Falcons have dome-field advantage for playoff run

Ryan passed for one touchdown and ran for another in the team's 23-16 victory. (Associated Press)

BYE WEEK VILLE – Just wanted to pass along this bye/vacation week nugget for you all before I get back to working on my golf swing.

The Falcons, the defending NFC South champs, may have already played the toughest part of their schedule. When they return to practice on Monday, they will have a clear “dome-field advantage” over their final nine games.

Since 2008, quarterback Matt Ryan owns an NFL-best 26-6 record (81.2 percent) in games played in domed stadiums.

The Falcons play seven of their last nine games in domes. They could play eight, because Houston’s stadium is retractable.

Here’s the schedule:

Nov. 6 — @Indianapolis — Lucas Oil Field (Dome)

Nov. 13 — New Orleans – (Georgia Dome)

Nov. 20 — Tennessee – (Georgia Dome)

Nov. 28 — Minnesota – (Georgia Dome)

Dec. 4 — @Houston – Reliant Stadium (Retractable)

Dec. 1 2–  @Carolina – Bank of America Stadium (outdoors)

Dec. 15 — Jacksonville – (Georgia Dome)

Dec.  26 — @New Orelans (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)

Jan. 1 — Tampa Bay (Georgia Dome)

–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog

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