When you are 11-2, a victory over a 6-7 opponent does not look big on paper. Atlanta’s 34-18 rout of Seattle, however, was absolutely huge. Not necessarily because it came on the road. Not necessarily because it came over a team that was previously a decent 4-2 at home. Most importantly, the Falcons’ win ensured that they simply have to win one of their last two regular-season games–both in the Georgia Dome–to win the NFC South and clinch home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
Lose to Seattle and Atlanta would have been faced with a virtual must-win game against the defending Super Bowl champion Saints next Monday. Now, though, the Falcons can lose to New Orleans and would still be a home victory over Carolina (the worst team in the entire NFL at 2-12) from clinching both the division and the No. 1 seed.
To say this team is in good shape after its performance at Qwest Field would be an understatement.
“We have said many times we like where we’re at and we know where we’re at and we know what we have to do,” head coach Mike Smith said in his post-game press conference.
What the Falcons have to do, of course, is nothing more than take care of business. They are a perfect 6-0 in the Georgia Dome this season, Matt Ryan is 19-1 at home as a starter in his career, they are 4-0 against the treacherous NFC South, and they have already disposed of both Carolina (31-10 in Week 14) and New Orleans (27-24 in overtime in Week 3) on the road.
That’s not to say that the upcoming Monday night showdown with the 10-4 Saints is anything less than the biggest game of the year. Because it is. The division title is at stake and the Falcons want to wrap everything up before heading into what would otherwise be a make-or-break contest with the Panthers.
“It’s the next step,” running back Michael Turner told the AJC. “Each week we have to make another step. This week (the win over Seattle) was just to get in the playoffs. Next week, it’s for all of the marbles other than the Super Bowl. It’s the next challenge.”
It’s one of the biggest challenges on a regular-season schedule that has been far more difficult than Atlanta’s NFL-best record suggests. Smith and company never look past even the weakest of foes, so they are not about to start thinking about champagne bottles in advance of the New Orleans clash. They still have a long way to go before they reach their targeted destination.
“We are focused on this game because it’s the next game,” Smith added. “We try not to concern ourselves with what the outcome really means down the road…. We have goals that we set internally and I can assure you we haven’t reached them yet.”
“It would be great,” safety Thomas DeCoud said in his post-game interview with the team’s website when asked about the prospect of clinching on Monday. “But we’re not gonna get too far ahead of ourselves.”
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