Atlanta Falcons: 3 Bold predictions vs. Vikings, Week 1
2. Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley will have big games
The second bold prediction that will take place during Atlanta’s game at Minnesota on Sunday will be that wide receivers Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley will have big games for the Falcons. The wide receiving group for Atlanta is one of the more potent and top groups throughout the entire NFL, consisting of star wideout Julio Jones, Sanu and Ridley, among others.
That in itself, mixed with a balanced offensive attack with the potential of Devonta Freeman’s ability to have a breakout game running the ball, makes the Falcons a scary team while being led by Matt Ryan behind center.
On Sunday, Jones will likely get the bulk of the focus turned to him from the Vikings defense, with Minnesota’s Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes more than likely getting the assignment of facing off against Atlanta’s Pro Bowl wideout.
With Jones getting a lot of attention, as he should and deserves, that could open things up for Sanu and Ridley to have breakout games as primary targets behind Jones in the Falcons offense.
In 2018, Sanu and Ridley put together nice seasons for Atlanta.
Sanu, who is entering his fourth season with the Falcons in 2019, finished the year with 66 catches for a career-high 838 yards and four touchdowns. He finished with an average of 52.4 yards per game and had a catch percentage of 70.2 percent.
Ridley had a breakout year in his rookie campaign for Atlanta in 2018. In 16 games, he tallied 64 catches for 821 yards and 10 total touchdowns. While averaging 51.3 yards per contest, he finished the year with a catch percentage of 69.6 percent.
The Falcons certainly have a potent offense that has the ability to turn things on at any point throughout the course of the game, and we will likely see some flashes of that in Sunday’s season opener in Minnesota.
And with Jones gaining a lot of attention from the Vikings stellar defensive unit, Sanu and Ridley are poised to have big weeks for the Falcons in a tough road test.