Falcons will look to clinch No. 1 seed when they face New Orleans at the Georgia Dome

The Falcons have clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they need one more win to clinch the NFC South and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Seems easy enough, but if they want to wrap up the division this week, they will have to take down the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome on Monday night.

The Saints are coming off a tough 30-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. However, New Orleans has won six of their last eight games and need one more win to clinch a playoff spot. Plus they want to get some revenge on the Falcons after losing to them in overtime back in September.

But the Falcons are on a roll, winning eight consecutive games which is the longest current streak in the NFL and the Falcons longest winning streak since 1998 when they reached the Super Bowl. They have won their games a number of ways such as last second heroics on offense, special teams plays or just total domination on both sides of the ball.

In order for the Falcons to sweep the Saints, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White will have to play at a high level. In the first meeting between the two rivals, all three played well against an aggressive New Orleans defensive front. Ryan threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Turner ran for 114 yards and one touchdown and White caught five balls for 69 yards and one score. Since then, the three skill players are having pro bowl caliber seasons. Ryan has thrown for 3,321 yards and 25 touchdowns, Turner has rushed for 1,256 yards and 11 touchdowns and White has caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards and eight touchdowns.

As good as the offense has been, the defense has seemed to be playing better as the season progresses. When the teams first played in September, Drew Brees was able to throw for 365 yards and three touchdowns. But he did throw two costly interceptions and their running game could never get going, as Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas rushed for a combined 43 yards on 16 carries. Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham each notched a sack in the win while Brent Grimes and Thomas DeCoud were the guys that intercepted the two Brees’ passes. All have continued to play at a high level, especially Abraham and Grimes. Abraham leads the team in sacks with 12 and Grimes leads the team in interceptions with five. Grimes was recently named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Seattle Seahawks. He had three tackles, one interception and five passes defended in the win.

Some more good news for the Falcons is they should come into the game as healthy as they could be when it comes to the fourth quarter of the season. White, Abraham, Babineaux, Curtis Lofton, Ovie Mughelli and Eric Weems were all on the injury report and listed as questionable. But they all fully participated in practice on Friday and should be ready to go on Monday night.

Because the Saints lost against Baltimore last week, the game is not as big for the Falcons as it could have been. Even if they lose to New Orleans, the Saints will have to win against Tampa Bay next week and hope the Falcons lose to the Carolina Panthers in order to win the NFC South for the second consecutive year. So the Falcons control their own destiny when it comes to clinching the division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Regardless, it should be another compelling game between two hated rivals. The NFL could not ask for anything better to end the Monday Night Football season.

Falcons-Seahawks preview: Birds play final road game of 2010 season

The Falcons will make their first and only trip to the west coast on Sunday when they take on the Seattle Seahawks. And just like any other game for the Falcons, it’s important for them to win to fend off the New Orleans Saints, who are just one game behind Atlanta in the NFC South. The Falcons also need a victory today to win two of their next three games to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

One thing the Falcons don’t have to worry about is reaching the playoffs because when the game kicks off at 4:05 p.m., they will have clinched a playoff spot because they either need to beat Seattle or have the Philadelphia Eagles or New York Giants to lose, and both teams are playing against each other Sunday at 1 p.m.

With that said, the Falcons should and will not go into the contest with the ‘Hawks as if the regular season is over. And despite Seattle’s record of 6-7, the Falcons are not going to take them lightly because the Seahawks are still in the NFC West race. However, Seattle does have a tough task ahead of them because the Falcons have won seven straight games and three of them have come on the road.

The Falcons come into the game with the eighth best rushing offense and that is spearheaded by Michael Turner who has 10 rushing touchdowns during the win streak. Turner currently has 1,174 rushing yards which puts him first in the NFC and fourth in the NFL. He looks to have a big game against a rush defense that gives up 119 yards per game.

But this could also be a big day for Matt Ryan because the Seattle pass defense has been dreadful, as they are ranked 30th in the league and opposing QBs have averaged an 88 rating against the Hawks. Ryan is having his best year as a pro with 22 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. One thing to watch for as far as Ryan goes is if he wins on Sunday, he will have 32 wins in his career. The only other QB to have more wins than Ryan since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 is Dan Marino.

The Falcons defense has been getting better as the seasons rolls on, but they want to improve on their rush defense, giving up over 300 yards in the last two games. This should be the game where they correct their mistakes in the run game because Seattle is ranked 31st in rushing offense. One player to watch for the Falcons is Curtis Lofton who is listed as questionable in the injury report with a knee injury.

