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Both teams are 3-2 after impressive Week Five victories. The Bears dominated the Lions on both sides of the ball in a 34-7 victory, as QB Kyle Orton set personal single-game highs in passing yards, completions and passer rating, and the defense limited the Lions to only 185 yards, its best effort in almost two seasons. The surprising Falcons upset the Packers for their first road win of the season, scoring on three of their first four possessions in a hard-fought 27-24 victory. As is the case with Orton, Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan continues to make steady progress, coming off a very efficient performance against the Packers. Ryan, who complemented Michael Turner’s 121 rushing yards and a TD last week with a pair of TD passes, will be under the gun against a Bears “D” that has gotten a lot better the last couple of weeks.
Falcons offense vs. Bears defense: The formula for the Falcons on offense has been simple so far this season: Jump off to an early lead, run the football, make just enough big plays and hang on for dear life. Against the Packers, instead of showcasing featured back Michael Turner (six rushing TDs, 5.3 yards per carry in 2008) early on, WR Roddy White was the main attraction, catching eight passes for 132 yards and a TD, all in the first half. Rest assured the Bears’ secondary, which played well despite the absence of Nathan Vasher (wrist; check status), will keep a close eye on White this week. But after all is said and done, the key will be how well the Bears’ defense, which will have DT Tommie Harris back for the first time in two games, can stop Turner, who has been particularly sharp at home this season.
Bears offense vs. Falcons defense: Atlanta’s 23rd-ranked defense could have its hands full with a Bears offense that is becoming increasingly balanced. Opposing defenses have concentrated on shutting down Bears rookie RB Matt Forté, whose rushing numbers have gone down each week. At the same time, though, the focus on Forté has opened things up for Orton, who very effectively spread the ball around to seven different receivers last Sunday and registered the first 300-yard passing game of his career. A key matchup in the trenches pits Bears OLT John St. Clair, who has done a respectable job so far his season, vs. Falcons DRE John Abraham, who is off to an outstanding start this season with a league-leading seven sacks.
Special teams: Devin Hester, whose third-quarter fumble on a punt return led to the Lions’ only score last week, has been nothing special so far. Bears P Brad Maynard’s 29-yard net average last week doesn’t reflect how well he actually punted. He kicked from midfield on five of his punts and made the Lions start two possessions on their own 10-yard line. Falcons PK Jason Elam has made all 11 of his field-goal attempts.
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