The Falcons’ biggest remaining game? Well, it ain’t the Saints
It’s a mismatch on paper. It should be a mismatch on the field. But this is the NFL, and this will be just another given Sunday, and we all know what that means.
The Falcons’ biggest remaining regular-season game isn’t the ballyhooed one against the Saints here two nights after Christmas. The biggest remaining game comes Sunday in Seattle. Provided the Falcons beat the Seahawks, they would have only to handle Carolina, which is the NFL’s worst team and has won on only one given Sunday, here on Jan. 2 to claim both the NFC South title and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
The Falcons can lose to the Saints and still finish No. 1 in their division and the NFC. (It would come down to the common-opponent tiebreaker, which the Saints would lose because they lost to the Browns, whom the Falcons beat on the strength of Kroy Biermann’s bat-and-grab.) The Falcons cannot lose to both the Seahawks and the Saints and be assured of even a first-round bye.
The Seahawks, working in Year 1 under Pete Carroll, aren’t very good. They’re 6-7 and enter Sunday’s game as a six-point home underdog. Since winning at Chicago on Oct. 13, Seattle has beaten only Arizona (twice) and Carolina. This team shouldn’t beat the Falcons anywhere anytime, but the Falcons have, as we know, become the kings of cutting it close.
Unlike the Panthers, with whom the Falcons toyed last Sunday, the Seahawks actually have reason to play. They can still win the NFC West, which tells us everything we need to know about the NFC West, but never mind. They’re past due to beat somebody.
Even the process of getting to Seattle can throw a team off its stride. The Falcons are leaving Friday, as opposed to the customary Saturday road-game-departure. They’ll be playing in a stadium that can be raucous. And they’ll be playing a team they should beat at a time when this city is beginning to buzz over the Saints game.
“That’ll be a tough ticket,” the former Falcon great Jessie Tuggle told me this week, and even in this sweet season the Falcons haven’t had many tough-ticket dates. But first things first: Win in Seattle, then worry about the Saints. Or don’t worry about the Saints, because a win in Seattle makes that game more for show than for dough.
By Mark Bradley
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132 comments Add your comment
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
December 16th, 2010
3:44 pm
I thought The Frightful Four was our 2003 D-line.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
December 16th, 2010
3:46 pm
And I don’t mean frightful in a good way..
joe white
December 16th, 2010
4:03 pm
We are going to beat down the seahawks really bad. This game will not be close by far. Go Falcons.
JaxDawg
December 16th, 2010
4:03 pm
Lest we not forget, the Saints have their own difficult game to play this week with the Ravens. I agree with other posters that, although the Saints game might not end up being a mathematically important win, it would be huge for morale. It would keep the mystique of the dome-field advantage alive for the playoffs and would shatter any remaining confidence the Saints would have that they are better than us and that our win over them earlier this year was just a fluke.
dagrapevine
December 16th, 2010
4:06 pm
win out and make a statement to the rest of the league.
Ted M
December 16th, 2010
4:11 pm
If the Falcons clinch home field against the Saints it would be a mistake to rest everyone against Carolina. A big mistake.
Ted M
December 16th, 2010
4:13 pm
Mark,
When next do you cover Jackets BB?
1990_Champs_GT
December 16th, 2010
4:17 pm
Falcons don’t win out because they will rest against the Carolina Kitties. We absolutely don’t need a sorry Panthers’ player taking a cheap shot. Resting also makes a statement. Beating the Seahawks and Aints have to happen first. I think they can do that.
jsualumnus
December 16th, 2010
4:28 pm
Can’t wait…taking my family to the game in Seattle and will wear the Falcons gear. Tickets were tough to get to this game. Go Falcons!!!!!!
LawDawg
December 16th, 2010
4:31 pm
The 1st seed is definitely the ballgame for the Falcons considering how good Matty Ice is at home.
Gamer
December 16th, 2010
4:42 pm
The Falcons know that they’re in the driver’s seat, controlling home-field advantage throughout NFC postseason.
Knowing how tough the NFC opposing teams vying to make the playoff, should provide more than enough incentive for the Falcons to take this game seriously, picking up win #12.
NFC’s postseason teams are too tough to risk playing postseason ball anywhere but in the Georgia Dome.
FALCONS STAY FOCUS… PICK UP WIN #12 IN SEATTLE…
Seahawk Pride
December 16th, 2010
4:54 pm
The Hawks will win behind the arm of Matt Hasselback and the coaching prowess of Pete Carrol. I will be there; will you? 21-17 Seahawks.
