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Passing efficiency, good on offense for the Falcons and not so good for the Arizona Cardinals can still make for a close game. The age (37) and experience of golden armed QB Kurt Warner, a Super Bowl winner under Coach Dick Vermeil in 1999, faces Atlanta's rookie QB Matt Ryan.

One of the key stats contributing to the Falcons' sudden rise to stardom adding 9.13 PPG to their scoring differential is our Killer Stat, Yards per Pass Attempt.

Yds/Pass Att Differential with Winning Margin
Yearly 2003 to 2008

Atlanta Falcons

In season 2007 Falcons ranked 27th on Yds/Pass Att Differential at -1.04.
In season 2008 they ranked 4th at 1.35, up 9.13 points per game on this one stat.
From 2007 to 2008 Falcons improved by 13.8 points per game on Winning Margin.

With a couple of great receivers in White and Fitzgerald, the Falcons jumped from 27th to 4th (league's 4th most UP team).

Flip side is the Arizona pass D which fell apart this season on Percent TDs per Pass differential.

Pct TDs per Pass Dif with Winning Margin
Yearly 2003 to 2008

Arizona Cardinals

In season 2007 Cardinals ranked 10th on Pct TDs per Pass Dif at 0.92.
In season 2008 they ranked 27th at -1.86, down 5.53 points per game on this one stat.
From 2007 to 2008 Cardinals declined by 0.3 points per game on Winning Margin.

Kurt Warner's age hasn't killed his ability to compete. His stat profile could make him MVP on offense this season. Throwing to two skilled receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin the Cardinals should always be able to score. Now.

Electronic hardware scoring projection: Atlanta over the Cardinals by 1.

Bud Goode

Falcons at Cardinals