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At the rate the Falcons are performing once they actually play a good team in the post season it looks seriously like the Falcons will be 1 & Done for yet another crappy post-season.

Heck... If this is the team we keep seeing I could see the rest of the year play out as follows:

@Tampa - Loss
NO - Win
@Carolina - Loss
New York - Loss
@Detroit - Loss
Tampa - Win

Even with such a bleak ending we are still 11-5 and should still easily win the NFC South by 1 or 2 games. But it's backing into the playoffs much like we've seen from other Falcon teams.

I'm more surprise this team is 9-1 and not 5-5 than anything at this point.

And I never thought I'd see the day Atlanta was 9-1 and have to be discussing about how misleading that record is.

Leaving it to the Falcons to screw up being good.

< - Not scared.

You think Atlanta will lose to Carolina? That basically shows how much of a joke this thread is and how laughable your predictions are.

You need a reality check dude... Atlanta shouldn't have beat Carolina when they played them in the Dome. If it wasn't for a Cam Newton fumble with 1:09 left in the game Atlanta would have had their first loss in that game not against the Saints.

That win also required a pretty amazing pass from Ryan to White when Ryan was actually playing at the top of his game.

Now you have a Falcon team that is a lot deeper into the injury bin and a Matt Ryan that just played is worst career game and they have to go to Carolina. That doesn't sound like a recipe for disaster.

I'm only going to start to worry about this team if they lose this week to Tampa Bay, simply becasue at this point I don't expect them to beat the Saints.

And if we get into a 2-game skid, things are going to start getting bleak for the final month of the season.

Assume TB loses @DEN in Week 13, and NO loses to SF this week, then the NFC South standings would then look like this:

1. Atlanta - 9-3 (1-3 div)
2. Tampa Bay - 7-5 (3-1 div)
3. New Orleans - 6-6 (3-1 div)

And then we have @CAR, NYG, @DET, and TB for the final 4, while the Bucs are basically 1 game back with PHI, @NO, STL, then @ATL. Saints close with @NYG, TB, @DAL, and CAR.

If TB is truly riding a hot streak, it potentially could come down to the season finale where that game could decide the division if we went 1-2 and they won out? Or maybe NO beats them, but they win out? And you get into a situation where you have to beat TB in Week 17 or NO is about to steal the division.

Now one theory is that such an occurrence could be a good thing for the Falcons. Having them be in a position in Week 16 or 17 where they're talking about resting starters is EVEN MORE DIRE.

And it goes back to the comparisons I've made several times with the '08 Cardinals. They sort of backed into the playoffs. Week 16 they got crushed in the snow by the Patriots by 40 points. Then they played a 4-11 Seahawks team in the season finale, Warner put in work and went 19 of 30 for 263 yds, 4 TDs, and 1 INT in 3 qtrs, up 27-14 before they put in Leinart against the Seahawks to finish the thing out. Fitz had 5-130-2 and that was sort of the spark they needed to have Warner and Fitz lighting things up in the playoffs.

If the Falcons are going into that Week 17 game 13-2 and sort just dog it. Then I guarantee you they will be 1 and done.

Reality check? A injured Falcons team that is getting healthy and should be fine when it comes to playing Carolina. They'll be playing Carolina on 10 days rest as well. It was just a fluke of a game, Falcons have been consistent this year and have got the job done. If you really think Carolina is going to beat Atlanta then everyone is laughing here from New York to Atlanta to California. Atlanta will beat Carolina by double digits and will be fully equipped to play a good game. Have faith, stop being a downer and looking like a fool.

Here is the hope, that Green Bay blasts the Jay Cutler-less Bears and takes the division. IF that happens, and it probably will, then the ATL could get a team they might beat in the playoffs if they win the division, and now that seems like an IF unless Julio gets healthy, Ryan only had a single bad game, AND Weatherspoon comes back which has really been a bad thing for us.

If we have to play Seattle, the Bears, Giants [they have looked horrible] or even the Saints or Bucs in the playoffs after a weeks bye, I think we have a shot. Sure NO scares me, but every one of those games seems to come down to a play or two and we might get lucky. Now if we have to play SF... well, lets hope Alex Smith is in there and Ryan doesn't have to get carted off the field after our OL allows a mauling

I am glad that we are getting Spooner back this week it appears. That is a nice boost to the defense (not that they have really been our liability).

Short of one of the most epic meltdowns in regular season history the Falcons are in the playoffs and for this I'm happy.

I'm just seeing the same ol' Falcons squad these last few weeks and with Jones 50/50 at best to play any Sunday right now the offense likely isn't going to recover very quickly.

On the positive side the Falcons are playing some of their work football 2/3's of the way into the season. Perhaps they will get it out of their system and be ready for the postseason.

Packers > Bears

Order of teams most dangerous to the Falcons, and odds the Falcons can beat them:

1. 49ers - 10%
2. Packers - 30%
3. Bears - 40%
4. Seahawks - 45%
5. Giants - 50%
6. Saints - 50%
7. Buccaneers - 65%
8. Vikings - 75%
9. Cowboys - 75%

I rarely say this Pudge, but I agree completely with those percentages.

Of course, I say that with the same caveat I've said all year long, if I see more out of this offense, then I think those odds can change. But I still say this offense has to be more than what it's been so far this year. We've seen the flashes of it, with the increase in big plays, but I want to see more consistency with finishing drives in the redzone.

I know for many, it always seems like their is a very fluid standard in which I'm judging the team, and that it will be impossible for them to ever live up to the expectations that are set. And that is probably true. I believe that outside this team's passing game, this is a very very average team. And I don't mean like 8-8 average, I mean like 6-10 average.

And that means that if we're going to be a team that beats 10-6 and 11-5 teams come January, it's going to take this offense being "extra special."

It boils down to the offense must sustain drives and score 7 points not 3 on drives in the playoffs. The tendency seems to be the Falcons offense breaking down and having to score 3 points lately. This must change or it will one and done. For every drive that gets stalled the Falcon defense must then hold the other team.If it happens to much the Falcon defense eventually will break down and the Falcons are behind. Give a team like the Giants,49ers,Bears defenses time to come after the QB your just asking for trouble. The Falcon running game in about nonexistent. It's going to be very difficult to win in the playoffs without much of a running game.

The remaining games we have I'd like to see the running game be better.The offense sustaining drives and scoring 7 points on a consistent basis. If it is going to be one and done or whenever the season is over it is clear the weaknesses of the team. The question is will TD do something about it.He needs to a much better job on hitting on draft picks and signing the right free agents.

Back in 1993 I played Tecmo Superbowl against my best friend. He played the Oilers with Warren Moon, and I of course played the Chris Miller led Falcons. My friend would simply take Moon, run him backward from the line of scrimmage to his own endzone and right before the pass rush got to him launch a 100 yard bomb to a WR. He'd give himself four downs to complete that pass, but the key to my Sanders/Tuggle led defense was to somehow stop him on the 1 yard line. If I could get him on the 1, he was incapable of scoring a TD. That's how I feel about this season when I watch us complete a long pass to the 1 yard line. If they can stop us on the 1, then we are done.

and bump