The New Orleans Saints defense rebounded from an abysmal performance in week one Trey Hendrickson Jersey , helping the team pull out a victory against Cleveland last week despite offensive struggles. After evening their record at 1-1, the Saints travel to face bitter rival Atlanta, also with a 1-1 record. New Orleans has struggled to stop the Falcons from moving the ball in recent years, but when the Saints have prevailed it has been due to the ability to cause turnovers. The Saints have seen alot of ups and downs in the season's first two games, but let's have a look at how this Jekyll and Hyde unit matches up against a longtime foe. SAINTS PASS DEFENSE vs. FALCONS PASS OFFENSE Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesThe New Orleans defense is surrendering 11.4 yards per pass attempt, among the worst in the league, and rank 29th in the league defending the pass. They did rebound a bit last week against Cleveland, sacking Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor three times and intercepting him once. Still, coverage breakdowns in the secondary late in the fourth quarter put Cleveland in a position to win or tie the game on two separate occasions. The team's defensive line played well against Cleveland last week, hurrying Taylor on several occasions. Cameron Jordan recorded his first two sacks of the year, and Sheldon Rankins produced good pressure from his defensive tackle position while getting a sack of his own. Both Alex Okafor and rookie first round pick Marcus Davenport had solid games opposite Jordan, and all three are capable of putting quick pressure on the pass pocket from the edge. The team's secondary is still giving up explosive plays down the field, a disturbing trend that theymostly avoided last season. Marcus Williams nabbed the team's first interception of the year last week, after ranking third in the league with 20 pickoffs a year ago, but the team's safeties in general are struggling in deep coverage. Cornerbacks Ken Crawley and Patrick Robinson have been victimized down the field, and the entire secondary has been vulnerable out of the slot. Marshon Lattimore played better in his match ups with Browns wideout Jarvis Landry after getting torched by Tampa Bay's Mike Evans the previous week, holding Landry to just 69 yards on five catches. The Saints defense continues to struggle with athletic tight ends down the middle, but the team's linebackers have reacted well to opposing backs out of the backfield. They will face a stiff test this week, however, with Atlanta's Tevin Coleman coming out of the backfield. The Falcons enter the game ranked just 16th in the league throwing the football, but are led by quarterback Matt Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP. Ryan has gotten off to a slow start this year, completing 62% of his passes for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. This after a 2017 where he struggled with consistency. Ryan's favorite target is one of the best in the NFL Authentic Cameron Meredith Jersey Salute to Service , Julio Jones. The perennial pro bowler has 15 catches for 243 yards thus far this season, but has yet to find his way into the end zone. One of the league's more underrated wideouts is Mohamed Sanu. Although he has just six catches on the year so far, he has had big outputs against the Saints in the past. Atlanta used a first round pick on wide receiver Calvin Ridley from Alabama to add to their staple of weapons. Ridley was held without a catch in week one, but had four for 64 yards and a long touchdown last week against the Panthers. Austin Hooper is coming into his own as an effective tight end. The 2016 3rd round pick has eight catches and a score so far, and can create the sort of problems that O.J. Howard and David Njoku have for New Orleans the previous two games. The Atlanta offensive line protected their passer better in last week's win over Carolina, not allowing a sack after giving up four takedowns in their opening night loss to Philadelphia. Center Alex Mack is among the best in the game, but the Falcons will be without left guard Andy Levitre, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, and left tackle Jake Matthews can struggle against athletic edge rushers. The right side of the Atlanta line is an even bigger question mark, with guard Brandon Fusco and tackle Ryan Schraeder looking like they could be overmatched against the Saints talented front line. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images~ Matchup to watch: Marshon Lattimore vs. Julio Jones ~Another marquee match up for the second year New Orleans cornerback and last year's defensive rookie of the year. Lattimore has gotten off to a slow start this season, failing to contain Tampa's Mike Evans in the opener, but tightened up on Jarvis Landry last week. Jones caught a combined twelve passes for 247 yards against the Saints in two meetings last season, and has tormented New Orleans defensive backs since 2011. Like Michael Thomas, the Saints star wideout, it is next to impossible to shut down Jones. If Lattimore can contain the Falcons All-Pro, then a struggling secondary will be able to focus coverages on Sanu, Ridley, and the other Atlanta receiving weapons. SAINTS RUN DEFENSE vs. FALCONS RUN OFFENSE Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesNew