LIVE BLOG: If Falcons win, it could be Super Bowl dance
John Abraham and the Falcons celebrated after a 20-17 win over the Packers Nov. 28 at the Georgia Dome. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Win tonight. Go to the Super Bowl. So sayeth I. (Sorry. I saw, “The King’s Speech” last night and got carried away with the whole English thing.)
Most believe the Falcons and Green Bay are the two best teams in the NFC. They just happened to be meeting in the conference semifinals. I fully expect the winner of this game to beat the winner of Sunday’s Chicago-Seattle semi. So winning today could mean a trip to Dallas.
It has been nearly two weeks since the Falcons last played — a lopsided home win over Carolina. It has been only six days since Green Bay played — last Sunday’s win in Philadelphia in the wild card game. Logic says the Falcons will be rested and the Packers will be beat up. (Remember, this is a team that also had to scramble down the stretch and win its last two regular season games just to make the playoffs.) What we can’t predict is whether the week off will affect the Falcons’ timing, but I doubt it.
Is Green Bay a better team? When healthy and at full strength, probably. But neither of those two are the case right now. The Packers lost running back Ryan Grant in the season opener and generally haven’t been able to run the ball this season, last week’s win over the Eagles notwithstanding (seldom-used rookie James Starks rushed for 123 yards).
The Falcons’ keys are fairly obvious and I touched on a couple of them during the week. But here they are:
– Get running back Michael Turner going. Turner has been good this year but not consistent. Green Bay’s defense this season ranked fifth against the pass but only 18th against the run, and Turner rushed for a 110 yards and a touchdown when the teams met in Nov. If he can duplicate that feat, it helps quarterback Matt Ryan. Which leads to . . .
– As a I wrote earlier in the week, Ryan has shown he can win games in the fourth quarter. But the Falcons are not at their best if they’re a pass-dominated offense. They need balance. Ryan has excelled this season in clutch situations and threw a career-low nine interceptions with a career-high 28 touchdowns. That stems from making good choices. Assuming that continues tonight, the Falcons will be fine.
– Defensive end John Abraham has had one of the best seasons of his career with 13 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception, despite the backdrop of his mother battling lymphoma. The defense needs to get pressure on Rodgers and move him off the spot (to use a football phrase). Abraham is the key to that. He’ll be opposed by Packers left tackle Chad Clifton.
That’s it for now, I’ll be here blogging all game. Before I go, for what it’s worth, here are some odds from the online sports book Bodog (for entertainment purposes only, of course). The Falcons are anywhere from a 1½-to-3-point favorite.
Odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl XLV New England Patriots 8/5 Atlanta Falcons 11/2 Green Bay Packers 11/2 Pittsburgh Steelers 6/1 Chicago Bears 8/1 Baltimore Ravens 9/1 New York Jets 12/1 Seattle Seahawks 40/1 Odds to win the 2011 AFC New England Patriots 5/7 Pittsburgh Steelers 3/1 Baltimore Ravens 5/1 New York Jets 15/2 Odds to win the 2011 NFC Atlanta Falcons 8/5 Chicago Bears 2/1 Green Bay Packers 11/5 Seattle Seahawks 14/1 ♦What will be the Exact Super Bowl XLV Matchup? New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons 13/4 New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears 4/1 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers 8/1 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons 9/1 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears 11/1 Baltimore Ravens vs. Atlanta Falcons 14/1 Baltimore Ravens vs. Chicago Bears 16/1 New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers 17/4 Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers 18/1 New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons 20/1 New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears 22/1 New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks 22/1 New York Jets vs. Green Bay Packers 25/1 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks 55/1 Baltimore Ravens vs. Seattle Seahawks 80/1 New York Jets vs. Seattle Seahawks 100/1 ♦
Total Passing Yards – Aaron Rodgers Over/Under 290.5 Total Rushing Yards – James Starks Over/Under 50.5 Total Receiving Yards – Greg Jennings Over/Under 85.5 Total Passing Yards – Matt Ryan Over /Under 240.5 Total Rushing Yards – Michael Turner Over/Under 85.5 Total Receiving Yards – Roddy White Over/Under 80.5 ♦
♦
Falcons blogs from the week:
– Matt Ryan’s notes, intangibles driving his success
– Falcons’ Abraham excelling, even with thoughts on ill mother
– Digi-Blog goes to Falcons’ camp (and there’s no Flowery Branches)
– Poll time: Who’s most important Falcons player against Packers?
