averaging 160 [yards] a game rushing," Joseph told reporters this week. 

"They got two backs who average 4.9 a carry, [that's] like third or fourth in the league. So it's going to be a run-first night for us, so we got to bring our big-boy pads and defend the run and make him throw as much as we can. 

"But it's a good unit. They got three first-round o-linemen up front, and they're all prototypes for this outside zone scheme. So it's going to be a tough outing to get the run game stopped. Every game you watch: They're in it. Baltimore's a one-score game. New Orleans was a one score game. So it's a tough young team. They've been coached the right way. O-line wise man they're tough and well-coached so it's gonna be a tough out."

12 of Atlanta's 15 games played have ended in one possession. They're 4-8 in those matchups. 

Only the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens run the ball for more yards per game than the Falcons, who utilize both Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier out of the backfield efficiently. 

Through the air, Drake London has flashed what he could be for the Falcons during his rookie season. Joseph says he's just one of many bigger bodies on Atlanta that will pose problems for a Cardinals team that hasn't fared well in bringing bulky opponents to the ground. 

"He's a big guy who can make contested catches. He's not super fast. So guys kind of cover him and lay on him a little bit, but he's making a tough catch. He's a great blocker and after the catch he can break tackles and make RAC yards," Joseph said on London.

"So between him and [Cordarrelle] Patterson and you know, No. 25 [Tyler] Allgeier, man they got big guys who can carry the ball. So getting these guys tackled, that's going to be an issue. We have to gang tackle these guys [and] take them low. Last week, we had trouble with [Leonard] Fournette and that's a big back, so it won't change this week with those three guys, getting them tackled, and that's my biggest concern."

We'll see how prepared Joseph and the rest of Arizona's defense is here in just a few hours. 

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