Showing posts with label Atlanta Falcons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlanta Falcons. Show all posts

Monday, January 2, 2017

Atlanta Falcons Playoff Scenarios: Can Matt Ryan Lead Team To No. 2 Seed In 2017 NFL Playoffs?


Falcons vs. Panthers | NFL Week 16 Game Highlights

Atlanta Falcons playoff scenarios now come down to Week 17 of the NFL season. The Falcons could still clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC and with it a first-round bye in the playoffs. That would be huge for the team, giving them a week off to rest during the postseason. The Week 17 NFL schedule holds many important games, with the NFC taking center stage with most of the late games.

The Falcons play the New Orleans Saints at 4:25 p.m. ET on January 1. If the Falcons can win this game, the team will clinch the NFC No. 2 seed. That victory would then give the Falcons a week off before hosting a playoff game in Atlanta the following the weekend. The playoff brackets would have Atlanta playing the best team left standing from Wild Card Weekend.

When it comes to the Atlanta Falcons playoff scenarios, it gets no easier than simply closing out the regular season with a victory. The Falcons control their own destiny, which is a position that every NFL franchise would enjoy having in Week 17. It basically means that as long as the Falcons win their game, nothing else on the NFL schedule affects their seeding. A loss to the Saints would create a different situation.

[Image by Grant Halverson/Getty Images]

As the updated NFL standings show, the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions could still catch up in the playoff standings. This could create a situation where the falcons would drop to either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed by losing to the Saints on Sunday. There are different scenarios for how each matchup could play out.

At the same time that the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints game is being played, the Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks are on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. The winner of the Lions vs. Packers game will clinch the NFC North, while the Seahawks have already clinched the NFC West. Everything else comes down to seeding in the final weekend.

If the Falcons lose, the Packers win and the Seahawks win, then the seeding would shift a bit. That scenario would have Seattle at No. 2, Atlanta at No. 3, and Green Bay at No. 4. It would appear a bit different if the Falcons lose, the Lions win, and the Seahawks also win. In that situation, Seattle would be No. 2, Detroit would be No. 3, and Atlanta would fall all the way to the No. 4 seed.

There are a few other Atlanta Falcons playoff scenarios that could also take place. If the Falcons lose, but so do the Seahawks and Lions, then the Falcons would retain that No. 2 seed. This is all due to the tiebreakers between the four teams battling for those three spots, creating a tough maze of possible outcomes for fans to dig through.

[Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]

At the end of the day, the simplest route for the Falcons is to just beat the New Orleans Saints and secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Then it will be easier to watch the other games to see who the potential second-round matchup might be for the Falcons. By clinching the top seed, the Dallas Cowboys would get to play the worst team advancing from Wild Card Weekend, with the Falcons hosting the best team that advances.

Game time for the Falcons vs. Saints matchup is 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday (Jan. 1). The game will be on FOX, with fans knowing just how important a victory is for the team. The first matchup between the two teams took place in Week 3, with the Falcons emerging as 45-32 winners on Monday night football. Now quarterback Matt Ryan has a chance to present fans with a win as the Atlanta Falcons playoff scenarios heavily favor the team nabbing that No. 2 seed.

[Featured Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/3843287/atlanta-falcons-playoff-scenarios-can-matt-ryan-lead-team-to-no-2-seed-in-2017-nfl-playoffs/

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Monday, November 14, 2016

Falcons safety Neal on hit: "I"m not a dirty player"


Philadelphia Eagles vs Atlanta Falcons Highlights & Recap

PHILADELPHIA -- Atlanta Falcons rookie strong safety Keanu Neal said he did nothing wrong on a controversial fourth-quarter hit against Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews -- a play that did not draw a penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact in the Eagles" 24-15 victory.

"I"m not trying to hit the guy in the head,"" Neal said. "That"s not me. Never in the game of football will I ever try to do that. I"m not a dirty player like that. But I went for the strike zone. I lowered my shoulder. And I felt like I hit him in the sternum. I don"t think I had any head-to-head contact."

Matthews, naturally, disagreed.

"Yes, I definitely think it was a penalty,"" Matthews said. "My helmet was bent. I had to get a new face mask. I had to change out my face mask and my visor. I don"t know what they saw, but at the end of the day, we got the win. So I will take a b****y lip if we get a win.""

  • The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday"s game boasting the league"s top offense, but Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Leodis McKelvin felt there was a weakness to exploit.

