Atlanta Falcons Need to #RiseUp Against New Orleans Saints for Opening Game

The Atlanta Falcons kick off their regular season this Sunday hosting their NFC South division rival the New Orleans Saints. This is one of the biggest rivals in the NFL and the Saints won both matchups last season. The Falcons finished a disappointing 4-12 last season and selected Offensive Tackle Jake Matthews with the 6th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Falcons had high expectations last season after barely losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship. After a season ending injury to star Wide Receiver Julio Jones, the Falcons weren’t able to recover.

Jones only played in five games. Running Back Steven Jackson played in 12 games, Cornerback Asante Samuel played in 11 games and Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon played in 7 games last season. Tight End Tony Gonzalez retired in the off-season after their disappointing season and the Falcons are hoping second-year Tight End Lavine Toilolo will fill the void. As long as Jones stay healthy and there’s Wide Receiver Roddy White, the Falcons will continue to have one of the best Wide Receiver duos or best duo in the NFL. Wide Receiver Harry Douglas had a career season when Jones went down and led the team with 85 receptions and gives the Falcons a consistent third receiver now.

The Saints and Falcons is a great game to start off the 2014 season at the Georgia Dome. The winner of this game will start the season off with a division win and this victory will definitely help their team momentum the rest of the season. When these teams play their final regular season game on December 21st in New Orleans, hopefully a playoff birth is at stake and make this rivalry game more intense. After an injury plagued season last year, this is the perfect game against the right team for the Falcons to RISE UP.

Photo Credit: Newslocker.com