Falcons understand that wins, No. 1 seed only set stage
Calvin Johnson is a special player but the Falcons may be a special team. (Detroit Free Press photo)
DETROIT – The schedule says there is a game left. The coach, Mike Smith, says, “We’ve said all along that if there’s games left to be played, we’re going to play them to win.” (And in his head, he probably adds: “Even if we play them with Luke McCown.”)
But this is the reality: Nobody is thinking about Game 16 against Tampa Bay. It’s about what happens in three weeks and that’s where everybody’s thoughts are. There’s no pressure to win the regular season finale next Sunday, no requirement to play in the first round of the playoffs, no pressure to jazz up the resume.
“We’ve done everything we can,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said late Saturday night following his team’s 31-18 win over Detroit, which secured a bye and the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs. “Now we just have to go do it.” In the playoffs, he means.
Imagine being outfitted with the best ski equipment and taking four months of lessons, then one day being dropped at the top of a mountain and being told, “Try to get to the bottom without wiping out.”
That’s where the Falcons are today.
They’re 13-2. They can walk to the finish line of the regular season. Two weeks ago, they wowed skeptics and believers with a 34-0 win over New York. In Detroit, rather than suffer from the kind of emotional blahs that have plagued them, they jumped out to a 21-3 lead, endured some bumps in the third quarter (as Calvin Johnson took a wrecking ball to the NFL record book) and then pulled away in the fourth.
Blank is right. The Falcons have done all they can do. Now, it’s just a matter of validating their record.
They won’t know their opponent for two weeks. But after quick exits in 2008 (Arizona), 2010 (Green Bay) and 2011 (New York), their focus is, and should be, more on themselves. The words, “It’s not about them, it’s about us,” might as well be stamped on their foreheads.
“Going into the Giants game, we knew a lot of questions were going to be answered,” Tony Gonzalez said. “I think that day we realized how good we can be. Maybe we even surprised ourselves a little. But that helped us. The focus that we had that week of practice was the same focus we had in preparation for (Detroit). And yes, we’ve been here before. We’ve had a top seed. We’ve had a bye. It doesn’t mean anything. But this time we’ll come out focused and ready to roll.”
Safety Thomas DeCoud viewed the Lions game as another test passed. “We proved we can carry over from a really big win. We had a lights-out game against New Orleans but then just went through the motions against Carolina. It’s nice to know we can get this out of our system.”
There were some concerns before this game. Linebacker Mike Peterson, one of the team’s emotional leaders, walked into the locker room following warmups and sensed it was too quiet. So he banged two cymbals together, figuratively speaking.
“He riled us up,” Roddy White said.
Peterson smiled when asked about his pregame antics. He was the one who marched the team out of the tunnel and right through the Lions’ quasi-blockade for warmups in Detroit last season.
“They wanted to be relaxed,” he said. “When you’ve had success one game, the natural thing is to feel like you’ve made it. So I was just trying to keep the guys up, let them know what’s at stake.”
The Falcons started fast. Matt Ryan attacked early and often, completing his first 12 attempts and 15 of 16. He threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns. In the last two games, he is 48 for 60 passing (including 22 straight completions) for 549 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. The MVP candidacy just circled back.
Detroit’s defense focused on stopping Gonzalez (one catch). So White and Julio Jones (15 catches, 224 yards, three touchdowns combined) destroyed them.
Defensively, the Falcons gave up a ton of yards (522). Matthew Stafford threw for 443, more than half of that to Johnson (11 for 225). But the Lions reached the end zone only once, going one for four in the red zone. That’s why they’re 4-11. That’s why the Falcons are 13-2.
Said Ryan, “When you have a combination of guys who are committed to doing everything the right way, you have fun doing it.”
This much we know: The backdrop is impressive.
By Jeff Schultz
•
You may have missed . . .
– Short takes: Matt Ryan back to MVP level in last 2 games
– Falcons respond as great teams should in win over Lions
– Live: Falcons seek No. 1 seed, AJC endures without D-Led
– If last week’s Falcons were for real, we’re about to find out
– Falcons’ line on a roll, now gets rematch against Suh
– Haters’ roundup: National view on Falcons has changed (including video)
– Ryan asks for more, gives more at right time for Falcons
– Falcons, Smith know now is time they’re going to be judged
– SEC’s decision to not suspend Dial sends wrong message
– Dale Murphy sounds off on steroid users in Hall of Fame and his own candidacy
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
265 comments Add your comment
dewberry
December 24th, 2012
12:55 am
Thomas, your’e outside the box tonight..not badmouthing your Bulldogs…haha
copper wire
December 24th, 2012
12:57 am
All the teams in the playoffs can win anywhere don’t you think, billsaints?
