Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 9/18/19: Crossover Wednesday with Locked On Falcons

Episode Date: September 19, 2019

On today's episode, Crossover Wednesday returns as Aaron Freeman of Locked On Falcons stops by to break down this pivotal Week 3 matchup from all angles.First up, what should we know about the Falcons? Julio Jones is a mismatch nightmare for any defense, but it's Atlanta's duo of Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones that is flying way under the radar. How should the Colts go about exploiting this Falcons defense with Jacoby Brissett under center? Also, is Matt Ryan actually an elite quarterback or not?From the Colts' point of view, controlling the time of possession will be critical to pulling off a victory. Keeping Atlanta's high-powered offense off the field as much as possible, especially if Darius Leonard and Pierre Desir can't go, is the best recipe for success. Indianapolis needs to keep the same formula they have going, but more touches are needed for Parris Campbell and Eric Ebron.Finally, we close the show with our three keys to the game before unveiling predictions from each side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into the special edition of Crossover Wednesday, Week 3 edition with Aaron Freeman of Locked On Falcons. My name is Evan Satter of Locked On Colts. And today we're going to discuss the Colts versus Falcons, which will be taking place on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Falcons are 1-1 as well are the Colts. It's going to be a really key match for both teams here as they try to get in the playoff race later on this season.

Aaron, how are you doing today? I'm doing great, Evan. I'm glad to be here talking with you doing today? I'm doing great, Evan. Glad to be here talking with you, coming off of a win for both teams. I think both teams have some momentum going into this week three matchup, and I think it'll be a very intriguing matchup and a big game for the Colts because they're opening up at home for the first time in 2019. Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be a huge game for the Colts, as we all know.

Andrew Luck's not the quarterback anymore. Jacoby Brissett's at the helm. But let me ask you, we're going to start first with the Atlanta Falcons. Then we're going to go to the Colts side of things and finish off here with our three keys to the game and our final predictions here, Aaron. What's your expectation today into week three for the Falcons here? Because when I watch the Colts and the Falcons play,

I mean, from the defense side, I think especially, they look awfully similar as far as all the speed guys they have. They look like they're building the same philosophy as far as defense goes. Yeah, I think so. I think the Falcons have really focused on athleticism and speed on the defensive side of the ball. This past offseason, they really put some a little bit more investments in getting some physical players up front to help beef up their run defense. I think that's going to be a big key in this Colts matchup with the play of Marlon Mack. And they wound up adding players like Alec Bailey and Tyler Davidson.

They brought Adrian Claiborne back after he had spent a year in New England. You're seeing Tack McKinley and Grady Jarrett really sort of come into their own up front. And of course, you know, on the back end, they have several playmakers like Deion Jones, like Desmond Trufant, who's coming off a two-interception performance against Philadelphia on Sunday night in week two. And Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen are two really solid safeties for them. And, you know, their young cornerback and Isaiah Oliver is slowly starting to sort of pick things up and made a couple of plays in week two. So I think, you know, in all three levels of the Falcons defense, they have playmakers. And it's just really about getting

all those guys on the same page and playing at their best football, which we haven't quite yet seen with this Falcons defense, but it seems like they're taking steps to get there. I'd love to ask you about this player, Aaron, because I think he's so underrated. I mean, financially, he's not anymore after the big extension he got, but Grady Jarrett, who's going to be going up against Quentin Nelson on Sunday, arguably two of the best guys in their position, and that's going to be a key matchup, especially on Sunday.

