Five things to watch when Falcons host rival Saints in Week 1

It goes without saying that the Falcons secondary is one of the strongest and most skilled position groups on the 2022 roster. When it comes to who they’re matching up against on Sunday, though? They’ll have quite the first test.

You’re talking Michael Thomas, Taysom Hill, Jarvis Landry, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave. With Winston running the show at quarterback, the Saints have more than enough offensive talent to move the ball downfield, even without Payton calling plays on the sideline. With so many weapons, the Falcons have to at least make it hard on Winston to get the ball in their hands.

I’m putting quite a bit of pressure on the Falcons defensive front to help out the secondary in this regard. The Falcons struggled at times against mobile quarterbacks in 2021. They leaked out of the pocket too much. If the defensive line can contain Winston, I feel relatively confident in saying the secondary can make it difficult for him finding open targets. Maybe I eat my words, but this is where I’m gonna stake my claim right now.