For the second time in three seasons, head coach Mike Smith has taken the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs. But, unlike in 2008, the Falcons (13-3) are NFC South Champions and the top overall seed in the conference.
The Falcons last won the division in 2004, and have not been the top seed since the 1980 season when they played in the NFC West.
With the No. 1 seed comes a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons will host the winner of this week’s Saints-Seahawks game in Seattle, or Green Bay if the Packers win on the road at Philadelphia this Sunday.
STEADY AS SHE GOES …
The Birds started off the season with a tough overtime loss at Pittsburgh, then reeled off four straight wins before losing at Philadelphia.
Atlanta and quarterback Matt Ryan went on to win nine of their last 10, averaging 28 ppg in that stretch.
“We’ve worked very hard to attain this position. Not only the players, but the coaching staff, the support staff and the whole entire organization,” head coach Mike Smith said after the Carolina win. “As I told the guys, we’ve started our fifth quarter. We want to make sure that we play very efficient and effective ball throughout the [playoffs].”
The Falcons were led by seven pro bowlers including quarterback Matt Ryan, who has had his best year as a pro, wide receiver Roddy White, who has done the same, and running back Michael Turner.
Atlanta has beaten all three of their possible first-round opponents this season. The Saints and Seahawks victories were on the road while the Green Bay game was played at the Georgia Dome.
New Orleans did beat Atlanta in the Georgia Dome in their second meeting this season in Week 16 in the Monday night game.
“Familiarity is always good,” said Smith according to the AJC. “But they are going to know about us as well. But there is a good chance, a really good chance that we’re going to play somebody that we’ve already played once before.”
SCOUTING REPORTS …
The Seahawks win in Week 15 was a blowout and there is no reason to suspect that a home game against them would go any different. The Falcons won the first meeting with ball control, stuffing the run and getting pressure on the quarterback.
Whether Seattle plays Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst at QB, the Falcons defense should have a field day yet again. Seattle’s offensive line is injury riddled and inexperienced, which has contributed to their lack of a running game.
Since the beginning of the season they have placed two guards, a tackle and starting center Max Unger on injured reserve.
Green Bay is a dangerous team with all their pass rushers and Aaron Rodgers leading the offense, but they too have suffered a bevy of injuries on both sides of the ball and have struggled at times on offense.
All-pro linebacker Clay Matthews is healthy after some hamstring issues early in the season, but Atlanta’s O-line held Matthews in check in the Week 12 meeting.
The Saints are another issue. Being a divisional opponent as well as the defending Super Bowl champions, a victory over the Saints in the Monday night game would have given the Falcons a lot of momentum going into the playoffs.
However, the Falcons came up short and lost for just the fourth time at home in Smith’s tenure. New Orleans has an incredible passing game with Drew Brees at quarterback and one of the best receiving corps in the nation, but their running game has been inconsistent because of injuries.
“[Chris] Ivory and Pierre Thomas both have been banged up and Julius Jones hasn’t done much when given playing time,” said ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas about New Orleans’ running attack. “The Saints have brought Reggie Bush back slowly from his broken leg,[ but] it might be time to give Bush a little added work.”
It looks like it will be up to Bush and Jones to carry the load in the playoffs because Foxsports.com has reported that the Saints put Chris Ivory on injured reserve Jan. 4, then put Thomas on IR the next day.
The fact that none of their running backs have been able to stay healthy has kept the team from establishing a rhythm in the running game, and has put a lot of pressure on Brees and the passing game.
The results have been an impressive 277 passing yards per game and 33 passing touchdowns, but 22 interceptions as well.
POSSIBLE HOMECOMING …
Also in the playoffs, from the NFC are the No. 3 seed and NFC East Champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the NFC North Champion Chicago Bears, who own the second seed and are also off in the bye week.
Should the Falcons play either of those teams it would be at the Dome in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles beat the Falcons in Week 6 31-17 in Philadelphia. Eagles QB Michael Vick did not play in that game because he had suffered a rib injury in a loss against the Washington Redskins two weeks before.
The Falcons’ defense was still coming together in that game and the offense had yet to truly find the balance that it now has.
If Vick does not get injured in the first two rounds and plays the Falcons, it may be to Atlanta’s advantage as his play had suffered in the second half of the season. He did not throw an interception in his first seven games, but went on to throw six in the last five games he played in. He also lost six fumbles in that stretch.
Chicago is another story. They started out incredibly inconsistent then went on to win seven of their last nine. The two losses were a blowout loss to the Patriots, which is really nothing to be ashamed of, and the final game of the season to a Green Bay team that needed the win to make the playoffs and that Chicago did not need at all.
The team has gone as quarterback Jay Cutler has gone, as his QB rating for the last two losses were 32.9 and 43.5 respectively, but over 100 in the Bears’ last four wins. The Falcons won their last meeting with the Bears, a dramatic fourth quarter come-from-behind victory in Week 6 of last season at the Georgia Dome.
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