But can you talk a little bit to maybe the Colts, that they're listening to this, about Grady Jarrett? Because I feel like outside of Atlanta and outside maybe the NFC South he's not really talked about amongst the elite defensive tackles out there. Yeah, you know, he got a big extension this summer. I thought he would get an even bigger extension after

being the team's franchise player just because he isn't necessarily a household name like players like Aaron Donald and Fletcher Cox, but he is sort of, you know, maybe on that next tier below as far as being a disruptive defensive tackle. And, you know, the thing that Grady Jarrett does so well, and it's going to be intriguing

to see this matchup with Quinton Nelson, and maybe the Falcons might decide to move him around a little bit to try to get him less matchups with Quentin Nelson and try to get him more against Mark Lewinsky this week. And that would be an intriguing thing to keep an eye on, but Jarrett wins with, with speed and quickness. And, you know, he's got a killer swim move, that sort of thing. So if you're not on, you know, if you're a guard and you're not on your P's and Q's, your technique isn't right. He can beat you very quickly off the snap, and it's pretty much a wrap for the quarterback at that point in time.

Although we did see last week Jacoby Brissett, you know, pull a couple of Houdini acts and avoid some sacks. So maybe he can do that again this week. You know, obviously the Colts were able to show some effectiveness against Jarrell Casey, who I think similarly, if Colts fans are curious of sort of what Grady Jarrett brings to the table, there's a lot of similarities between him and Jarrell Casey,

who Colts fans have seen a lot more of over the years. Another player I think is really underrated as far as NFL circles go, and also, I think he kind of mirrors a lot of what Darius Leonard is, and that's Deion Jones, the linebacker for the Falcons. What stands out the most when you watch Deion Jones play? Well, I think, you know, the funny thing is, I think Falcons fans would say Darius Leonard is, and that's Deion Jones, the linebacker for the Falcons. What stands out the most when you watch Deion Jones play? Well, I think, you know, the funny thing is I think Falcons fans would say Darius Leonard is more like Deion Jones, but obviously Colts fans have a little

bit of a different perspective on that. But, yeah, I think Deion Jones is a really athletic, really explosive, really rangy player that can make plays sideline. The sideline is excellent in coverage, particularly zone coverage, because of that speed to cover ground. And, you know, when you throw passes underneath, he's just going to explode downhill and make those open field tackles. And I think, you know, he's just shown, you know, not just being a guy that's all speed and all athleticism.

I think one of the things that's impressed me the most about Deion Jones over the last couple of years is how much better and how much improvement he's made from an instinctual standpoint and being able to snip out the ball and be able to make plays in the backfield and shoot gaps and those sorts of things. So definitely a playmaker in sort of the centerpiece of the Falcons defense. Now looking ahead here from the defense, from the Falcons' standpoint, going against an offense led by Jacoby Brissett, they haven't really opened up yet that much,

but I'm expecting a two-this week against a high-powered offense that Atlanta has with Hugo Jones and Matt Ryan. What do you think the defense has to do from Atlanta's point of view to stop this Colts' offense, which is now all of a sudden run heavy now under Jacoby Brissett? Yeah, I think the Falcons are going to really – my expectation with the Colts' offense is I think they're going to borrow heavily from what the Vikings were able to do effectively against the Falcons defense in week one, which is run the ball down their throat and use their tight ends not only to be a factor, not so much in the passing game with the Vikings, just because the Vikings didn't throw the ball at all that week one game because they were so successful running the ball but they were very effective using uh utilizing their tight ends to get some advantageous matchups at least in the run game and I think the Colts are going to be able to

do that or potentially want to do that with Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle in the pass game in addition to the run game so my expectation is the Colts are going to lean heavily on Marlon Mack in the running game in their offensive line to try to control the line of scrimmage and get Jacoby Brissett in some advantageous situations. So I think the key is going to be for the Falcons to stop the run. They struggled with that in week one, particularly the outside runs with Dalvin Cook and his speed to get to the edge. They're a little bit – they've been a lot more stout on the interior

where they've made some of those additions, like I mentioned, like Tyler Davidson and Alan Bailey, where Grady Jarrett is and whatnot. So I think that's really where the Falcons are going to have to be, you know, technical and sound in their defense to not let the Colts really attack the edges like the Vikings were in week one. Flipping to the offensive side, thanks for the Falcons here, Aaron. What's your thoughts on their matchup against – with Julio Jones on the outside? Pierre Desir, he practiced today, but he seems a little gimpy now if he does play on this Sunday.