– Saints gone, Vick gone and Falcons ready to defend turf
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
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2,080 comments Add your comment
Grady Baby
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
All the praise for the season was being heaped upon Ryan. He gets all the credit, thus must take all the blame. His arm is weak. His mind is strong. His heart doesn’t exist.
Falcons rise up?
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
No, Falcons fall flat!
Hickory Avenue
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Matty “Ice” —-what a CHOKE …. Whoops , I meant “joke” (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!)
FHZ
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Maybe, they all placed bets against themselves in Vegas…
Even the local elite…lol
valpo_95
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
SaintJT – that’s funny!
Falcons S A and not worth a S as usual
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Somebody dump a port-a-potty over Smith, Blank, and Ryan after this game!
Bartman
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
The Foulcans are the Chicago Cubs of the NFL. Pitiful performance on a stage meant for greatness.
SRF
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Will they break 50 ?
valpo_95
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Matty ice? is that a new beer?
Falcons Are No One
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
CRAP!! Looks like we won’t get 50!
dat_saint
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
Face it dirty birds can’t fly with broken wings and can’t dream broken hearts!! 48 to 21 at home? You guys SUCK!!!
Another former Falcon fan
January 15th, 2011
11:14 pm
I too have broken both ankles jumping off this bandwagon just as it was careening off the cliff at half time. I am DONE !!! Screw you Atlanta Falcons. You have always been and always will be LOSERS!!!!
D-Man
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
WITH PARDON TO RAY STEVENS: “I NEED YOUR HEEEEELP BARRY MANILOW…CAUSE NO ONE SUFFERS QUITE LIKE YOU…”
Former FaLCON fAN
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
Dunta Robinson, Brent Midget Gimes, Bryan Williams, that worthless motherfacker Chris Owens, and Brian Van Gordhead, all must GOOOOO! Dimitroff if Smitty won’t fire his sorry ass then you must!
Steve
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
Valpo-
Tell me when Green Bay has ever choked this bad? You have to establish a tradition like Green Bay has to get the support Green Bay has. You are comparing apples and oranges with that comparison.
tvlgds
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
48-21!!! Yeehaw! Just doesn’t get any better than this. So the nasty Falcons fans can join us Saints fans watching 2 other teams in the Super Bowl. WE have our Super Bowl rings, y’all are still dreaming.
atlppal
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
SAD ASS FALCANTS!!! DIRTY TURDS!!! NO FAN SUPPORT>>>>>Sad
Ted
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
The Green Bay fans really did represent at the Dome! All some of the Falcons did was talk trash all year long, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs.
PHILLY FAN IN TEMECULA CA
January 15th, 2011
11:15 pm
CAN SOMEONE EDUCATE ME , WHY IS EVERYONE BLAMING RYAN AND NOT THE DEFENSE THAT ALLOWED 48 POINTS USUALLY 21 POINTS IS ENOUGH TO WIN, GREENBAY ONLY SCORED 20 AGAINST EAGLES
Mark
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Boy the Falcons suck. Go Packers!
D-Man
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
YEAH, THE WHOLE “MATTY ICE” THING MIGHT NEED TO BE GIVEN A LOOOONG REST.
