The Atlanta Falcons Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Chargers is crucial for both teams. The Falcons have been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this year, leading their division at 4-4. Meanwhile, the Chargers have struggled with consistency and sit in second place in the AFC West at 4-3.
The Falcons have been powered by their running game this year. That's despite losing starting tailback Cordarrelle Patterson to a knee injury back in Week 4. Youngsters Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley have done an admirable job filling in, while QB Marcus Mariota has quietly been very efficient with the football. He has accounted for eight touchdowns (seven passing, one rushing) to just three interceptions the last four games. This week, the Falcons signal caller will look to take advantage a banged up Chargers defense.
On the other side of the ball, the struggling Falcons secondary has to go up against one of the best QB's in the game in Justin Herbert. This game should be a lot of fun to watch, with plenty of points scored.
So, let's get to our Falcons Week 9 predictions against the Chargers.
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4. Marcus Mariota throws a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown
Marcus Mariota has not thrown for a ton of yards this year, nor was he expected to. Granted, he and the offense have been criticized for not getting super-talented Kyle Pitts more involved. But he has protected the football pretty well and done a good job using his legs.
Mariota has rushed for between 31 and 60 yards in each of the last four games for the Falcons. For the season, he has three rushing scores to go with 10 passing touchdowns. The Chargers defense, and team as a whole, is incredibly banged up. Former All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson was placed on injured reserve this week after a crushing, season-ending knee injury last week.
Joey Bosa remains on IR and is still a few weeks away from returning. That significantly hurts the Chargers pass rush and should allow Mariota time to sit in the pocket and find the open receiver.
The aforementioned, under-utilized Pitts, has also shown signs of life lately. He is coming off his best game of the year, reeling in five of eight targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. He has found the end zone in two of the last three weeks and I would not be surprised to see these two hook up for another score this week.
3. Falcons secondary picks off Justin Herbert twice
Atlanta's secondary has been among the worst in the NFL this year. They are allowing a league-worst 306.9 yards per game through the air. The second worst in the league is the Pittsburgh Steelers at 277.3. Suffice it so say, the Falcons secondary has been atrocious.
It hasn't helped that Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Terrell was out and will be out again this week. But there is a silver lining, even though it has more to do with the Chargers than the Falcons.
Los Angeles will be without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Donald Parham Jr. On Friday, DeAndre Carter was added to the injury report, leaving him questionable to play. That leaves only Joshua Palmer as the lone receiver anyone has ever heard of. Even Palmer is not 100 percent healthy as he's been dealing with a concussion. Technically, the Chargers also have Michael Bandy and Jason Moore Jr., but who in the world are they?
I expect the Chargers to be chasing points, with the Falcons likely to control the clock. That is going to force Herbert to have to throw a ton. We've seen this story before and it tends to lead to interceptions. Look for Atlanta to create some turnovers this week.
2. Falcons rush for 150+ yards, two touchdowns
As mentioned, Allgeier and Huntley have done a decent job in place of Patterson. The latest reports have Patterson potentially returning this week. His status will be revealed on Saturday. But whoever is the starting running back for the Falcons should have a field day.
The Chargers are allowing a god-awful 5.7 yards per carry this season. That's dead last in the NFL. It was the biggest problem for them last year and the primary reason they missed the playoffs. Well, defensive end Jerry Tillery, who is a very large man, has been ruled out, as has LB Chris Rumph II. There is little reason to believe the Falcons will not rush for at least 150 yards. I would not be surprised if they surpassed 200 yards in this game.
1. Atlanta pulls off the upset, beats the Chargers
According to FanDuel sportsbook, the Falcons are three point underdogs at home. So, the banged up Chargers travel cross country and face a run-first offense with them possessing the worst rush defense in the NFL. All the while, Herbert will be without his two best receivers.
Falcons will improve to 5-4 with a 30-24 win.
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