clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

One Falcon To Watch: Michael Turner

When you consider the unique circumstances of this game, it's no surprise that Michael Turner is the one to watch.

Consider this: Julio Jones is out. The passing game has struggled against secondaries of lesser quality than the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have one of the league's most woeful run defenses. Turner gets close to or more than 20 carries every game, regardless of how well he's doing. All of those factors conspire to make this a potentially huge game for Touchdown Vampire.

How huge? It's impossible to say, but over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns is far from out of the question. This is the rare game where running Turner up the gut makes sense, because the Panthers have a pair of young defensive tackles who have had little success stopping running backs thus far in 2011. 

Expect the Falcons to feed their bellcow back from the first offensive snap to the last one, seeking to control the clock, wear down the defense and put points on the board. If Turner's up to the task, he's the key cog in the offense. 

So watch Turner closely. Got your own nomination to share?