Dirty Turds
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
I’m glad to see all of the Falcon Fans are staying until the end of the game…..No wait….thats the Red Seats!!! Hilarious….I guess the Falcons will never be ready for the Prime Time!!! They have a long way before they will catch the Saints!
indiana falcon
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Blank looks like he is ready to kick someone’s a$$
realist
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Dunta Robinson has sucked this year.
valpo_95
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Steve that is true. I am proud to be a Packer fan. Love it!!
dawgs01
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Ryan taking another sack holding on to the ball he is to hesitant
Blank looks like he swallowed a non-kosher dill!
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Blank needs to go back to selling bagels, his team got schmeared…
GeauxSaints
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Look how empty those stands were in the 4th quarter! LOL…your fan base has no class and no heart. Who’s one and done now dirty birds? Who Dat!!!
Ted
January 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Well at least the snow and ice was cleared from around the Dome….BEFORE the city cleaned off side streets and major roadways during the Ice-capade 2011
willim
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
One and done…but at least you have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
PHILLY FAN IN TEMECULA CA
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
MATT RYAN IS NOT THE BLAME YOU MORONS
FHZ
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
“I think the falcons just ran into the Super Bowl champs tonight! Aaron Rodgers is the best GB in America, forget the pretty boy in Connecticut, this guy and his receivers coupled with their offensive coordinator won’t lose another game till next year. Falcons need DB’s with size and speed. Brian van gorder looked like willie martinez tonight, no answer!”
_______________________________________________________________________
Even The Packers won’t save the Falcons next week..
Bears defeat The Packers… or The Patriots or Steelers will..
Packers are not that good..yet.
They are just better than The Falcons.
J-Man
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Van Gorder should be FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!
vqtb
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Knew it! Falcons 13-3 record was a joke. Should have lost to the BUCS twice. That’s OK, the BUCS will represent the division better next year.
OldTimer
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
My craps have a better chance of getting a ring than the Falcons.
Damatrix
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
So much talk about how great the Falcons were…Roddy White you are wack!
Tenndawg65
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
I wouldn’t stay for the press conference. What do you say??? ‘Talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night. Bye.’ But, when you make $35M, you’re paid to answer those dumb probing ‘journalistic’ questions….’so what were you thinking when you….’??? ‘I was thinking that when you ask me that question I was going bounce a football off your big ass nose, a’hole. Next?’
atlfalco
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
You gotta earn respect none here in atl. And I thought the seahawks saints game was the embarassment of the playoffs little did I know.
Prime Time
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Mike Smith better hush because his team didn’t show up.
ijonathan (formerly a Ryan defender)
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Fitting end…punting with under a minute left. This better be Koenen’s last punt as a Falcon.
Falcons Are No One
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Pack didn’t even punt tonight! Way to go turdburds!
Abe...br...hambone
January 15th, 2011
11:17 pm
Yep…Its BVGs fault…HE missed two wide open blitz plays by our non-NFL and OVERPAID DUNTA..ss DBs, BVG couldnt even tackle..goo goo…Jordy Nelson. Yep, Its all on the DC. Blood out of a Turnip. Dream on boys…hmmm…isnt Coach Smith a Defensive guy? Couldnt be that?
native
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
Atl has fair weather fans because everybody is from somewhere else ….too many yankee carpetbaggers
Aubrey
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
Illegals kidnapping and we care why?
Chipper Jones
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
I think Katie Perry is really hot.
FSUFalcon
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
some changes need to be make in the offseason..we need new coordinators and another stud DE..We also need to look at upgrades in the entire secondary…..otherwise same ole shat..
valpo_95
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
FHZ – You keep smoking that you’re smoking.
emergency missing falcon offense alert
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
the falcons offense has been hi jacked by a faded gold chrysler sebring… Last seen at the training camp…please contact local media aholes if the offense is sighted….
Steve
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
GeauxSaints-
I forgot how supportive your fans where before they won the Super Bowl last year. Remind me?
SeenThisB4
January 15th, 2011
11:18 pm
Ah, ha, ha ha ha, ha! 1 and Done!!