billsaints
December 24th, 2012
12:59 am
the falcons is a .500 team win the superbowl.ha,ha
billsaints
December 24th, 2012
1:03 am
copper wire not the falcons.14-2 .500 teams
copper wire
December 24th, 2012
1:03 am
haha. you make no sense
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
1:07 am
billsaints is just being stupid to be stupid and has no football knowledge to share.
billsaints
December 24th, 2012
1:14 am
nfc south champs the pitful saints won a super bowl.choking falcons 0-3 ha.ha,
billsaints
December 24th, 2012
1:18 am
the falcons is a stupid.500 team.
billsaints
December 24th, 2012
1:20 am
the falcons is not a champion team.ha,ha,
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
1:44 am
billsaints….how can you even afford a computer? You obviously didn’t get more than a 6th grade education.
Mora less Petrino
December 24th, 2012
2:26 am
billsaints, save a little eggnog for later bud, you’re slurring your speech. ha, ha,
Zoomie
December 24th, 2012
7:06 am
“Imagine being outfitted with the best ski equipment and taking four months of lessons, then one day being dropped at the top of a mountain and being told, ‘Try to get to the bottom without wiping out.’”
This is how I learned to snow ski in Colorado, except the parts about the best equipment and the lessons.
The key is to have Amaretto Slammers for breakfast . . .
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 24th, 2012
7:14 am
Marinated asparagus and Bloody Marys for breakfast also works.
Samuel
December 24th, 2012
7:21 am
Intellecual Ninja, You make some good points about Turner and the running game. And the fact that the Falcons are a pass first offense. But you don’t mention that there’s ebb and flow in a game. Also that maybe the other team can adjust to what you did the first halve. Plus you can’t be just one dementional, you must run the ball to keep the defense honest. Even if your run game is not having the success you’d like. I think these coaches know more about what their doing than you do. If the Falcons sit or play their starters against Tampa Bay, I support that dicision. Part of being a Falcon fan is believing they can beat anybody.
phil
December 24th, 2012
7:40 am
Merry Christmas!
But go ahead and prepare yourselves to lose to Seattle.
It’s on the horizon.
Common Sense
December 24th, 2012
7:59 am
Jeff, what happened to freedom of speech, or does that only apply to people that look like you? I see racists comments on your UGA articles all the time, especially after a loss. Guys calling black players hip hop thugs and things of that nature. So what if Choke is critical of Ryan. You didnt mind when bloggers would call Vick a dumb black QB. It sounds to me like you have a selective memory. Your behavior is very typical of the old south mentality.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 24th, 2012
8:40 am
I don’t see anything wrong with playing McCown or DD against Tampa Bay. Let the guys get a few snaps in a regular game. As for the running game, use Antone Smith and Cox. We’ve also got back up players around the board who could take some of the heat off of our main guys. I really don’t care who plays against Tampa Bay as long as everybody’s healthy and ready to play and play hard when the playoffs start. This is a free week to rest and rehab players who need it the most. If the Falcons go out and play full throttle against Tampa Bay someone needs their head examined. GO FALCONS !
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
8:46 am
Common Sense…….different posters submitting similar themes in their posts is very different from what CHOKE does. Choke says the same crap in every single post and only tries to start Blog Fights with other posters. Some of us do pick and poke fun and try to irritate others but also bring good humored ribbing into the discussion. CHOKE only comes to cause arguments with not discussion of facts or solutions to the article posted.
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
9:00 am
icndark
December 23rd, 2012
10:25 pm
Exorcise the demons!( and blog trolls)
____________________
The latter will prove more difficult, but it CAN be done. Thanks to support from Jeff, we appear to have banished MCR (for the time being, anyway), who stood head & shoulders over ALMOST all others in terms of despicable trolls.
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
9:18 am
icndark
December 23rd, 2012
10:25 pm
Exorcise the demons!( and blog trolls)
____________________
The latter will prove more difficult, but it CAN be done. Thanks to support from Jeff, we appear to have banished MCR (for the time being, anyway), who stood head & shoulders over ALMOST all others in terms of abhorrent trolls.
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
9:33 am
Sounds like a lot of nervousness here. Poor falcons play their hearts out, get their fans excited then catch a Hot team and it’s over.
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
9:37 am
Why do you guys throw personal attacks when someone doesn’t agree with You?
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
9:39 am
Amen common sense. Amen!
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
9:47 am
icndark
December 23rd, 2012
10:49 pm
I hope that Coach Smith will treat the Tampa Bay game just like a third pre-season game. Dominant first half performance by starters (not including Turner), followed by one series each in the second half then begin substitutions. Too much off time has a history of poor results for this team and as of late, in this league. My opinion is that if you continue to push yourself as a team, you will continue to achieve the desired results as a team.