But Rakisen, the rookie, you also have Quincy Wilson, a third-year guy, really inexperienced on the outside. Do you feel like that's an advantage Atlanta can take advantage of here with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley? Yeah, I think, you know, the key to the Falcons' success has been because they have so many skillful position players like Julio Jones, like Calvin Ridley, as well as capable running backs and tight ends and Muhammad Sanu also and the wide receiver mates,

is that for most matchups they have an advantage there going against most teams' corners and whatnot. And the way that defenses have been able to equalize that to a certain extent is by winning up front and basically forcing Matt Ryan to get the ball out of his hands quickly, which limits the opportunity for some of those playmakers like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to make those explosive, dynamic plays. And so I think, you know, again, looking at this Colts defense with the injuries that

they have at that cornerback position with Pierre Desir and, you know, the tendency for the Colts to play a little bit more zone coverage. I do feel like the Falcons will have some opportunities to really attack this Colts defense in a lot of ways. But, you know, the key, I think think is going to be able to keep Matt Ryan upright and prevent pressure. That's been a problem these first two games and they're dealing with some injuries up front. They already lost rookie right guard, uh, Chris Lindstrom to a foot injury. That's going to keep him out for at least half of this season. Uh, Kayla McGarry, their

other fellow rookie at the right tackle position, um, is working his way back after having a heart arrhythmia this summer and then had a knee injury on Sunday night against the Eagles. And so he's going to be limited this week and questions about whether he's going to play. So they're already sort of dealing with some injuries up front. And so if the Colts can find ways to exploit that, I think they can kind of mask some of their issues or potential issues that they could have on the back end. Let me ask you this about Matt Ryan, Aaron, because I feel like he's another player who is whoever you talk to around the league, it seems like he has a varying opinion of him.

What's your overall opinion on Matt Ryan? I think Matt Ryan is a really good quarterback. You know, I think in terms of like,, is he, like, elite on the Tom Brady level? No. But I feel like Matt Ryan is a very smart, cerebral quarterback that generally does, you know, makes the good decisions. He's not a guy that's going to win with, you know, elite arm talent or he's going to scramble around and throw, heave up some deep passes that you're just going to be like, oh, my God, you know, elite arm talent, or he's going to scramble around and throw, heave up some

deep passes that you're just going to be like, oh my God, you know, like Patrick Mahomes or like Aaron Rodgers or whatnot. So I feel like Matt Ryan is not the sexiest quarterback, but he's very efficient in terms of his ability. And I think one of the things that has improved with Matt Ryan is that he's a little bit more able in recent years to sort of win some of these opportunities off structure and when he is forced to flee the pocket and find open receivers these last couple of years so I think he's gotten better in that regard this so far this season he's had a lot of turnovers and I think you know a lot of that is just simply due to facing a lot of pressure these first two games against you know know, the Vikings and the Eagles defense, two of the better defenses in the league.

And he just made a couple of, you know, questionable decisions, particularly in the red zone, which is something that he dealt with in 2015 and has since, you know, not had major issues with. And one of the questions we have right now is, is that due to the fact, because in 2015, he had a new offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan, and is some of these issues that he's having with some of his decision-making, because he's not as comfortable in Dirk Cutter's offense, who's the new offensive coordinator here in Atlanta in 2019, even though he had a previous working relationship

with Dirk Cutter prior to Shanahan's arrival. So I think these are some of the issues that we're dealing with. But I think a lot of it is being chalked up mostly to, hey, the Eagles defense and the Vikings defense are two of the best in the league. And he historically has not played well against those two teams for that reason. And I think the hope is that starting this week against Colts defense, that is a good defense, but I don't know if it's on that elite level

like those two teams have historically been. He might be able to get a little bit more going and cut down on some of those errors. Last question I have for you, Aaron, in this first semifinal where you transition over to the Colts side of things. Where do you think the Falcons have the advantage? I think it's their defense against the Colts offense here with the new quarterback, or do you think it's the Falcons