Despite the rush defense struggling the last two games, the pass defense has been strong, especially last week against Carolina, as the defensive line came up with five sacks. John Abraham had two, Kroy Biermann notched two and Chauncey Davis had one. Abraham leads the team with 11 sacks and that put him in the top five in the NFL. He also has 100.5 sacks in his career which puts him at No. 22 on the all-time list. Abraham has a nagging groin injury, but he will play.

The biggest challenge for the Falcons could be the fact this game is on the west coast. But one thing to remember about this team since head coach Mike Smith took over in 2008 is every time they had made a trip out to the west coast, they have won. In 2008, they went out to San Diego and Oakland and won both games. Last year they made the trip to San Francisco and blew out the 49ers. So if the Falcons continue to play the way they have been playing, they should leave the state of Washington with their 12th win of the year.

Cobb Senior Bowl 2010 recap

The high school football state championships took place last week, but that did mean the season was over. One the championship games conclude, all-star games take place in the metro Atlanta area and McEachern has been the host of the Cobb Senior Bowl the last three years.

In this year’s version, the players were divided into the National team and the American team. The National team featured players from Walton, Kell, Wheeler, Marietta and South Cobb. The American team features players from Allatoona, Lassiter, Pope, North Cobb, Sprayberry and Campbell. In the end, the Nationals were too much the Americans, winning 41-19 at Walter Cantrell Stadium on Saturday.

The Nationals wasted little time scoring first as they recovered a fumble from Kahleel Williams which put the Nationals at the Americans 36-yard line. That led to a Kyle Vorster 5-yard touchdown run with 11:23 left in the first quarter. Vorster had a great season for Walton, rushing for over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns during the 2010 season.

When the Americans got the ball back, they look to answer with a touchdown drive of their own. However, Dondre Purnell first pass of the game was picked off by Brian Randolph, but led to zero points so the Americans dodged a bullett.

Later in the quarter, the Nationals had the ball at the Americans 47-yard line and Bradley Kilborn came into the game to play QB in place of Ausitn Petrik. It was a good move because Kilborn was able to lead the Nationals down the field and the drive ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Johntavious Mullins to put them up by 14.

The Nationals got on the board again early in the second quarter as Petrik threw a 35-yard touchdown Niquay Mack to put the Nationals up by 21. The drive was kept alive thanks to two pass interference penalties by the Americans.

The Nationals got on the board again with a Demarcus Adkins 29-yard touchdown run to increase their led to 28. The play was possible due to another turnover by the Americans as Adam Stigall came up with an interception that put the Nationals at the Americans 47-yard line. The Americans were able to answer on the ensuing drive as Purnell threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Darren Waller to cut the Nationals lead to 21 going into halftime.

The third quarter started with the Nationals running the ball heavily with Randolph and Vorster which led to a Kyle Morris 30-yard field goal to increase their led to 24. But the Americans were able to answer with a score of their own, as running back Jamelle Watson threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Max Mason to cut the lead to 18.

Later in the quarter, the Americans were driving and looking to cut the Nationals lead to 11. But cornerback Matt LaMontagne came up with a big interception and returned it 85 yards for the score to ice the game for the Nationals. That was the second interception for LaMontagne as he came with a pick in the end zone right before halftime. The Americans were able to score later in the fourth, but it was too little too late and the Nationals come away with the win.

It didn’t matter who won or lost the game because it was an exhibition. This game was to showcase some of the best senior football players in Cobb County and have players that don’t have too many offers from colleges one last chance to show scouts what they got. A player like Randolph doesn’t need to showcase himself because he has committed to Tennessee. But for players like Vorster, who had a great game and a great season but does not have many offers, this was an opportunity to show the scouts that he can play the game at a high level.

In the end, it was another great day for high school football in Cobb County and it was a great ending to the 2010 season.

Falcons dominate Carolina, earn 11th win of the year

Here's the my take on the Falcons win against Carolina which is also on www.scoreatl.com.

The Falcons did not look all that great against the Carolina Panthers today, but like they’ve done all season long, they found a way to win and Atlanta came away with a 31-10 win over the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

The Falcons got the scoring started early as Matt Ryan threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez early in the first quarter. That play was possible thanks to a Jonathan Stewart fumble which was recovered by Dunta Robinson.

The Falcons were able to score again quickly on their next possession with a Michael Turner 1-yard touchdown run. That play was possible because Matt Ryan hit Harry Douglass on a 46-yard pass four plays before the Turner touchdown run. Turner finished the day with three rushing touchdowns and 112 yards on 28 carries.

The only scoring in the second quarter when Matt Bryant kicked a 39-yard field goal with 2:38 left.