“You play to win the game!”-Tony Dungy
______________________
Agree with your strategy. No time to relax. Need to stay sharp. Starters need “practice” under game conditions. Mix in others as game progresses. A W under such circumstances is still a W, which maintains momentum and sharpness entering postseason. There will still be two weeks to rest up after this Sunday.
As you know by now, the quote was Herm Edwards’.
Matty Ice Cubes
December 24th, 2012
9:49 am
Bottom line if Falcons defense can’t get pressure on opposing qbs and if Falcons offense can’t establish running game then the playoffs will be one and done again. Its time for Abraham & Turner to earn their big paychecks !
Matty Ice Cubes
December 24th, 2012
9:55 am
I’d use Snelling as main ball carrier against Bucs. That way he will be better conditioned for playoffs to step in for Turner or Quizz if needed. Let McCown play a whole half so he will be a game ready backup if needed. Experiment with players to benefit team in playoffs.
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
10:12 am
Common Sense to amplify your thoughts, DawgNole and others blatantly IGNORED the moderator’s WARNING about unprovoked name calling and nothing happened but he created a rule for this choke Guy. Hypocritical.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
10:14 am
Throw the ball to Bull Cox on the full back in the flat pass. It was open for a 4-5 yard gain a few times against the Lions.
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
10:14 am
Common Sense
December 24th, 2012
7:59 am
Jeff, what happened to freedom of speech, or does that only apply to people that look like you? I see racists comments on your UGA articles all the time, especially after a loss. Guys calling black players hip hop thugs and things of that nature. So what if Choke is critical of Ryan. You didnt mind when bloggers would call Vick a dumb black QB. It sounds to me like you have a selective memory. Your behavior is very typical of the old south mentality.
____________________
Do you look like Jeff? No. Did he let you post? Yes.
MCR was not a contributor. He was a narrow-minded antagonizer who brought nothing of value to the blog. He also posted outright lies on the blog. He cared nothing about discussing the Falcons or the game. Just continued to blast Ryan and tout Vick and Flacco–over and over again for years. He’d already been banned from the other blogs, so Jeff has been more than reasonable in letting his crap go on for as long as it has–despite repeated calls by others on here to give him the boot.
Actually, Jeff didn’t ban him; he simply questioned the motivation for his mindless drivel and issued a warning. MCR then left in a huff–in effect, banning himself–much to the relief of most of the rest of us.
Don’t despair, though, Common Sense, if the Falcons go one and done again, I doubt MCR will be able to resist making a grand “Ha Ha” return to once again diss Ryan and all of us “losers” he loves to hate. On the other hand, if (as most of us hope) the Falcons go deep in the playoffs, he’ll likely remain under his rock.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
10:17 am
DJANGO…………give it up. Stop trying to carry on a conversation with yourself in a losing argument. If you have never been here you don’t know what you are talking about. If you have been here before then you do know and you have changed your regular Blog Name and you are one of the pain in the butts anyway trying to carry on a bad fight…..Give It Up….
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
10:25 am
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
10:12 am
Common Sense to amplify your thoughts, DawgNole and others blatantly IGNORED the moderator’s WARNING about unprovoked name calling and nothing happened but he created a rule for this choke Guy. Hypocritical.
_________________
You still on here trying to police the blog? I TOLD you Sunday that it was NOT unprovoked. Can you read?
You didn’t even know who MCR was, so you’re hardly one to jump in here and act like you have any knowledge at all of his distasteful background on this blog. As I mentioned earlier, Jeff gave him a lot of rope, and it was way past time to let him hang himself, which hopefully he’s finally done.
If everyone who name-called were banned, there would be no blog. MCR took hatred, bigotry, and dishonesty to a new level–repeatedly, for years–and, as a result, doesn’t deserve the privilege of posting here. Despite all that, Jeff hasn’t banned him (yet); only questioned his motivation and cautioned him.
You need to let this one lie.
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
10:32 am
Put in Timeout . . .
December 24th, 2012
10:17 am
DJANGO…………give it up. Stop trying to carry on a conversation with yourself in a losing argument. If you have never been here you don’t know what you are talking about. If you have been here before then you do know and you have changed your regular Blog Name and you are one of the pain in the butts anyway trying to carry on a bad fight…..Give It Up….
____________________
DJANGO–whoever he is–didn’t even know who “Choke” was, and yet he’s on here pontificating about him. Anyone who’s been on this blog knows who MCR is and what he represents. Kudos to Jeff for stepping up and admonishing him. We’re all better off for it.
bigbobbles
December 24th, 2012
10:41 am
django is Choke!! He is just showing, slightly more intelligence, than usual!
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
10:45 am
bigbobbles………we already suspected that…..because of his love for MV7 the use of Django was meant to be symbolic.