high-powered offense against its Colts defense? I think it's really the Falcons high-powered offense. I think really what the Falcons are going to need to do is not get off to a slow start on the road. I think they're going to need their offense to kind of carry them in this game. I think they have some advantages on the defensive side of the ball, but I think if you're expecting your defense, you know, I feel like the Colts are going to try to make this a physical low-scoring

game, and if that's the case, it's in the Colts' advantage to a certain extent. I think the Falcons' best weapon is going to be make this into a shootout and put Jacoby Brissett and take Marlon Mack, put Jacoby Brissett in a situation that he may not want to be in throwing the ball 40, 50 times in this game and take Marlon Mack out of the equation. And that basically allows the Falcons to sort of focus on T.Y. Hilton. So I think really the offense needs to get going early in this game and make the Colts play from behind. Can't find a workout that keeps you engaged?

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so you can be ready whenever an opportunity arises. Go to BlueChew.com and the promo code LOCKED, L-O-C-K-E-D, and you can get a discount code for your next opportunity. Alrighty, Aaron. We can transition over now to the Falcons and just talk about from the Colts' side of things, what could have to happen and also their team overall. What questions do you have as far as the Colts go?

I'm curious, sort of looking at your assessment of Jacoby Brissett, and I thought he was pretty good in 2017, despite some of the issues there. And I'm curious, what are you seeing from Brissett so far, given the absence of Andrew Luckett, and whether or not, what is the ceiling you think is for Jacoby Bursette in this Colts offense in 2019? I think it could be around like top 10, top 15. But at the moment, they're going against two good defenses, of course, the first two weeks there.

But it's really curious to me how Frank Reich, the head coach of this team, is really slowing Bursette into the system as far as easing him into it. Because I went back and looked at last year the air yards attempted in the first two weeks per game for Andrew Luck and Jacoby Bursissett Brissett's at 5.2 and Lux at 5.0 and also the average completed air yards 3.5 percent and 3.2 for Andrew Luck it just seemed like the first few or so weeks of the season that Frank Wright likes to conserve it and then air it out eventually I think that's what's going to happen this week against Atlanta that they're have to really air it out to guys like Deion Kane and Paris Campbell and T.Y. Hilton more often.

But I think overall the setting for this team, if for a second show, he is a top 15 quarterback in this league, which I think he's going to have to, even with that extension he got through the 2020 season for him to be the long-term answer there, Aaron. I think they have the chance of being a top 10, top 15 team, but definitely without Andrew Luck there, it seems like it's going to be a lot more Marlon Mack feature, maybe him getting around 300 carries this year.

And on that note, looking at this Colts offense, and it seems like it's basically throw the ball to T.Y. Hilton, run the ball to Marlon Mack so far, and you mentioned that you think they're going to open things up a little bit more this week. I'm curious, sort of,

who are the other Colts playmakers that Falcon fans should be keeping their eye on as one of those other options that could sort of, you know, do some damage this weekend? I think there's two or three of them. And I think the first one we should start off with is Eric Ebron, who was a touchdown monster last year for the Colts. I believe he had 14 total this time last year. And then you talk about him.

He had another one this time last Sunday against the Titans. I feel like he could be a player with Devin Funches out for the next eight weeks with a carbon injury he's a player who could really take on that big body playmaker role and that's a player who I'm curious to see who the Falcons put on him because it might be a speedy linebacker like a Deion Jones for example even though he's an inside guy maybe to put a more bigger body defensive back on Ebron I'll be curious to see what they do with him and spread him out more wide and the other one I think is Paris Campbell their their rookie, who has only gotten three touches so far in two games,

but he's been very explosive in those three touches. He had a touchdown last week against the Tennessee Titans on a 20-yard post out, and he really burned Logan Ryan, the Titans cornerback, pretty easily with his 4-3-1 speed. I'm curious to see who the Falcons put on Campbell as well, because with his deep speed and also his route running ability, which I think is very underrated, I think there's a chance for them to really open things up with Campbell.

