Atlanta Falcons need to make the Georgia Dome a fortress
There are no easy games in the National Football League, which is why it is so important to use your home stadium as a major advantage. To succeed in 2015, the Atlanta Falcons must make the Georgia Dome a fortress.
You only have to look at the Falcons’ past five seasons to see how much of a difference winning your home games can make. Atlanta has won just three games at home in each of the past two seasons, and it’s no coincidence these years ended with records of 4-12 and 6-10.
In contrast, their combined record at home from 2010-12 was 20-4, and they posted seasons of 13-3, 10-6 and 13-3 respectively.
Look around the league. In 2014, only three of the 12 playoff teams won less than six games at home. Cincinnati went 5-2-1; Dallas went 4-4 but made up for it with an incredible 8-0 road record; Carolina were the representative of the undeserving NFC South.
Of the four teams who made the championship games, Green Bay went 8-0, Seattle and New England went 7-1 and Indianapolis went 6-2.
Sep 7, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons fans celebrate the game tying kick in their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 37-34 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
What are the consequences for opponents if the hosts rarely lose at home?
Mentally, it can make the road trip more difficult. When teams are coming to Atlanta and winning often, the Georgia Dome isn’t feared. Now imagine the Falcons had won their last ten games at home, and had only lost one in the last 18 — all of a sudden there is an aura when travelling to Atlanta.
Look at Seattle. Their recent success at home can be put down to a number of factors.
Of course, they own one of the best rosters in football. It can also be put down to an incredibly hostile environment due to the design of the stadium bouncing noise around. The ’12th man’ play their part, too.
Then Dallas went there and won. Not only did they win, they were fearless in their approach and took the game to the Seahawks. Their next two home games were against the Raiders and Giants, who weren’t able to put up much of a fight, but what if one of those two teams had won?
Seattle would look vulnerable at home, and more teams would play without fear.
Another example is the New Orleans Saints. In the six seasons prior to 2014, the Saints were an impressive 37-11 at home, and were coming off the back of an 8-0 season at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
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Even after a difficult start to the season, New Orleans went 3-0 at home with a big victory over the Green Bay Packers. The San Francisco 49ers changed all of that.
After losing to the 49ers 27-24 in overtime, the Saints would lose all four of their remaining home games. With each loss that fell, the less fear there was about playing in New Orleans.
For Atlanta, it’s important for them to turn the Georgia Dome into one of the toughest NFL venues. With a loud, hostile environment backed up with tough, physical football, the Falcons could have some teams beaten before a single snap has been played.
In a league of such parity, it’s obviously much easier said than done, but if the Atlanta Falcons can make the Georgia Dome a fortress, everything else will fall into place and they will be ready to consistently make a push for the playoffs.