Live from the Dome: A stress-free Falcons’ victory at last?
Matty Ice, shown in an un-holly-jolly mood. (AP photo)
The Falcons have played 13 games. Two have been blowouts: The opening loss at Chicago and the dismissal of winless Indianapolis. In the Falcons’ six home games, all have been in doubt in the fourth quarter, and one beyond that. (Fourth-and-1 at the 30 in overtime. I’m guessing you remember.)
I mention this because we might be about to see an actual Dome wipeout. The Jacksonville Jaguars arrive having already shed coach Jack Del Rio but still lugging the 32nd-best offense in a 32-team league. I also mention this because the Falcons’ head coach has been in the news for having chest pains. An actual runaway by the home side would be the nicest holiday gift Mike Smith could imagine.
I should also mention that the Falcons need only to beat two bad teams here — Jacksonville and then Tampa Bay on New Year’s Day — to reach 10 wins. Ten wins will almost surely book playoff passage and claim the NFC’s No. 5 seed in the process, and you’d rather be No. 5 and have to play the Giants or the Cowboys or the Eagles than be No. 6 and face a Round 1 game in the Superdome.
I could mention other things, but I really don’t feel a pressing need. This one shouldn’t be close, except that the Falcons are pretty good at making games close. Let’s see if they break character tonight.
And with that, the floor’s yours. I eagerly await your comments, questions and submissions for favorite seasonal song. And if anyone suggests Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” that person gets banned in perpetuity. So be warned.
By Mark Bradley
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845 comments Add your comment
LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE
December 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
GO FLACONS!!
JSS
December 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
Excuse the Cardinals in Week 13, then beat the Saints the last week to finish 9-5 in 73…
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
Send Ryan to Weight Watchers!
This is NOT N.O.
Burl
December 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
Feeling a little jolly tonight….yeah thats the ticket…holly jolly…
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
No JSS…YOUR A LIAR….LLLIIIAARRRR
ijonathan
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
who’s this Irving guy y’all are talking about??
katherine
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
lol what is a flacon?
MightyQuinn
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
If we’re going with classic christmas tunes, I’d agree with Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song is 1a and White Christmas by Bing Crosby is 1b.
AtlNative
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
Man Drew is a beast
LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE
December 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
Children. Must we resort to calling each other Idiots and Liars,, Come on JSS,, I thought you were above all of the,, you let me down dude..
katherine
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
oh come on…if anything matt ryan is too skinny
Burl
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
Feelin pretty jolly…
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
No complaining here unless you want to incite a certain know it all lame brain…
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
Man you know things are going good in the game when the blog starts going to favorite Xmas songs…..LOL Ya gotta lov it.
Bonez
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
Yesss another turnover and score lol
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
10:03 pm
See what I mean??????? LOL
Bonez
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
Abe is the Juggernaut Bytch
Mark Bradley
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
Three sacks for Abraham. Six points for Corey Peters.
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
Awesome! Abraham, have a game!
And Knee Peters! Sweet!
Groundhogday
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
I think Corey Peters is OK now. I guess those KY are dudes are tough Mark
falconsrus
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
abe ja vu
Heath
December 15th, 2011
10:04 pm
Glad I picked up the Falcons D off the waiver wire before tinight’s game.
1 4 GT
December 15th, 2011
10:05 pm
Mark B—doesn’t Jones-Drew wear that hyphenated name to honor his Grandfather? Or some family member?
Mark Bradley
December 15th, 2011
10:05 pm
The Nat King Cole number is a classic. I have that one on the ol’ iPod.
kerryb
December 15th, 2011
10:05 pm
Where has this John Abraham been? Wish we could get Edwards playing like that.
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:05 pm
We just aren’t playing well….
Fire someone!
AtlNative
December 15th, 2011
10:06 pm
I admit my ignorance of the Jags roster here, but do they not have another QB they could put in?
kerryb
December 15th, 2011
10:06 pm
Corey Peters another nice draft pick by TD in the 3rd round.
ijonathan
December 15th, 2011
10:06 pm
What about Andy Williams’ rendition of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”?
P B Orr
December 15th, 2011
10:06 pm
Atlanta found someone from St. Louis (Gabbert) they can beat on.
Heath
December 15th, 2011
10:07 pm
When was the last Falcons shutout?
bgdawg
December 15th, 2011
10:07 pm
lol peters with the bernie at the end! SOOO UGLY!!!!
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
10:07 pm
@ AtlNative…..nope, that’s the problem with the jags, Gabbert wasn’t even supposed to play this year, he was third string but the first two are hurt and out for the year.
LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE
December 15th, 2011
10:07 pm
TD has done a good job drafting in the middle rounds.
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:08 pm
Peter White’s o tannenbaum is terrific if you like jazz at all….
And fire FG!
JSS
December 15th, 2011
10:08 pm
Charles Brown’s ‘Merry Christmas Baby’
MightyQuinn
December 15th, 2011
10:08 pm
Jacksonville has a player named “Whimper” and he was injured on the fumble recovery/TD? Really? A guy made it to the NFL with a name like “Whimper”???
katherine
December 15th, 2011
10:09 pm
i bet the jags wish they had tebow right about now
Loserville USA
December 15th, 2011
10:09 pm
We had Dallas dead to rights in ‘78. Couldn’t finish.
1973 was when we lost to Buffalo and St. Louis to miss the playoffs — we were 8-3 and finished 9-5. That’s the year we beat Minnesota on MNF — probably the most epic game in Falcons history NO ONE talks about anymore.
That was 2 weeks after Mazzetti beat the Rams with 5 FGs — only the Falcons could win 7 in a row in a 14-game season and MISS the playoffs.
P B Orr
December 15th, 2011
10:10 pm
Last shutout was in 2002 against the Panthers in Charlotte, 41-0. 11/24/2002.
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:10 pm
We’ve faced countless rook qbs this year….
Brees is no rook.
It won’t be pretty most likely.
JSS
December 15th, 2011
10:10 pm
The Jags have 27 players on IR… They’ve already tried everybody…
atltodolavida
December 15th, 2011
10:10 pm
At what point do we start pulling starters?
AtlNative
December 15th, 2011
10:10 pm
Hopefully we can sustain this and start resting some starters soon…..
That plus a long time off will be nice for a final push
Eric C.
December 15th, 2011
10:11 pm
Well, if you’d told us that Drew would have almost 100 yds early in the 3rd quarter…I would have been concerned, but….
GraceJacket
December 15th, 2011
10:11 pm
Willie Nelson “Pretty Paper” the later version is as good as it gets…
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
10:11 pm
I have peeled JSS like an onion, he does not know if he is coming or going. You can forgive him. Maybe he will just ignore use brown nose MB in an imaginary conversation, since they are literary peers and everything.
kerryb
December 15th, 2011
10:11 pm
Forget Drew Brees. We’re getting after him too this time? Bunch of cheating Aints
1 4 GT
December 15th, 2011
10:12 pm
Ya’ll watch! A few more QB’s like Newton and Tebow, and we’ll begin seeing more option offense in the NFL, since katherine mentioned Tebow.
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
10:12 pm
You can’t expect much from rookie QB’s unless they come from Pro-Style offense, like matt ryan or they are exceptional athletes, like Cam Newton….but they will still struggle even with those qualities.