The Atlanta Falcons are back from the bye and in the Georgia Dome to take on the Indianapolis Colts during their Salute to Service game. Here are pictures from gameday.
Whe the Falcons look to get back in the win column next Sunday, one of the biggest keys will be slowing down Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson, who already has 1,006 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2015. Although he's among the sport's most dangerous players, he may find it difficult to roam free at the Georgia Dome.
As of Monday afternoon, the Falcons sport the NFL's top-ranked rushing defense—quite a contrast from last year, when they finished 21st in that category. So far Atlanta's only allowed three teams—Dallas, Tampa Bay, San Francisco—to amass 100 yards on the ground and, thanks to a revamped front seven, is averaging just 84.7 rushing yards against per game.
The Falcons have been especially good at twarting runs behind OTs. According to NFL Game Stats and Information, Atlanta is surrendering just 1.68 and 2.64 yards on ruses to the left and right tackles, respectively. Kroy Biermann, Tyson Jackson and O'Brien Schofield are among those responsible for this success, while Paul Soliai and Grady Jarrett have done a solid job along the interior.
Soliai, who recorded five stops on Sunday, had a particularly strong performance against Indianapolis, whose RBs tallied just 74 combined rushing yards. Frank Gore's 34 yards were his lowest output since Week 1; his 2.4 yards per carry average was his worst rate since Week 15 of last year, when he faced the Dan Quinn-led Seahawks D.
