Schedule Breakdown - 2nd Quarter

by: Chris Sullivan

I mentioned yesterday that one of the better ways to break down the schedule is to do it quarter-by-quarter. Here's part two:

Sun, Oct. 11 - vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:15 PM
Sun, Oct. 18 - vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1:05 PM
Sun, Nov. 1 - at Dallas Cowboys, 10 AM
Sun, Nov. 8 - vs. Detroit Lions, 1:05 PM

This could very well end up being the easiest quarter, and not just because of the bye week in the middle. First, three of the four games are at home, bookended by games against the struggling Jaguars and the Lions. The Jags are no gimme and, really, neither are the Lions, but if the Hawks are who we think they are, we won't let 'em off the hook.

The Cardinals game is, of course, a huge one. There's no way around this one and we have to play them at home and beat them. That's all there is to it. This won't be the make-or-break game (unless we're 2-3 or 1-4), but it will be key in asserting our spot at the top of the pack. The Hawks need to win this game and need the Cardinals to struggle early, as they have among the easiest schedules in the league capped off by a fourth quarter of @49ers, @Lions, Rams, Packers. It is entirely feasible for them to win all four of those games. The Hawks will have to at least split the series with the Cards to compete, and winning both games should get us back on top.

The Cowboys are schizophrenic. Who will we be playing this year? I think this game is a toss-up, plain and simple. It falls on my one-year anniversary though, so we better damn well win.

The Lions shouldn't pose a big problem, especially not at home. The Hawks should come out of this 2-2 or better. If there is one stretch in which we're likely to take all four games, it's this one, but that will hinge in large part on the health of Kurt Warner, the status of our secondary, and figuring out which Cowboys team comes out to play. ~END~