  • The real reason theFalcons falteredSundayagainst the Eagles was the way they got pushed around on both sides of the ball.

  • The Eagles shook off a non-call early in the fourth quarter, rallying on both sides of the ball to take the lead and end their two-game losing streak.

2 Related

Video replay appeared to show Neal leading with his helmet. Matthews remained on the ground for a moment grabbing at his face mask after taking the hit across the middle. The unsuccessful third-down play led to the Eagles attempting 55-yard field goal, which Caleb Sturgis missed. A penalty, of course, would have kept the Eagles" drive alive.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn didn"t want to dig too deep into the play but stood behind his player.

"Yeah, I don"t have any thoughts on it other than just the way he"s taught in the strike zone is we"re going to try and hit someone as hard as humanly possible,"" Quinn said. "And if there"s a hit to the head, then we didn"t lower our strike zone low enough. But I"ll go back and look, but I didn"t get a chance to see. ... But I can tell you [Neal] is clearly becoming a very physical safety, in the box, out.

"By no means is he taught to go up high or do anything that"s out of whack. The leverage tackling that we do, we want to absolutely throw fast b***s in that strike zone. And if that target is on point, I"ll applaud that hit as loud as I can.""

Eagles coach Doug Pederson was asked if he got an explanation on the no-call.

"No,"" Pederson said.

Neal could be subject to a fine this week. But he maintained his innocence.

"Never do I attempt to hit someone in the head,"" Neal said. "That"s just not the type of player I am. I"m not there to play like that. [Coach Quinn] always talks about the strike zone. You guys know I"m a physical player, but I"m not trying to hit the dude in the head. They didn"t call a flag. ... I don"t think I hit him in the head, but I didn"t attempt to hit him in the head.""

Source: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18042445/keanu-neal-atlanta-falcons-hit-not-dirty-player

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Sunday, October 2, 2016

Atlanta Falcons at a glance


Falcons vs. Raiders (Week 2) | Post Game Highlights | NFL

Coach: Dan Quinn

Key Stats

1.4 Cost, in billions of dollars, of the Falcons new retractable-roof stadium, which opens next season next to the Georgia Dome.

3 Falcons players who have won the NFC Rookie of the Month award after linebacker Deion Jones did so in September. He joined Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.

94 Julio Jones average receiving yards per game, which is No. 1 on the NFLs career list.

207 Running back Devonta Freemans yards from scrimmage Monday against New Orleans, the most in the NFL through the first three weeks.

Starting Lineup

WR

11 Julio Jones

LT

70 Jake Matthews

LG

67 Andy Levitre

C

51 Alex Mack

RG

65 Chris Chester

RT

73 Ryan Schraeder

TE

83 Jacob Tamme

WR

12 Mohamed Sanu

QB

2 Matt Ryan

RB

24 Devonta Freeman

FB

42 Patrick DiMarco

DE

50 Brooks Reed

DT

95 Jonathan Babineaux

DT

97 Grady Jarrett

DE

94 Tyson Jackson

LB

44 Vic Beasley

LB

45 Deion Jones

LB

56 Sean Weatherspoon

CB

23 Robert Alford

CB

21 Desmond Trufant

S

37 Ricaro Allen

S

22 Keanu Neal

K

3 Matt Bryant

P

5 Matt Bosher

KO

5 Matt Bosher

H

5 Matt Bosher

PR

14 Eric Weems

KOR

26 Tevin Coleman

LS

47 Josh Harris

Injuries

OUT: LB DeVondre Campbell (ankle), LB Paul Worrilow (groin).

Schedule/Results

Opponent

Result/Time TV

September

11

Tampa Bay

L 31-24

18

At Oakland

W 35-28

26

At New Orleans

W 45-32

October

2

Carolina

1 p.m.

FOX

9

At Denver

4:05 p.m.

FOX

16

At Seattle

4:25 p.m.

FOX

23

San Diego

4:05 p.m.

FOX

30

Green Bay

1 p.m.

FOX

November

3

At Tampa Bay

8:25 p.m.

NFL

13

At Philadelphia

1 p.m.

FOX

20

Bye

27

Arizona

1 p.m.

FOX

December

4

Kansas City

1 p.m.

CBS

11

At Los Angeles

4:25 p.m.

FOX

18

San Francisco

4:05 p.m.

FOX

24

At Carolina

1 p.m.

FOX

January

1

New Orleans

1 p.m.

FOX

NOTE: * Time subject to change.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/nfl-blog/article105314966.html

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