When the Falcons face Robert Griffin III in Washington during Week 5, it will end a streak of four straight weeks facing a quarterback that has been to the Pro Bowl.
So far through the gauntlet, the Falcons are 2-0, knocking off Peyton Manning on Monday night and Matt Cassel and the Chiefs in Week 1. Next up is Philip Rivers, the Chargers and a long west coast plane ride and then Cam Newton and the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers.
Against Manning, the Falcons and their secondary put on a show, picking off the future Hall of Famer three times in the first quarter and providing a big boost before a national audience. Cornerback Dunta Robinson, who had two passes defensed and played a feisty brand of coverage against the Broncos, thinks the challenges of facing top quarterbacks week after week helps Atlanta's secondary know where they stand with the very best in the league.
"We see it as a great test for us," Robinson said. "We want to definitely come out with Ws in all those games. We look forward to these challenges. We get excited about it because it allows us to see where we are as a team each week, especially as a secondary, facing great quarterbacks week in and week out. It's a lot of fun and we're up for the challenge."
Atlanta's five interceptions are tied with three other teams for tops in the league. While they've played well so far, it won't get any easier. After Washington, the Pro Bowl QB streak resets and won't stop until Week 11 against Arizona.
It's something they knew was coming when the schedule was announced, said safety Thomas DeCoud. All they can do is go out and play the games, starting with No. 3 on the list, Rivers and the Chargers.
"This is the NFL, there are good quarterbacks each and every week, week in and week out," DeCoud said. "We've got to prepare like we do each week and come out strong on Sunday."
