Cardinals-Falcons Week 10 Preview

Who: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals
What: NFL Regular Season Week 10
When: Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2:05 PM
Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Welcome back, Kyler Murray.

The Arizona Cardinals are set to welcome back their franchise quarterback to the mix after nearly a year removed from his ACL tear in Week 14 of last season. After Arizona's 1-8 start, it's hard to imagine Murray's presence will make matters worse.

Flipping to Atlanta's side, the Falcons will be starting Taylor Heinicke as they attempt to find their quarterback of the future. There's no doubting the talent in Atlanta, though it's fair to wonder if Arthur Smith's time with the team is beginning to close.

The Cardinals hope to start the next era of Murray's journey on the right foot while Atlanta has already dubbed this a "Super Bowl" for them in terms of importance.

To help preview the game, we exchanged questions with Falcon Report writer Daniel Flick. To view our answers, you can read here.

1. First, tell us all about Atlanta's offense. How confident are you in Taylor Heinicke, and bonus points if you can tell us what in the world Bijan Robinson did to Arthur Smith?

FLICK: The Falcons' offense can best be described with one word: frustrating. The unit is coming off a season-high scoring performance with 28 points in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings during Taylor Heinicke's first start under center, but many of the same problems - red zone efficiency and turnovers - that existed with Desmond Ridder still appeared with Heinicke.

The Falcons have scored touchdowns on only 50 percent of their redzone trips and rank No. 25 in the league in scoring at 18 points per game. Heinicke went 21 of 38 for 268 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his first start but didn't distinguish himself from Ridder. Sunday's game will be Atlanta's final determination before settling on a starter for the remainder of the season, but Heinicke's ceiling is lower than Ridder's, and he didn't bring much more to the offense last weekend.

As for Robinson, Falcons coach Arthur Smith offered over 1,000 words of why Robinson hasn't been involved as much in the red zone, and it ultimately comes down to balance - Atlanta's searching for more of it and wants to prevent greater wear and tear on Robinson down the stretch. He's still on pace for around 1400 all-purpose yards, which would set a Falcons rookie record, but he hasn't seen quite the volume many anticipated when he was selected No. 8 overall in April's draft.

2. On the defensive side of the ball, how do you believe the Falcons will game plan for Kyler Murray?

FLICK: The Falcons ranked top-five defensively in many big categories just two weeks ago and still sit favorably, but after allowing 57 combined points to a pair of rookies making their first start in Will Levis and Jaren Hall and veteran journeyman Josh Dobbs, there's plenty of cause for concern. Atlanta lost star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett for the season with a torn ACL two weeks ago, and his running mate, David Onyemata, is questionable with an ankle injury. Starting nickel corner Dee Alford is out Sunday with an ankle injury of his own.

But with Murray, the biggest point here is Atlanta struggled mightily containing Dobbs' off-script scrambles, as he logged 66 rushing yards on just seven attempts. The Falcons have struggled keeping quarterbacks in the pocket at various points this year, and they missed 16 tackles last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. If Murray can bring his vintage form as a runner, Atlanta's defense will get a strong test to see how much progress it's made in the past week.

3. Earlier in the week, we saw this game labeled as a "Super Bowl" for Atlanta by their own players. How important do you think this game is for the Falcons?

FLICK: On a broader scale, with how rough the NFC South has looked for much of the year, the Falcons could theoretically lose this game and remain in contention to win the division - but for Atlanta to legitimately reach the level it's trying to hit, losing this game would be a devastating blow. Of course, there's a big difference between being 4-6 and 5-5, but entering the bye week as losers of three straight games, all of which they entered as favorites, is a tough mental hurdle to overcome.

Further, with Smith and staff evaluating the quarterback position in the week after, Heinicke's performance is crucial here. Can he take a hold of the position? If he plays poorly and the Falcons lose, they're back at square one, and the organization will be trending in a bleak direction entering the season's home stretch.

4. There's gonna be a lot of chatter around Kyler Murray regardless of how he plays down the stretch, and Atlanta has been a hot team mentioned in speculation around him. How could you see that happening?

FLICK: This situation starts with the job statuses of Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot, who are in their third season together as the Falcons' decision makers. Unless the season takes an absolute nose dive, they're expected to return next year - but with a much shorter leash. Assuming the quarterback position remains unresolved entering the spring, Atlanta will have to find an outside option ... and can you confidently enter a do-or-die year with a rookie quarterback?

Signing or trading for an experienced option seems, at least on paper, the most realistic route for this regime, and Murray's ability to make plays outside structure should appeal to Smith. It makes sense for both parties in terms of need and fit, but the Falcons have been quite sporadic with their quarterback decisions over the past 18 months, so the answer of just how much interest Atlanta has may be better answered at a later date.

5. Lastly, tell us how you see the game unfolding!

FLICK: I think the Falcons get a much-needed road victory, 27-17, over the Cardinals. It's difficult to project where Murray stands in terms of readiness, and Atlanta's been confident in its week of preparation. That said, if Murray shows he's still the same player he was pre-injury and is fully prepared mentally in his debut with this coaching staff, he can cause significant problems for the Falcons' defense and potentially propel Arizona to an upset win.