And with his speed ability at 6'1", he might be a guy who gives the Falcons some problems. Yeah, I think this Colts offense, you know, while you look at it and you say, oh, it's just T.Y. Hilton, I think they have some speed options with guys like Campbell and Kane in addition to Hilton. And I think one of the areas where the Colts offense could successfully attack this Falcons secondary is with their speed, because Desmond Trufant right now is really the only guy on the outside that you really trust to handle speed. That's been a problem for Isaiah Oliver.

He's just not a guy that can handle fast guys. So I think maybe the Colts will try to exploit him in that regard. Switching a little bit to the defensive side of the ball with the Colts' defense, and I talked about this a little bit, you know, I'm curious, sort of, what is your thoughts on sort of the Colts' defense? Are they going to be a team that's going to dial up a lot of blitzes? That's been a problem for this Falcons' offense so far this season against Philadelphia, against Minnesota. Do you feel like they're just going to rely on getting pressure with four guys or

what is going to be their overall defensive approach this game? I'm expecting, I would have said it without the Pierre Dossier injury, which is how youthful the defensive backs are. I'd expect more man coverage, but I think against Julio Jones and Kyle Merlion, that's a really bad idea. So I'm expecting some zone coverage from them still a lot more probably than the first two weeks because they're just so explosive to the Falcons' offenses. So I think they're going to try at least four. They have Justin Houston. Kamoko Touré is going to be back this week.

He had a really good week one. He had two sacks. One was called back for a penalty there. And I believe Jabal Sheard actually practiced today for the first time, so he might be a game-time decision here on Sunday against the Falcons. He's a really key guy as far as pass rush goes. So if they have all these players back, maybe you see a couple blitzes here and there from the inside linebackers, like a Darius Leonard, who plays on Sunday, Anthony Walker, for example. I think they're going to try mostly for their Aaron, but I wouldn't be surprised if they get a little exotic with their coverage against this

kind of offense. You mentioned Darius Leonard. He's dealing with a concussion issue. Obviously, we'll just have to wait and see with that in terms of his status for Sunday, but do you feel like if he does not play, how big a blow is that going to be to this Colts defense? It's massive, Aaron. I think if he does miss this game, especially against the Falcons, it's going to be crucial because who's going to replace him I know they have Bobby Okereke behind him as the Mike linebacker maybe they put Anthony Walker in his place they had EJ Spia linebacker who they drafted this year in the fifth round there's really not much outside of just inexperience and

and Darius Lerner is the captain of that defense and him being out for any amount of time is is just a huge blow to this team because he's the one making the calls he's the one making the defensive line reads for those guys up there and he really just it flies around the ball him not being out there is a huge loss for them because you'll you'll probably see the falcons if he's not playing on sunday target the middle of the field more often when most of the teams wouldn't because of lindner is and his rangy ability but i won't be surprised if lindner doesn't play on sunday that the falcons try more over the middle like some crossing routes with julio and Calvin Ridley, maybe some more tight end action there, because the middle of the field is going to be a lot more weaker for

the Colts if he doesn't play. And speaking of the, my last question, speaking of the middle of the defense, you know, talk a little bit about Malik Hooker. He was a guy that had a lot of expectations when the Colts drafted him a couple of years ago, dealt with some injuries early in his career, made a sort of highlight reel catch, you know, that highlight reel catch that may be at the end of the year one of the big highlight reel plays with that one-headed interception in week one. I'm curious, sort of, let the Falcon listeners know sort of what Malik Hooker brings to the table and maybe if him and the other Colts safeties can help pick up some of that slack

