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Our conversation with SB Nation Atlanta about Sunday's Atlanta Falcons-KC Chiefs game continues. We already talked about what to expect on offense and we also looked at whether Falcons fans think Matt Ryan has hit that elite level.
Now it's time to move onto the defense. I asked SB Nation Atlanta to tell me something about the Falcons defense I don't know (which could've been anything because I know very little).
Expect the Falcons defense to run a lot of nickel package against the Chiefs so that they can have Brent Grimes, Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson all on the field. Also expect them to mix up their defensive fronts. New coordinator Mike Nolan has brought a few aspects of the 3-4 defense to Atlanta, like plugging seventh-round pick Travian Robertson in at nose tackle and lining guys like John Abraham and Kroy Biermann up at linebacker. Robertson will be interesting to watch, as he's had a good preseason and the Falcons are also really thin at defensive tackle.
The Chiefs used a crap-load of formations in preseason. I'm assuming that's going to be part of their regular season plan. I like an offense where you can run a handful of bread and butter plays from 100 different formations. Making the defense think without making it confusing for you. The Falcons defense sounds similar, though I'm guessing they won't play a ton of nickel against the Chiefs, who could be running quite a bit in this game.