D-ROME
December 16th, 2010
4:57 pm
Why is everybody so worried? This is not your daddys Falcons we will not lose to a sub par team.They cant stop the run,they cant stop the pass,we have beat every team we had to beat why stop now?WE READY!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATLANTA HOODRATS
December 16th, 2010
5:01 pm
If the hawks beat Atlanta you clowns aren’t going anywhere
SUPERBOWEL
December 16th, 2010
5:29 pm
PROWESS OF PETE CARROL,,, BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA
SUPERBOWEL
December 16th, 2010
5:33 pm
This is Big Boy football,, Not USC,,, LOL
FrontRow
December 16th, 2010
5:36 pm
Funny posts – a squirrel (or is that a dog?) calling out the journalist before he even checked it out. And the journalist selling vintage comic books.
All we need is a Moose and a majic hat.
FrontRow
December 16th, 2010
5:38 pm
The Falcons don’t need to field much of a team to beat the Panthers. Of the 31 other teams, only the Panthers represent the antithesis to “any given Sunday”.
Just win Sunday.
Nauti-dawg
December 16th, 2010
5:48 pm
Falcons should win out to get full steam – but if they had to loose one game of the next three I’d prefer they lost to Seattle, but then come back and kick an overconfident Saints team.
We’ll likely play the Saints again in playoffs & need to drubb them good on Monday as a warm up…or wait –
….Maybe we play dead on purpose Monday night to catch em overconfident in playoffs….
Bosshog
December 16th, 2010
5:57 pm
trap game. the falcons will be disoriented by the trip west and will fall behind and lose.
SawThat1nce
December 16th, 2010
6:14 pm
The Falcons will defeat the Seahawks.
The saints will have 10-4 record when they enter the Ga. Dome.
SawThat1nce
December 16th, 2010
6:24 pm
@4:17……The Panthers are a collection of cheap shot artist.
They committed at least two personal fouls(Turner was tackled out of bounds and White was hit out of bounds) against the Falcons last Sunday, that were not called for some reason.
kaminari
December 16th, 2010
7:53 pm
The team in Seattle is crumbling apart. Sure, they’re getting some pieces back this week, but the Falcons should trounce them and if we don’t, then we don’t deserve a #1 ranking. However, I doubt this will happen. My prediction: Falcons 35, Seahawks 6.
scott
December 16th, 2010
9:27 pm
RISE UP!!ATLANTA FALCONS!!!THIS IS YOUR TIME!!!I,M GETTING PUMPED UP !!!BEAT THE SAINTS I HATE NEW ORLEANS AND THE SAINTS SO,SO,SO,SO,SO BAD!!!FOLKS GET CRAZY LOUD IN THE GA. DOME DEC 27TH !!TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE GEORGIA DOME!!!MAKE THE DOME SHAKE!!AS IF ATLANTA IS HAVING A MINI EARTHQUAKE!!!
chprince
December 16th, 2010
11:08 pm
My prediction: Seattle 27 Falcons 24
Vick getting a dog is like a pedophile adopting
December 16th, 2010
11:59 pm
Stay away from dogs, Mike, for the rest of your life, please.
Soccer 2011 game | Sports and Fun
December 17th, 2010
3:22 am
[...] The Falconsâ?? biggest remaining game? Well, it ainâ??t the Saints – Atlanta Journal Constit… [...]
SPS
December 17th, 2010
7:13 am
After the Baltimore game, I felt like the Falcons could run the table. I think that is more likely than losing to Seattle.
Coach Grohbo
December 17th, 2010
2:50 pm
SawThat1nce and 1990_Champs,
I agree. The Panthers are the Georgia Bulldogs of the NFL.
jerry
December 17th, 2010
5:57 pm
If this is a not classic “trap” game I don’t know what is. Looking ahead to playing not only the previous Super Bowl winner on Monday Night Football, but also your biggest rival. Funny though, even when people know this, they don’t want to believe it. Hopefully the Falcons can get through this, maybe an ugly win in Seattle.
Kaleolani
December 17th, 2010
7:07 pm
The final three games should see the Falcons give the lesser players (including
backup QBs & RBs) an opportunity to show what they’ve got and allow the vets
some deserved time off. Rock steady Dirty Birds.
Saints R.E.A.M.
December 18th, 2010
10:18 am
Falcons are clearly better than Seattle. Shouldn’t be competitive…unless the Falcons are just flat. Falcons should win 28-17