if Leonard misses this game. Yeah, Malik Hooker, I think, is now reaching that point of a lead as far as free safeties go. He's a ball hawk out there. He's back to his rookie form from two years ago, and that's a good sign for Colts out there because he really shuts down a quarter of the field or a third of the field whenever he's out there. And whenever he's tested deep, more often than not, it's an incomplete pass or it's a incomplete pass or to bat a ball like we saw in LA in the week one against the Chargers he comes

out of nowhere gets the interception on Phillip Rivers so I think Matt Ryan will not test Malik Hooker that often I think it's going to be more of like these intermediate routes a middle of the field and maybe not many deep shots toward Hooker maybe they try Clayton Gathers and Kyrie Willis and other side of the field but Malik Hooker is definitely getting in that range now as far as top five safeties in the nfl because his ball hawking ability is very rare and that nowadays we see it but not as much as hooker can and he's he's fully healthy now for the first time in over 18 months and that's a great sign because he definitely is entering that elite threshold as far as safeties go. Okay. Evan, you want to get into our last segment here?

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And I think the Falcons have done a relatively good job at times in these first two weeks in terms of controlling the line of scrimmage or at least preventing other teams from completely dominating the line of scrimmage, and particularly last week against Philadelphia more so than week one. And so I think they're going to have to continue that trend this week against the Colts because I do think that's – if the Colts are going to win this game, it's going to –

we're going to look back at this game and say, you know, that Colts offensive line, that Colts defensive line, you know, really controlled the line of scrimmage and opened things up for the rest of that team. So I think that's really where the Falcons are going to, the first thing the Falcons got to win. And I think that opens up sort of the next opportunity, which is getting their playmakers, you know, on offense,

like Julio Jones, like Calvin Ridley, Sanu, Austin Hooper, Devontae Freeman, Ido Smith, all these guys going in this game and really making the Colts defense have to sort of do a pick your poison, and that's really where the Falcons offense is at its best, where everybody's focused on Julio Jones or focused on Calvin Ridley or focused on Devontae Freeman, and then Mohamed Sanu's breaking you and Austin Hooper's breaking you and those sorts of things.

And, you know, with the third thing, I think, you know, it's something that is a phase of the game that I think is often forgotten, but the Falcons are dealing with an injury to their punter and map, Asher. And, you know, the field position battle could be, you know, critical in some of these games and often is. And, you know, the Falcons picked up a punter in Matt Wiley, who played with the team in 2016, briefly, when Bosher was injured and spent last year with the Vikings. And, you know, he's on the practice squad, you know, in the event that Bosher can't go with an injury. But I do think the special teams can be an important aspect of this game. And if the Falcons are at a disadvantage there, that's going to give the Colts numerous opportunities to potentially take advantage of and could be the difference

in a football game that often is decided by one score. Yeah, as far as the Colts side things goes, Aaron, I'm right there in agreement with you as far as the Falcons go because I think the Colts are going to muddy this game up a little bit as far as just the run style of they're going to do. It's going to be run, run, pass. I think time possession is my first key of the game here, because the Falcons offense, like we talked about throughout the show today, they can put points in bunches when they get hot. And the Colts defense, if they don't have Darius Leonard up here, Desir is hobbled a little bit. They could be in big trouble as far as that goes.

So I think them really establishing the run early on, Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins is back at nine hinds as well. Those three guys are going to have a heavy workload on Sunday if they want to keep this game close because I think time possession is a huge thing for them. They're going to have to maybe double that and really just keep this Falcons offense off the field as much as they can because I think they're going to put points when they're out there against this defense, in my opinion.

And so I would definitely just rely on the running game as well as far as that point goes because the running game behind Quentin Nelson, that offensive line, that's going to be huge for them on Sunday. My second point is pretty much just bottling up Julio Jones. I know you're not going to stop him, but you just have to contain him a little bit because Julio is, I think, the best receiver in the NFL, in my opinion. And we saw it on Sunday against Philadelphia. When he gets going, he's just unstoppable.