Joey
December 24th, 2012
10:50 am
bigbobbles, I don’t think so. He doesn’t have HaHa! at the end of his sentences.
I haven’t read the posts yet, but has anybody mentioned the 800 lb gorilla in the room, that is the Seattle Sea Hawks?
Their last three weeks have been more impressive than any I’ve seen all year. If russell Wilson and Co can light up the 49ers . . .
Maybe somebody else knocks them out . . .
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
11:06 am
It seems you guys wanted this Guy gone but you bring him up constantly. Why?
dawg tired
December 24th, 2012
11:24 am
Swartz and the Lions are wasting Calvin Johnson’s talent as much as Chan Gailey and Tech did.
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
11:28 am
Why are falcons fans so sensitive?
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 24th, 2012
11:34 am
dawg tired………….Johnson probably breaking 2000 receiving yards is hardly WASTING his talent. The Other WR’s were hurt and the Lion have no running game so Calvin is ALL the Lions have. They have used him a lot. Could they have used him more? Yes. His talent has been far from wasted by the team. Calvin could be wasting his Time & Talent in Detroit but he got a nice contract to hang around a few years before he asks for a trade.
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
11:35 am
Joey
December 24th, 2012
10:50 am
I haven’t read the posts yet, but has anybody mentioned the 800 lb gorilla in the room, that is the Seattle Sea Hawks?
Their last three weeks have been more impressive than any I’ve seen all year. If russell Wilson and Co can light up the 49ers . . .
Maybe somebody else knocks them out . . .
____________________
I was noticing that, too (see post below from last night).
DawgNole
December 23rd, 2012
10:04 pm
“. . . Seattle looks like world beaters. The Seahawks are hot and dangerous. Hoping the Falcons can avoid them.”
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
11:37 am
DJANGO
December 24th, 2012
11:06 am
It seems you guys wanted this Guy gone but you bring him up constantly. Why?
______________________
Same reason we’re bringing you up: you’re a constant irritant with little if anything of substance to offer. And you’re trying to defend the indefensible and the inexcusable.
goFalcons
December 24th, 2012
11:52 am
FALCONS are the best!!!!! This is a Dream Season we are having! Enjoy the ride great fans! GOOOOO FALCONS!!!
goFalcons
December 24th, 2012
12:03 pm
COMMON SENSE
Real smart buddy! Way to win a arguement,,,Call Schultz names and that will really make you look smart and make him look bad? YOU SIR have no common sense by saying that!
DawgNole,
No need to worry about Seattle…They will not be able to bully our Falcons!
DawgNole
December 24th, 2012
12:10 pm
goFalcons
December 24th, 2012
12:03 pm
COMMON SENSE
Real smart buddy! Way to win a arguement,,,Call Schultz names and that will really make you look smart and make him look bad? YOU SIR have no common sense by saying that!
DawgNole,
No need to worry about Seattle…They will not be able to bully our Falcons
_______________________
The Seahawks have been pretty impressive lately; hard to ignore that. Just glad they’d be playing in ATL, which goes to show how really important homefield advantage is–or can be.
Boo Boo
December 24th, 2012
12:30 pm
East – Washington (10-6)
North – Green Bay (12-4), WC Chicago (10-6)
South – Atlanta (13-3)
West – San Francisco (11-4-1), WC Seattle (11-5)
Chicago @ San Francisco – SF 17-13
Seattle @ Washington – Wash 41-10
San Francisco @ Green Bay – GB 42-7 (if -20 degrees + 40 mph winds) GB 30-17 (if mild and clear)
Washington @ Atlanta – Atl 34-21
Green Bay @ Atlanta – Atl 38-16
Houston vs. Atlanta – TBA
SawThat1nce
December 24th, 2012
1:11 pm
Mathew Stafford also set a record in that game.
He had the most yards passing……without throwing a TD……. by a QB, in a single game.
PMC
December 24th, 2012
1:12 pm
The Falcons were up 21 to 3 and trying to get the game over with, 522 yards don’t bother me in the least.
Actually...
December 24th, 2012
2:31 pm
I would be nice if the Falcons actually went to the Superbowl and won. I’m by no means a fan of that team, but they have gone this far with winning. They won 9 of those games by 3 points or less. Unfortunately people are creatures of habit. The Falcons will play on playoff game and that will be the end of it. They will lose in their own dome the very first game like they always have done. It’s so disappointing for their fans. This is the truth. If they were to actually play in the Superbowl this year it would be a miracle. I honestly don’t think they have a snow balls chance in hell to win one playoff game. This is the truth.
Actually...
December 24th, 2012
2:31 pm
The Falcons will play one playoff game and lose it.
Actually...
December 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
The Superbowl will be played by the Houston Texans and the Washington Redskins. The Texans will win.