It looked as if the Falcons were going to run away with the game when the third quarter began, but Carolina was not going to back down easily, as they drove 81 yards on five plays and which led to a Mike Goodson 13-yard touchdown run. The touchdown was possible because Jonathan Stewart had a 48-yard run and Steve Smith had a 9-yard run on an end around play.

The Panthers were able to get the ball back later in the quarter and were threatening to score as they were at the Falcons 28-yard line. But the drive was stalled when Chauncey Davis sacked Jimmy Clausen at midfield on fourth-and-four. The Falcons answered quickly with Turner 3-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons up 24-7.

Turner scored again midway through the fourth quarter when he ran up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown to put the Falcons up by 21.

Matt Ryan was not flawless but he was efficient, completing 20 of his 34 passes with 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception which came at the end of the second quarter. Roddy White led all receivers with eight catches and 79 yards.

But it was the Falcons defense that had a big day in the win. John Abraham and Kroy Bierrman each had two sacks while Davis had the other. Mike Peterson also had a big game with six tackles, one forced fumble and one interception which came in the fourth quarter. The only concern is Stewart was able to have some big runs, rushing for 133 yards. But because the Falcons pass defense was efficient, they were able to limit Carolina to only 288 yards of total offense.

So here’s the scenario. Because Green Bay lost to Detroit, the Falcons need either Philadelphia to lose to Dallas or the New York Giants to lose to Minnesota to clinch a playoff spot. The Falcons will travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks next Sunday and if the Falcons win that game and one of their final two games of the season, they will clinch the NFC South title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. So the Falcons are glad they won today to earn their 11th win of the season. But they are in no way shape or form satisfied and will be back at work on Wednesday to get ready for the Seattle.

Falcons look to earn 11th win of the season when they face woeful Carolina Panthers

It's been a while since I updated my blog, but I have been busy with other projects which I will talk about in a later blog post. Anyway, here's my preview of the Falcons-Panthers contest which kicks off at 1 p.m. today. And after the game is over, head on over to www.scoreatl.com to check out my post game blog.

The Falcons are now in the fourth quarter of the 2010 season. The first three quarters for the Falcons were successful as they have a 10-2 record and have won their last six games. They hope to keep the momentum going when they face the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

Despite the Panthers 1-11 record, this is still a division game for the Falcons and they won’t take the Panthers lightly. The Falcons tend to play teams the first three quarters and seal the deal in the fourth.

Matt Ryan, who won NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his play in November, is coming off a game against the Tamp Bay Buccaneers where he threw two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. It was the first time in five games Ryan has thrown a pick and the first time in five games on the Falcons turned the ball over. Carolina’s overall defense has been suspect all season long, but their pass defense has been aggressive all year, as they are ranked sixth in the league in passing yards allowed per game. So the Falcons will go to the ground game a lot more and Michael Turner will look to have a big day against a defense that has allowed 133 yards per contest. Turner comes in to the game second in the NFC with 1,062 yards and eight TDs. Like last week, Turner will be expected the carry the load again because Jason Snelling is still healing from a hamstring injury he suffered against Green Bay two weeks ago. He has not practiced since the injury.

Defensively, the Falcons look to hammer a Carolina offense that is ranked last in the NFL in points scored per game. The main priority for the Falcons is to make sure Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart does not run wild. The Falcons have only allowed two running backs go over 100 yards this season, but one of them was Tampa Bay bruising back LaGarrette Blount who rushed for 103 yards last week. The Falcons will be sure not to let that happen again, but they could be without their leading tackler Curtis Lofton who is suffering from a knee injury. Lofton did practice on Friday so he will be a game-time decision.

The most compelling matchup will be Steve Smith going against Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson. Smith has not had a good year and part of that has to do with the inconsistent quarterback play. But he tends to have big games against the Falcons and would love nothing more than to lead the Panthers to an improbable win against their NFC South rivals. But he will have his hands full if Grimes is covering him because like Smith, Grimes is athletic and make big plays. Robinson will also see some action against Smith and while he does not have any interceptions this year, he seems to be playing better football as the season rolls on.

There is no question the Falcons are the better team in all phases of the game, but if they let Carolina believe they can win the game, the Falcons could come away with their third loss of the year. The Falcons are a seven point favorite and should cover that if they play the type of football they have played all season long which is good ball control, converting third downs and winning the turnover battle. Many people think the Falcons need to roll the Panthers to prove a point to the doubters they are a legit team. All the Falcons need to do is come away with a win because if the Falcons are 11-2 by 4:30 p.m. They will be one step closer to clinching home field advantage and proving they are the real deal.