Falcons vs. Saints Recap: When There is an Act III; Act I and II are Forgotten
Let it be clear that I wrote this article before I made the treck down to the Georgia Dome for the game between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. I wrote this before I knew the results of the game. But the bottom line is, that this is the truth.
I don’t know if Matty Ice stepped up big in the game and won. I don’t know if the New Orleans Saints came into the Georgia Dome to beat Matt Ryan for only the second time in Atlanta.
But One thing I do know, is when there is Act III, the first two acts are forgotten. They are simply viewed as Regular Season games of little meaning.
If Atlanta won the game, then they locked up the number one seed in the playoffs. If they lost, they will have to wait til next Sunday to beat the Carolina Panthers.
I am not saying that this game was of no meaning at all, it was still a big game, but right now it is being over-analysed on ESPN right now, like all NFL games are.
The bottom line, is that these teams will most likely meet again January 15th or 16th. And even if the Saints lose to the Falcons, they will need a victory against Tampa Bay to lock up a playoff berth.
If they get the fifth seed, they will play which ever team makes it from the NFC West. A game they should win, but it will be on the road.
If the Saints win their game against that disgrace of a football team, and the number three seed beats the six seed. The Saints and Falcons will meet again for a third act.
This will be the only act that matters. The only act where the winner goes on, and the loser goes home. A game with meaning.
Now, I am not saying that what happened tonight had no importance, it was still a big game. This game had a lot of meaning for both teams involved. But the fact is, it is a game that will be forgotten about come mid-January. I am just trying to put this game and its results in perspective.
ESPN will talk about this game for the next couple weeks until they meet again. They media will continue to disregad the Falcons. Now this is something that I hope doesn’t happen, but given the Media’s proven track record, it is hard to think otherwise.
And to Falcons fans, if we lost, it doesn’t mean anything. We can still lock up home-field next week against the worst team in football. We can still make it to the Super Bowl and accomplish our goals. If you don’t believe me, look at past Super Bowl Champions and their late season losses.
2006 Indianapolis Colts: Week 16 at Houston (27-24)
2007 New York Giants: Week 15 vs Washington (22-10) and Week 17 vs New England (38-35)
2008 Pittsburgh Steelers: Week 16 at Tennessee (31-14)
2009 New Orleans Saints: Week 15 vs Dallas (24-17), Week 16 vs Tampa Bay (20-17), and Week 17 (23-10)
I know that some of these losses happened when they were resting starters, but this goes to show that even Super Bowl Champions have late season losses.
Keep the faith Falcons fans, but if they did win this game. Then the Super Bowl will now officially go through the Georgia Dome. The opposing NFC teams will have to come into Atlanta and defeat the Falcons in the Dome, something that is hard to do.
The reason why I wrote this piece before this game takes place is simple; it’s the truth. The statements made here reflect the same feelings I will feel after the game, regardless of the outcome.
Right now, I am on my way back from the Georgia Dome, hopefully after a Falcons victory. I will come back tomorrow, and write a piece with a more in-depth look at what the results of this game mean, with the results of the game mentioned.
And as always, Go Falcons, this team is doing something special, and this is only the beginning.