Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals makin a statement to the NFC in Week #3 in 2014

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Hey guys,

The Atlanta Falcons (my team) and the Arizona Cardinals (who I predict may surprise everyone) have made their statement in Week #3

After def. the New Orleans Saints in Week #1 in Atlanta, the Falcons puts the NFC South on notice with a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta and they now take a 2-0 lead in their Division while the Arizona Cardinals go 3-0 with a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Arizona

Here are the stories:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...h-romp-of-bucs

Falcons put NFC South on alert with romp of Bucs
By Marc Sessler
Around the NFL Writer | Sept. 19, 2014

A collection of 53 men pretending to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invaded Atlanta on Thursday night.

Their ruse was quickly exposed, as quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons left the visiting contingent in tatters during a 56-14 hammer-drop.

Atlanta's quick-strike air attack carved through Lovie Smith's injury-riddled defense from wire to wire, as Ryan completed his first six passes and never looked back for an offense that piled up 16 first downs before Tampa earned its first.

If Ryan's handiwork against the Saints in Week 1 hinted at a monster campaign, Thursday's romp was further proof. Exiting midway through the third period, Ryan finished 21-of-24 passing for 286 yards with three scores and a passer rating of 155.9.

Facing a swarm of three-wideout sets, the Bucs were no match for the combination of Julio Jones and Devin Hester. Jones piled up an outrageous 121 yards by halftime, while a rejuvenated Hester drove a nail into Tampa's coffin early in the second quarter with a 20-yard end around that carved out a 28-0 lead.

Hester was a revelation. After reversing a would-be Tampa fumble recovery with a strip of Bucs safety Mark Barron, the jitterbug broke Deion Sanders' record with his 20th career return touchdown. It's especially embarrassing for Smith that Atlanta has found a way to showcase Hester on offense when Lovie's Bears never cracked that code.

Why Tampa continued to kick the ball to Hester deep into the game remains one of life's rich mysteries.

The Falcons were equally dominant on defense. After allowing 472 yards in each of their first two games, coordinator Mike Nolan's bunch tightened the screws to force five turnovers while allowing just 3.9 yards per play.

Before exiting with a right thumb injury, Bucs quarterback Josh McCown steered a lost vessel as Tampa was held to 63 yards on its first eight drives.

When the Falcons operate at this level, they rage around the field as a maddening headache for opponents. The Bucs offered no answer, no retort and no antidote for what Atlanta poured out on Thursday night.

The NFC South is on high alert.

The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the Falcons' lopsided win over the Bucs and previews every other game in Week 3.

Meanwhile....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...als-past-49ers

Drew Stanton guides unbeaten Cardinals past 49ers
By Marc Sessler
Around the NFL Writer | Sept. 21, 2014

The Arizona Cardinals pulled out an edgy division win at home, topping the San Francisco 49ers 23-14 at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday. Our takeaways:

1. After last week's ugly meltdown against the Bears, Colin Kaepernick was a clean 7-for-7 passing with a touchdown strike on San Francisco's opening touchdown drive. The 49ers starter accounted for 161 of his team's 182 yards in the first half, but Kaepernick's offense -- which hasn't scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter this season -- fizzled out down the stretch. So did a Niners defense overwhelmed by Arizona's speedy cachet of pass-catchers: Michael Floyd and John Brown made mincemeat of San Francisco's secondary.

2. Drew Stanton was the story of the second half. The Cardinals backup absorbed a string of clock-cleaning hits, but kept getting back up. Stanton lit up the 49ers with a pair of third-quarter touchdown darts to Brown, who repeatedly beat coverage before drawing a critical pass interference call on Arizona's game-clinching march. While Stanton missed his share of deep strikes to open targets, Carson Palmer's understudy was all grit.

3. Those who love long, slow drives should view this one on Game Rewind. A first-half stretch saw San Francisco score on a 12-play, 80-yard march before Arizona countered with a 17-play, 66-yard series that chewed eight-plus minutes off the clock. The 49ers countered with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that melted another 8:35 out of the first half.

4. If Kaepernick's turnovers killed the 49ers against Chicago, Sunday's implosion was more about the team failing to convert key third downs. We also saw a departure from their time-tested strategy to bleed teams with the run, as San Francisco employed a heavy dosage of five-receiver sets to make up for the loss of tight end Vernon Davis.

5. That pass-happy approach betrayed the 49ers but helped Stevie Johnson. The veteran wideout caught three passes on San Francisco's first two drives -- and nine for 103 yards on the day -- after just four grabs over his first two games.

6. Arizona's fourth-quarter block of a Phil Dawson field goal deflated the Niners while giving the Cardinals an NFL-leading 17th block since 2008.

7. The Niners have been outscored 52-3 in the second half this season.

credit: nfl.com