From the Examiner's Desk: Is it time for the Atlanta Falcons to hit the panic button?

October 30, 11:08 PMAtlanta Falcons ExaminerDaniel Cox

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Matt Ryan in the Week 7 Dallas Cowboys loss, (AP Photo/Donna McWilliams)

('From the Examiner's Desk' is a weekly first-person column from Atlanta Falcons Examiner Daniel Cox, discussing something from the Falcons that's catching his eye.)

Would you feel less nervous about the impending Monday night matchup with the division-rival New Orleans Saints had the Atlanta Falcons not played so poorly last Sunday?

Yes, that was quite an egg the team laid on Sunday in the most-watched sporting event since the Super Bowl (28.4 million viewers, the NFL said this week), but good teams have bad games, right? Brian Finneran said as much following Sunday's loss.

"We did a great job protecting thus far, all year long," the veteran receiver said. "This game was not good. We'll go back and look and see what they did. I'm not sure what they did up front with the linemen. They definitely brought some pressure, that's for sure...  Just one of those days maybe? The defense for Dallas did a good job making us make some of those uncharacteristic errors. It's a combination of us not being on the ball and them playing really well."

The thing about Monday night's game is that while it carries significance and the national stage brings more exposure to the team, it won't make or break the season. Assuming a loss, a 4-3 record through the first half of the season, considering some of the teams Atlanta's faced, isn't so bad. And the schedule gets a little easier after this. Washington, at Carolina, at the Giants, and Tampa Bay are up next. 7-4 isn't a bad place to be heading into the final stage of the season.

But it may be safe to say, barring a New York Mets-like breakdown, the Saints have the NFC South wrapped up. Atlanta is probably, at this point, playing for a wildcard spot.

However, the Falcons are better than what they showed in Dallas.

The four sacks they gave up? That puts the total at six on the season, still second-best in the NFL.

Find something positive about the defense, you ask? I'll admit, it took some work, but I've found something that I believe will continue to speak volumes about the defense's ability to step up when it needs it most, despite what was shown in Dallas.

Cold, Hard Football Facts.com is an intelligent website that spends a lot of time creating modern-day stats that paint a more clear picture of what is actually happening on football fields. As their motto says: "The Truth Hurts".

Much has been said about Atlanta's bend-but-don't-break defense and I've said my share too, but you can't ignore, outside of the Dallas game, Atlanta's ability to keep offenses from scoring. They're No. 11 in the NFL in points per game with 19. But CHFF.com takes it a step further with their Bendability Index.

They believe it's a team-wide stat, measuring all phases of the game that go into keeping a team from scoring. Bendability is simply Yards Allowed/Total Points Allowed. The higher the quotient the more difficulty a team has in scoring on the defense.

I'll just throw it out there for you to consume. Atlanta ranks fifth, with 19.39 Yards Per Point Allowed. Denver, Indianapolis, New England, and the Jets come ahead of them. Perhaps what is more telling is who rounds out the bottom five: St. Louis, Miami, Tennessee, Detroit, and Carolina. Not a winner among them, though Miami did some good things in the first half last week against the Saints (Yes, I'm sure the Falcons' staff have noted every single thing they did).

What is says to me is this team has played some good football when it's mattered the most: in the red zone. And the offense has kept teams off the field. Efficiency like that can go a long way.

Does it mean a win against the Saints? Who knows. It'll be tough because the Superdome will be borderline insane with a Halloween hangover and New Orleans is playing with tremendous confidence. But I don't believe a Coach Smith-led team will turn in two clunker efforts two weeks in a row. They'll play New Orleans tough and they'll do what they can to give themselves a shot to win.

Yes, Michael Turner needs to get going. But don't pin everything on him. Fullback Ovie Mughelli's absence in the last two games was huge. Turner may not have the yards he had yet, but he's still finding the end zone, scoring a touchdown in each of the last five games.

The bottom line on New Orleans' defense is this: they're aggressive. But Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan's got some of the best numbers in the league against the blitz. He seems more than happy to hit the short routes in the face of pressure. That theory plays right into the hands of Atlanta. A good short passing game is just as effective as a good running game, soaking up minutes and keeping the opponent's offense off the field.

The Saints have also given up a few big plays this season, 19 total of 20 yards or more.

And then there's this, and I'm just going to throw this out and let you mull it over:

Just how good are the teams New Orleans has played this season? After loosing two straight, the Giants suddenly look less invincible. Outside of the Giants and Philadelphia in Week 2 (a team playing without its starting quarterback), who have the Saints played? Detroit, Buffalo, the Jets, and Miami round out New Orleans' schedule.

Don't be too quick to write off Atlanta based on one bad performance, I can assure you they're not down on themselves. They're young, confident, and hungry. Subscribing to the theory that every team can come out flat, then New Orleans is due, no?

Let the national media sell out the Falcons. When it's all said and done, they're still a good team and they're going to be in the race at the end.

I always love to hear what you've got to say. Leave a comment or email me for the Weekly Mailbag: jdanielcox@gmail.com. Click "subscribe" to receive emails whenever a new article is posted. Follow me on Twitter.