Falcons vs. Saints: How (and can) Atlanta stop Alvin Kamara? Alvin Kamara is a great running back. I think we can acknowledge that and still loathe him for his association with the Saints Atlanta Falcons Hoodie , and so we shall. The question this week is how the Falcons plan to stop him, and whether that plan will be successful.The good news is that Kamara has scuffled a bit in back-to-back weeks on the ground, with 21 carries for just 75 yards, though he’s scored twice. The bad news is that he’s doing his usual fine work through the air, with 15 receptions for 165 yards already. Were this the same crew on defense as a year ago, I’d be pretty confident. The Falcons knocked Kamara out of the first meeting in 2017—I’m not endorsing that, just saying—which meant his numbers were quite low. The second time around, Kamara managed just 2.7 yards per carry and 32 yards on the ground, though he did get seven receptions for 58 yards. That was when Deion Jones and Keanu Neal were roaming the field, however, and much has changed since then.How should the Falcons stop Kamara?They need to focus on him. Obviously Michael Thomas and the other Saints receiving options are plenty capable Customized Atlanta Falcons Jerseys , but this secondary remains very good, and a year ago the team managed to not let Thomas kill them, even if he was quite good. Kamara needs to be priority #1, and whenever possible, he needs to have someone dedicated to keeping an eye on him.In an ideal world, that’d be Deion Jones, but Jones isn’t in this game. That means it’s probably going to fall to Duke Riley and whoever else Marquand Manuel and Dan Quinn feel can handle such an onerous task, and the Falcons would be wise to switch things up if they’re burned early. As good as Drew Brees is and as good as this New Orleans offense can be, Kamara is still the biggest single threat in this game. If they get away from paying extra attention to him, he’ll likely make them pay. Will the Falcons be able to stop Kamara? This is a much trickier question to answer. Based on last week’s performance, if Riley has coverage responsibilities for Kamara it’s going to get hairy. Riley was game but made the wrong decision too many times against the Panthers and wound up either out of plays or making miscues that turned into big plays. The Falcons are asking an awful lot of him at the moment www.authenticsatlantafalcons.com , but they don’t really have an obvious alternative unless they’re ready to move on to Foye Oluokun already. Riley will still probably get first crack at Kamara, but chances are good he’s going to wind up surrendering some significant yardage unless he’s made a drastic leap in a single week. The Falcons could then try putting Damontae Kazee or Foye Oluokun on him, or they could really go for it and put him up against one of the team’s cornerbacks who are equipped to deal with him. That’ll likely only become an option if he’s killing the Falcons, though, which unfortunately does seem like a legitimate possibility.I think ultimately the Falcons will find a way to keep Kamara from being the primary reason they lose this game. I also think he’s going to have a strong effort overall, and this week might determine whether Duke Riley stays in Deion Jones’ job going forward or not. The news that Falcons safety Keanu Neal will miss the season is a big blow to a Falcons team that has Super Bowl aspirations. So where do the Falcons go from here?If they’re going to seek a veteran replacement, there’s some good news for them: Unlike most years, there are legitimate NFL starters at safety who are still available in Week One.Eric Reid will be the first name who comes to mind for many: Reid started 12 games at safety for the 49ers last season, and he did it in a defense not unlike the one the Falcons run, as 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh spent time on the Seahawks’ staff when Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. Reid is currently bringing a suit against the NFL, claiming that the owners are colluding against him to keep him out of the league because he kneeled during the national anthem. If Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants to demonstrate that the owners aren’t colluding against Reid Atlanta Falcons T-Shirt , he could tell his football guys to bring Reid on board.Also available is Tyvon Branch, who started nine games at safety for the Cardinals last season. There’s been little news of any teams showing interest in the 31-year-old Branch, but the Falcons could make sense.Quinn also coached Earl Thomas in Seattle, and would surely love to coach him again. There’s been talk that Thomas, who isn’t happy with his contract, could be available in a trade. But that seems like a long shot.Losing Neal wasn’t ideal, but the Falcons may be able to replace him, more effectively than teams can usually replace an injured starter in Week One.