Orleans has the league's 17th ranked rush defense, but has limited their first two opponents to just 3.4 yards per rush, 4th best mark in the league. Jordan and Okafor are outstanding run defenders from their end position, and rookie Davenport has been solid against the rush. Defensive tackle Tyeler Davison will miss his second consecutive game with injury. Rankins controlled the inside against the Browns, and is becoming consistently difficult for opposing blockers to contain. He and David Onyemata's ability to stonewall inside run attempts and disrupt the opponent's backfield is vital to the defensive success, and allows the Saints linebackers to flow to the ball more freely. Demario Davis leads the team in tackles Limited Taysom Hill Jersey , followed closely by A.J. Klein. Manti Te'o rounds out the Saints typical starters at the second level, although Te'o's status for this game is in question with a knee injury. Second year Alex Anzalone and veteran Craig Robertson would be next up if Te'o can't go, and the New Orleans defensive backs are very aggressive run defenders. The Falcons will likely be without leading rusher Devonta Freeman for this game, missing his second straight with a knee injury. Speedy Tevin Coleman will get the bulk of the carries, and is coming off a 100-yd. rushing performance against the Panthers. Coleman is averaging five yards per rush for the Falcons 8th ranked running attack, but the Devonta/Tevin combination has given the New Orleans defense nightmares in multiple matchups. Rookie fourth round pick Ito Smith has stepped up in Freeman's absence to have 46 yards on 9 carries. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images~ Matchup to watch: Saints LB's vs. Tevin Coleman/Ito Smith ~Demario Davis was brought in as a free agent to upgrade the New Orleans athleticism at linebacker, and combat precisely the type of skillset that the Falcons have out of the backfield. Freeman's probable absence is big, but Coleman has had some huge successes against the Saints in recent seasons, and Smith is showing himself to be a threat in the open field. Alex Anzalone, a good athlete in his own right, did not play in either game against Atlanta last season, and should also play a big role if New Orleans hopes to contain these explosive backs. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesAtlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has had some big yardage output against New Orleans throughout his career. When the Saints have been successful against him, it's been when they have been able to get heavy pressure and cause turnovers. Despite splitting their games last year, Atlanta was held to an average of under 17 points. New Orleans intercepted Ryan 3 times in their first match up, and sacked him 5 times while getting another pick in the rematch. The Saints secondary has had it's struggles early this season, but the talent along the back end is undeniable. They also look to have an edge in talent up front, and Cam Jordan has had some big games against Atlanta throughout his career. The team's linebackers will be tested, but the Saints need to control the Falcons running attack, and force them to be one dimensional. Jones, Ridley, and Sanu will be difficult to shut down, but New Orleans will look to aggressively pressure Ryan often, hoping that the playmakers in the secondary can create turnovers to pull out a key road win.NFL Picks Week 4: Garden State of Mind The New Orleans Saints enter Week 4 with a 2-1 record as they head to East Rutherford to face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.Although the Giants have struggled to a 1-2 record this season Marcus Davenport Jersey , they remain within striking distance in the NFC East, and they know falling to 1-3 could put them in a nearly insurmountable hole very early in the season.It may not be Broadway, it may not have the glitz of Times Square, it may not really be New York, since the game actually takes place in New Jersey, but it’s still a marquee matchup.Whether its in the Empire State or the Garden State really doesn't matter.What matters is that the Saints capitalize on their momentum from winning their last two games and hopefully improve their record to 3-1 when this matchup is done.Who Dat!Now let’s take a look at this and all of the games on the Week 4 NFL schedule.Last week I went 8-8I told you so: Saints over Falcons!What do I know: Bucs over Steelers?***WEEK 4Thursday, September 27th - Thursday Night FootballVikings(1-1-1) at Rams(3-0) - Game of the WeekThis is clearly one of the most anticipated matchups of the early season and it should live up to the billing.This is a pretty even matchup, but LA’s balance will be key against Minnesota here.Los Angeles’ defensive line will be the biggest factor in this game, and their ability to shut down Minnesota’s running game will put stress on Kirk Cousins and his offensive line in pass protection.This one will come down to the wire, but Los Angeles will send the Coliseum crowd home happy.Los Angeles wins 26-23.Pick: Rams***Sunday, September 30th- Early GamesJets(1-2) at Jaguars(2-1)This will be a better game than it may appear on the surface, but Jacksonville’s defense will be too much for Sam Darnold and the Jets to handle for four