Unstoppable

Can anyone beat the Falcons? Can anyone slow down Doug Martin?

By Bryce Kerr

Sunday was a good day for the NFC South. The Panthers, Buccaneers, and Falcons all won their respective games.

AP Photo/ Rich Addicks

The Atlanta Falcons are now 8-0, coming off of a hard fought victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It wasn’t the best game the Falcons have played this season, but they pulled out a win, just as they have done all year long.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan described his performance and the Falcons’ performance in a CBSSports.com article as “Good enough.”

And “good enough” is right.  A win is a win, and Atlanta has eight of them. The Falcons has now reached the halfway point of the season and they still hold a perfect record. The Falcons put their unblemished record on the line next week when they travel to the Superdome to play Drew Brees and the Saints.

New Orleans will provide a challenge for the Falcons. Beating Drew Brees is never easy, but Atlanta will have to contain him and the rest of the Saints offense if they want to stay flawless. 

Tampa Bay rookie running back Doug Martin has been unbelievable in the past two weeks. He posted 214 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings last week. That includes a career high 135 rushing yards for the first round pick out of Boise State.

If you thought that Martin was feeling it in Minnesota, then you were in for a treat this week in Oakland. Doug Martin rushed 25 times for his new career high of 251 yards and 4 touchdowns versus the Raiders on Sunday. He broke the Buccaneers’ franchise record for rushing yards in a game.

The Buccaneers have won two games in a row with Martin and the rest of the Tampa Bay offense. Looking for three consecutive victories, the Bucs return home next week to play the San Diego Chargers.

If Doug Martin can keep playing at a high level, he can challenge Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and maybe lead the Bucs to a few more wins.

Both the Atlanta Falcons and Doug Martin looked unstoppable this week. In the Falcons’ case, they have been unstoppable all year. Going forward, we will see if anyone can beat Atlanta. And we will see if Doug Martin can continue to tear up opposing defenses.