Marcus Mariota and other Falcons players who can ruin Week 7 for Bengals
By Glenn Adams
Troy Anderson / Rashawn Evans / Mykal Walker
Troy Anderson is a relatively unknown quantity for the Falcons’ defense but Sunday, he had a breakout game against the 49ers while filling in for the injured Mykal Walker. Anderson was their leading tackler with 13. Now after watching how New Orleans’ Demario Davis was able to get to Joe Burrow, the Falcon might try to unleash Anderson on the Bengals’ star quarterback.
Mykal Walker and Rahsaan Evans are in the same proverbial boat. Coming back from injury, Walker will be hungry to get back on the field after the terrific game his replacement had in his stead.
Walker and Evans lead the Falcons in blitzes resulting in one sack for Walker. Along with Anderson, they will likely be called upon to bring pressure from the linebacker position more than they are accustomed to this year.
The Bengals must have a better plan to deal with it than they did on Sunday against the Saints and the execution must be better as well.
The good news is that Atlanta causes the least amount of pressure by percentage in the NFL. The bad news is that game plans change depending on opponents. As a result, the Bengals must be prepared for the defense to test their blitz-pickup ability until they prove they can stop blitzing linebackers from getting to Burrow.