quarters.Jacksonville wins 26-21.Pick: Jaguars***Dolphins(3-0) at Patriots(1-2) I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but the Dolphins are going to leave Foxboro with a win this week.It’ll come down to Miami’s ability to run the ball and control the clock on offense, while their defense shuts down New England on the ground.Miami wins 24-20.Pick: Dolphins***Eagles(2-1) at Titans(2-1)Tennessee’s inability to attack the Philly defense through the air will keep them from getting much going in this one.Philadelphia wins 31-25.Pick: Eagles***Texans(0-3) at Colts(1-2)Houston’s early season struggles are one of the most surprising stories so far this year.Those struggles will continue this week in Indy against Andrew Luck and the Colts.Indianapolis wins 24-12.Pick: Colts***Bills(1-2) at Packers(1-1-1)Buffalo may be coming off of the most surprising upset of this early season, but they’ll come back down to their previous level at Lambeau against the Pack.Green Bay wins 24-14.Pick: Packers***Lions(1-2) at Cowboys(1-2)Detroit could easily find themselves set up for an emotional letdown after last Sunday Night’s huge win over the Pats, but thankfully for them they are facing a Dallas offense that is taking aerial football back to the days before the forward pass.As usual, both Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas defense will be asked to carry the load.The burden will be too much to lead the Cowboys to a win though.Detroit wins 32-24.Pick: Lions***Buccaneers(2-1) at Bears(2-1) This matchup is as opposite as you can get.Tampa relies solely on their passing attack, while Chicago relies on their dominant defense and solid ground game.While the signs point to Chicago getting the win here at home, I get the feeling Tampa’s passing game is going to stretch the Bears’ secondary, surprising Chicago with a big performance.Tampa Bay wins 29-14.Pick: Buccaneers***Bengals(2-1) at Falcons(1-2)This is a very solid matchup on paper and will be pretty even through the first half, but Atlanta’s passing attack will dominate the second half at home over Cincy.Atlanta wins 34-19.Pick: Falcons***Sunday, September 30th- Late GamesSeahawks(1-2) at Cardinals(0-3)Seattle’s defense will force turnovers at will against the worst offense on “God’s Green Earth” in Arizona.Seattle wins 21-9.Pick: Seahawks***Browns(1-1-1) at Raiders(0-3)Something wonderful is in the air for Baker Mayfield and Cleveland.Whatever is in the air for Jon Gruden and Oakland is putrid right now.The Browns double their win total over the last two seasons.Cleveland wins 23-19.Pick: Browns***49ers(1-2) at Chargers(1-2)Without Jimmy G under center for San Francisco, their season is about to unravel rapidly.Los Angeles wins behind a stellar effort from their defense shutting down the Niners running game.Los Angeles wins 31-13.Pick: Chargers***Saints(2-1) at Giants(1-2) New Orleans knows what stiff challenges await their defense in this matchup Authentic Archie Manning Jersey , and it’s not just the Giants air attack, but the potential from their ground game.The Saints have had a poor habit of making rookies look like All-Pros the first time they see them, (like Calvin Ridley).They can ill afford to let that happen against Giants running back Saquon Barkley.The Saints have a deceptively stout run defense and will need to keep that going against the dynamic rookie runner.For the Giants, this game will hinge on the success of the Giants’ receiving tandem of Odell Beckham Jr, and Sterling Shepard.If the Saints defense can mitigate some of the damage those two wideouts can dish out, victory can be had on the road here.Of course, much of that pressure will fall on the Saints ability to disrupt Eli Manning at the line, taking pressure off their damaged secondary.Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport will need to make life difficult for Eli all game long.The spotlight on this game will fall on Michael Thomas, as usual for this season, as he will be expected to have another monster performance, but the dark-horse player of the game will be Benjamin Watson, who could be a huge difference maker for the Saints in this one.Drew Brees and Eli Manning will have huge passing yards.Thomas, Beckham, snd Shepard will all get their monster stats too, but it will be Ben Watson stealing the spotlight for the Saints in this big win not far from the Big Apple.Saints win 37-30.Pick: Saints***Sunday Night FootballRavens(2-1) at Steelers(1-1-1)One of the NFL’s best rivalries of the past few decades continues here.Baltimore’s solid defense will keep the Pittsburgh aerial attack from overwhelming them, while surprisingly looking good through the air themselves.This one will come down to a late, game-winning field goal.Baltimore wins 27-24.Pick: Ravens***Monday, October 1st - Monday Night FootballChiefs(3-0) at Broncos(2-1)Despite having the worst-ranked defense in the NFL, Kansas City has stayed undefeated thanks to the stellar play of first-year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.The young gunslinger will have success once again in this one, but it won't come too easy at Mile High.Kansas City wins 28-21.Pick: Chiefs***That’s how I see Week 4 playing out.Leave us your picks, insight, and comments below! 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