the run showing fluid instincts in both departments.The addition of Tremaine Edmunds should make Milano’s job easier as Sean McDermott has to be hoping his two young backers can grow to be quite the duo like the

ATLANTA (AP) — Talk about a mismatch.The New Orleans Saints have been unstoppable. The Atlanta Falcons have struggled to stop anyone. It all adds up to a Thanksgiving night game that could get out of hand quickly.“Where do you start?” moaned Marquand Manuel http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-darius-slayton-jersey , the Falcon’s defensive coordinator.The Saints (9-1) are leading the NFL in scoring and really piled it on the last two weeks, dropping 51 points on Cincinnati and 48 on defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in a pair of blowout wins.Most amazingly, New Orleans has scored on 24 of its last 29 possessions, not counting kneel-downs at the end of the game.Eighteen of those possessions have resulted in touchdowns.Next up is Atlanta (4-6), a team that has lost two straight and ranks near the bottom of the league in every major defensive category. The Falcons have been ravaged by injuries, losing both safeties for the season and top linebacker Deion Jones for the last nine games. Jones has returned to the active roster but it’s not known if he’ll be able to go Thursday.“It’s a challenge,” Marquand said. “The guys just have to be up to it for four quarters and understand that they’re going to make some plays. They’re hot right now.”While Drew Brees is having another huge year at age 39, New Orleans’ running game might be the real key to its offensive success.The Saints rank sixth in the league with an average of 131.4 yards per game, and they’ve been especially tough to defend since Mark Ingram returned after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on banned substances.“Complementary football,” Ingram said. “Great teams play complementary football.”Ingram has rushed for 388 yards since his return, combining with Alvin Kamara to provide a dynamic 1-2 punch. Kamara has run for 617 yards and 11 TDs, to go along with 56 receptions and four scores.“The combination of both he and Alvin together has been pretty good for us,” coach Sean Payton said. “It is much more difficult if you are limited to just one of those players.”Marquand said Atlanta’s focus will be on trying to turn the Saints one-dimensional.“It’s where you start every week: the ability to stop the run game,” he said. “Ingram has come back and given them a nice balance. That allows Drew to be who he is.”Indeed, Brees is still the one who makes it all click.Last week, with newly signed receiver Brandon Marshall on the inactive list and the Eagles shading their coverage toward top receiver Michael Thomas, Brees threw touchdown passes to second-year pro Austin Carr and rookie Tre’Quan Smith.Smith finished with 10 catches for a career-high 157 yards Quinnen Williams Jersey , giving the Falcons another player to worry about, though he hasn’t been practicing during the short week because of a foot issue.Thomas is certainly a handful, having already eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving with six games still to go.“Drew’s going to shred you up, man,” Ingram said. “When we’re running the ball well, it just opens it up more for him. Even if not, he’s still going to do his thing. When he’s throwing it and slicing and dialing up plays like that and playing pitch and catch like that, they have to respect it.”When these longtime division rivals met in Week 3, New Orleans pulled out a 43-37 victory in overtime . Most memorably, Brees forced the extra period with a 7-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes of regulation, spinning away from both Brian Poole and Robert Alford to reach the end zone. The Saints then won the coin toss and held the ball for more than 7 minutes in OT, capped by Brees’ 1-yard TD plunge that ended the game.The thrilling contest set a course for both teams.The Falcons lost their next two games, as well, and never really recovered. The Saints haven’t lost since.“The last time we played them, the tackling was not up to par,” Marquand said. “But we are a better defense than the last time we faced them. We’ve got to make sure we stop them in the red zone http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jachai-polite-jersey , because they’re going to make their plays. We’ve got to make them earn everything they get.” The 2017 NFL Draft was loaded with talent and we still have not seen the best of a seemingly deep class. On both sides of the ball, you can expect to see an improvement in some immensely talented second-year pros. Some names on this list might be familiar while others are on the cusp of moving the curtains aside and taking center stage.It’s quite simple, some players slump while others jump. Let’s see who is set to catapult themselves on the NFL’s trampoline.Mitchell TrubiskyTrubisky has a lot of the similar characteristics that Carson Wentz possesses. He has the strong arm to push the ball down the field. He has exceptional accuracy despite only completing 59.4 percent of his throws and throwing seven interceptions. Also, the North Carolina product can make plays with his feet. Obviously, Trubisky’s decision making needs to improve, but his best receiving threat from 2017 might have been Tarik Cohen who plays running back. With new receiving threats in Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton, the Chicago Bears brain trust are hoping their new franchise cornerstone can make the same jump Wentz made, last season, in <em>his</em> second year.Marlon MackThe former South Florida Bull had a so-so rookie campaign as he would spell Frank Gore here-and-there. Mack finished the season with 358 yards on 93 carries and four total touchdowns. He averaged about six carries a game which translated to 3.8 yards per attempt. That is not bad considering the Indianapolis Colts’ front lacked a killer instinct in the trenches. During the 2018 NFL Draft, they selected the best guard in the