And they'll probably put Pierre Desir on him, probably put Malik Hooker in that shadow coverage really deep on Julio. And that means that if they can just stop him a little bit, maybe just bottle up the other guys around them, I feel confident because if Julio gets going and he gets super hot, I think the Colts are really in trouble as far as that aspect goes of this game because if they can't stop Julio, that's going to open things up for Ridley, Austin Hooper, like you mentioned there as well, Aaron,

and the running game too. I think just focusing a lot on the outside receiver is going to help the run game of the Falcons out a little bit. So I think that's going to be a huge key is just bottling up Julio Jones. He's going to get his reception, he's going to get his yards there, but I just wonder how big of a day it's going to be if they actually contain him as much as they can. But my final point, as well as this goes, is the special teams, like you mentioned,

Aaron, for the Falcons side with the injury to Matt Bosher. Adam Vinatieri has missed seven kicks over his last three games. He missed two extra points on Sunday. He missed two extra points as well in LA and a field goal. So it's been a horrible start for Adam Vinatieri. They actually brought in six kickers to work out yesterday to the Colts facility. So I wonder if Benatari does another bad week. It might be his last game ever as an Annapolis Colt here.

So if he's back to normal this week, it's going to be huge for this team because they should be 2-0 if not for Benatari's misses in L.A. in week one. And he almost cost them the game again last week in Tennessee. So if they're able to get Benatari back on the right track here, future first-bound Hall of Famer, it'll help them out a lot. But if he doesn't, if he keeps missing kicks, I think Atlanta's in a chance to really win this game.

Okay. Yeah, I think this is going to be a fun matchup. We'll have to sort of see how it all goes. But a lot of different variables will certainly play into who emerges victorious on Sunday. Yeah, absolutely. Before I let you go, Aaron, what's your into who emerges victorious on Sunday. Yeah, absolutely. Before I let you go, Aaron, what's your prediction for this game on Sunday?

I don't want to get too overconfident with the Falcons coming off a very emotional, hard-fought battle against the Eagles. I feel like there's, I won't call it a track game, but I think there is a little bit of a letdown, but I'm hoping that some of these details that you're talking about, the special teams, a couple of playmakers on offense being able to make some plays in the end, that even if the Falcons get off to a slower start because of that, they can sort of come from behind and take care of business in the fourth quarter. So I think this is going to be a close game. I will give the Falcons the slight edge and I'll say it's going to be something like a 24 to 23 type of win for the Falcons. I'm right there in agreement with you as far as the score goes, Aaron. I was going to say 24-20 and I think the

Colts win this game because they're going to muddy it up like I mentioned earlier and it's going to be a lot of run emphasis from Marlon Mack and the rest of those guys. I don't trust Jacoby Brissett just yet in a shootout, and we saw it a little bit in week one, but the Chargers came out on top in that matchup in week one, so I'm really curious to see against this Falcons offense if they get going. If it's a high 20s, low 30s type of game, I don't feel confident about the Colts winning this game, so I expect time possession in the run game to be a huge emphasis here. I'm going to go 24-20 Colts. I think it's going to be a very close game. I don't feel confident about the Colts winning this game. So I expect high possession in the run game to be a huge emphasis here. I'm going to go 24-20 Colts. I think it's going to be a very close game. I think it might be honestly one of the games of the week this week

for week three in the NFL. Absolutely, absolutely. I think this is two relatively evenly matched teams and we'll just sort of see if that home field advantage that the Colts definitely used down the stretch at the end of 2018 is sort of on that little run that they had if that continues into 2019 because if it does, then this is going to be a very tough matchup for the Falcons to come into a hostile environment and win. Listeners, before I let you all go, appreciate everyone listening to this Crossover Wednesday special. Go ahead and follow Aaron if you haven't already,

at FalcFans on Twitter. Also, subscribe to the Locked on Falcons podcast. Falcons listeners, if you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm at LockedOnColts. And also, you can subscribe to LockedOnColts as well on whatever streaming service you want us to. Thanks again, Aaron. And it'll be a fun game to follow along with on Sunday.

Absolutely.