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What puts the Atlanta Falcons above other NFC playoff teams
Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) looks to pass the ball during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. The Falcons defeated the Panthers 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
It’s that time of year. The increasingly frigid weather only spells one thing and that is the playoffs. Believe it or not, The Atlanta Falcons, if healthy, possess the potential to beat each and every one of the NFC’s current playoff teams.
No team is flying under the radar more this postseason than the Atlanta Falcons. With the New England Patriots the heavy favorite in the AFC, many believe the NFC is a wide open contest. The Dallas Cowboys emerged as the favorite about the midway point of the year, but things changed with their 2nd defeat at the hands of the New York Giants. The Green Bay Packers recently “ran the table” and are now becoming a popular choice. Of course, the Seattle Seahawks are another team fans tend to defer to come playoff prediction time.
Not many believe in the Falcons and we’ve grown tired of hearing the “yeah, but’s”.
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The skeptics can no longer ignore how good the Atlanta offense is and that Matt Ryan is every bit of an All Pro quarterback this season. They can’t deny the Falcons can run the ball and don’t necessarily need Julio Jones to win. This doesn’t stop the skeptics from discrediting Atlanta as a Super Bowl contender because, “the defense won’t hold up”.
I will acknowledge the NFC side of the NFL playoffs exudes a stockpile of talent. There is plenty to like about the Cowboys’ run game and perhaps even more in Aaron Rodgers’ ability to throw the hail mary pass. But much like these NFC teams have their strengths, their weaknesses are even more transparent. I’m not here to claim the Atlanta Falcons are the perfect team, but they compare to any team in the NFL playoffs, period.
Better yet, I believe the Falcons can beat any of the heavy NFC contenders and here’s why.
Dec 11, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) carries the ball as Chicago Bears outside linebacker Pernell McPhee (92) defends during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
#6. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have been the surprise NFC team this season. After losing Calvin Johnson to early retirement, who saw them coming? The Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings should’ve ran away with the NFC North, but a lot of fourth quarter magic has the Lions in the playoffs.
The Lions’ defense has been statistically average all season. Their offense isn’t the greatest either. Matthew Stafford deserves a ton of credit because he’s relying on the likes of Anquan Boldin and Zach Zenner to get the job done. But to their credit, I will say that watching the Lions this season taught me how resilient they are. Detroit has found ways to come back in games and win in dramatic fashion. They obviously aren’t afraid to play from behind and don’t have much to lose.
This is where I stop singing the Lions’ praises.
The quality of Detroit’s opponents has been a huge contributor to their success. Detroit has played one of the NFL’s easier schedules and were taken to the wire by some weak opposition. Games against the Jaguars, Bears, and Rams, were won by very thin margins. This doesn’t compare well against the Falcons and their top-ranked schedule in terms of strength of opponents. Atlanta has played four of the NFL’s current playoff teams and went 2-2 in the process. The margin of victory in each of those games was three points or less.
The Lions can thank a Kirk Cousins interception for their upcoming trip to Seattle. Yes, the magic for Detroit has run out. There was little doubt they could continue to win without it.
Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws in the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
#5. New York Giants
Shutting out the Cowboys this season makes the Giants the favorite for many. For me, I just think they had Dallas’s number in 2016.
The problem with the Giants has been their offense. They struggle running the ball and despite having Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham, they don’t exude a daunting passing attack. The lack of production on offense is what has kept the Giants in so many close games. It’s hard to bet against Eli Manning in the playoffs, but he’s made a career of playing like Jekyll and Hyde.
Defense has been the main contributor to the Giants’ success this season, specifically their big, physical, and ball-hawking corners. New York is also decent at defending against the run and yet I don’t think they’re as good as advertised. Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie have been great shutting down number one receivers, but we’ve seen Atlanta win big without Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu this year. New York’s defense finished 20th in the NFL for overall pass yards surrendered this year.
The Giants need turnovers to win…a battle the Falcons have completely owned this season.
The Giants had trouble against convincing opponents in 2016. They only beat the Bears by 6 points, Rams by 7, Saints by 3, and edged the Bengals by 1. Many of these were games at home to boot. Say what you want about the Atlanta Falcons beating up their weaker opponents this season, but they didn’t leave doubts.
Oct 16, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) defended by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins (32) along with linebacker Deion Jones (45) and safety Ricardo Allen (37) in the second quarter during a NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
#3. Seattle Seahawks
One thing is for sure, the Atlanta Falcons will come eager for revenge after the Week 6 heartbreak in Seattle. Better yet, the Falcons will wait for the Seahawks to come to them. A late-season flop by Seattle allowed Atlanta to step up and take away the NFC’s 2nd seed. Falcons’ fans are certainly yearning for the rematch; this time on their turf.
Seattle may be the most inconsistent of the NFC’s playoff teams this year. The have struggled mightily on the road (2-4-1) and don’t compare well to other playoff teams. Consider how bad they were lit up against Aaron Rodgers in Week 14. The Seahawks benefit from such a weak opponent in the wildcard round, but would scrape together and head to the Dome next week with a win.
No other coach of a playoff team has more familiarity with Seattle than Dan Quinn. The former Seahawks’ defensive coordinator proved his knowledge of their personnel when Matt Ryan finished Week 6 with 335 passing yards and three touchdowns. We can expect Atlanta to move the ball more fluently on their own turf in a rematch. It’s also worth noting the Falcons hadn’t begun to spread the ball around quite like they did in the second half of the season.
The Falcons’ defense has improved while Seattle’s took a major hit with the injury to Earl Thomas. Tyler Lockett’s injury has also left the Seahawks struggling for dynamo on special teams. So much so that they recently signed former Falcons’ returner Devin Hester.
Russell Wilson will come to Atlanta and give the Falcons a challenge, but he can’t do it all himself. The wheels seem to be falling off for the Seahawks. I think they were another team to benefit from playing a weaker schedule in 2016.
Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
#1. Dallas Cowboys
I’ll be honest, I have no grounds if the Cowboys were able to beat the Giants this year and didn’t struggle against some weaker teams. Weeks 12 through 15 proved the Dallas Cowboys are a human football team that has flaws. They can be potent, but that period of four weeks provided the blueprint on how to defeat “America’s Team”.
If the Atlanta Falcons run into the Dallas Cowboys, its in the NFC Championship game. Should that happen, a few fire extinguishers are needed because the scoreboards will be set ablaze. Dallas can certainly put up points and drain the clock with their ground game. At the same time, the Falcons score at a much higher and faster rate. Atlanta is actually one of the very few teams that have the talent to outscore the Cowboys with offense. Both defenses aren’t the greatest, but the Falcons have done a better job forcing turnovers and making key stops at the close of the regular season.
The Cowboys have an offense fueled with some young star-power but they have struggled against the higher caliber defenses. Games against the Giants and Vikings defenses showed Dak Prescott somewhat rattled and confused when pressured. Dak deserves every accolade, but the Falcons would have the edge with a rookie lining up opposite of Vic Beasley.
Atlanta’s offense has lined up against many of the top defenses in the NFL and sliced through them like butter. The Cowboys gave up 26 points to the Redskins and 30 points to the Steelers, neither of which features an offense as explosive as the Falcons’. Atlanta has made a habit of incorporating a wealth of explosive skill-players into the offense and I don’t believe Dallas can match up with each.