draft in Quenton Nelson to bolster their front. With Gore gone, Mack is subject to tote the rock 250 times next season and he is a threat in the passing game too given his 225 receiving yards last year. Having Andrew Luck under center should make his job easier too.Cooper Kupp“Smart” and “instinctual” are two words Jared Goff once used to describe Kupp. You could see why Goff had such choice words for his well-rounded receiver as it showed in Kupp’s ability to create separation and get open. The 6’2 receiver demonstrated versatility, despite his size, in his ability to play out wide and as a slot receiver. As a result, he finished with 62 catches, 869 yards Chuma Edoga Jersey , 14 yards per reception, and five touchdowns in his rookie campaign. Now, you might be wondering why he is on this list considering his productive inaugural season. Well, Sammy Watkins was not retained as the Los Angeles Rams are putting their eggs in Kupp’s basket. Expect him to <em>cook</em> as 100 catches with 1,000 yards is realistic for the young Rams’ receiver.Patrick Mahomes II“I don’t want to hype him, but I compare him to Brett Favre,” exclaimed Tamba Hali on “Good Morning Football” of the NFL Network. Hali said this after practicing against Mahomes for a year in which the young Kansas City Chiefs quarterback made a habit of making the defense look bad. Most notably, he made All-Pro defensive backs Marcus Peters and Eric Berry look half-witted. Andy Reid even seems to be reminded of Favre when he watches Mahomes because of his propensity to complete passes in tight windows. Maybe that is why Alex Smith was dealt in a trade to Washington.Mahomes’ gunslinger mentality is sure to put the Chiefs in a few bad spots especially with teams loading the box to stop Kareem Hunt. However, the former Red Raider has the weapons in Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Spencer Ware, and Hunt to be the antidote to whatever plan defensive coordinators decide to orchestrate.Julie’n DavenportDavenport has by far the best name on this list. Aside from the great name, he is in an even better situation to be the anchor at left tackle for the Houston Texans. He came in last season as a fourth round pick out of Bucknell, that is by no means a football powerhouse. Davenport probably did not expect to see much time on the field with All-Pro Duane Brown manning the fort. However, he played in 11 games as a rookie and there was a lot to like as well as some things that needed to be cleaned up.Davenport’s size, 6’7” http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trevon-wesco-jersey , is what he can hang his hat on as his arm length is long enough to keep pass rushers at bay. In addition, he should benefit from being thrown in the fire a year ago. However, he has to get out of his stance like he is late for work especially with protecting Deshaun Watson’s blindside. The Texans rolled the dice in letting Brown walk and they are hoping Davenport is a lucky seven or eleven. Craps anyone?Ahkello WitherspoonA corner that is long, wiry, and rangy for the San Francisco 49ers. No, not Richard Sherman. The new Niner must see a lot of himself in Witherspoon because he invited his new teammate to a camp featuring some of the NFL’s elite corners in Darius Slay, Xavier Rhodes, and Aqib Talib. Might we see Witherspoon become the next shutdown corner in a division that houses Sherman, Talib, Marcus Peters, and Patrick Peterson?In two of his last four games, Witherspoon finished the season on a high note with two interceptions and should be able to add more to his resume with an All-Pro corner, Sherman, playing opposite of him. Good luck dealing with these two skyscrapers at corner NFC West quarterbacks.Gareon ConleyGuard your shins as soccer is not the only place where shin injuries can occur evidently. Although rare in the NFL, Conley was dealing with a shin injury last year as a rookie. To make matters worse, he was dealing with an unclear conscience as he was facing some serious sexual allegations, recently dropped Clelin Ferrell Jersey , after already having the charges modulate his draft stock.The Oakland Raiders 2017 first round pick was expected to go top 10, or at worst top 15, in last year’s draft. Heck, some considered Conley to be the <em>better </em>prospect compared to his college teammate in Marshon Lattimore. Nevertheless, he slipped to the 24th pick. Now, for the first time in a year, the former Buckeye can focus on just playing football. The Raiders view him as a player with oodles of talent as they hope it will transfer to him being an elite player. Jon Gruden and Paul Guenther are impressed as their young corner is learning the defense and developing good technique as they told reporters recently. There is not much roster talent at corner to inhibit Conley from being the top dog in Oakland.Matt MilanoSLEEPER ALERT. Another player on this list with double M as the initials to his name. As a result, I will use verbs starting with M to describe him.Milano was <em>misinterpreted</em> coming out of Boston College, at linebacker, as he finished his career with 14 sacks and 32.5 tackles for a loss. He was <em>mishandled</em> in the draft as he slipped to the fifth round before the Buffalo Bills snagged him. The Golden Eagle product <em>moved</em> his way up the depth chart as he started five games during his 16-game rookie season. Milano <em>mirrors</em> an undersized Luke Kuechly, standing at an even six-feet, as he can cover and defend the run showing fluid instincts in both departments.The addition of Tremaine Edmunds should make Milano’s job easier as Sean McDermott has to be hoping his two young backers can grow to be quite the duo like the one he coached in Carolina. Edmunds has the freakish athletic ability of Thomas Davis while Milano has the makeup of Kuechly.Each of these youngsters teams will be looking for a return on their investment. These second-year players, well some, are not in any jeopardy of having the plug pulled on their NFL life, but they ought to improve in a hurry.