Dirty Bird Daily: A win makes the Atlanta Falcons the NFC favorite
By John Follett
The Atlanta Falcons obviously have to beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. I firmly believe a win makes the Birds the favorite heading into the NFC Championship.
The Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks will rematch for in the NFC Divisional Round for the second time since 2012. Plenty of story lines surround the game that is sure to be as electric as their 2012 playoff match-up was. We also expect the same amount of suspense as their Week 6 match-up during the regular season. Atlanta won the 2012 playoff game 30-28, but Seattle won the Week 6 ‘slug-fest’, 26-24.
the winner should be the odds-on pick to win the NFC Championship
This Saturday will serve as the trilogy to a heavyweight fight for the ages. No title is on the line, but a new favorite within the NFC bracket may emerge with a victory. There’s a ton on the line. I’ll go ahead and say the winner should be the odds-on pick to win the NFC Championship.
Momentum, not popularity contest, wins
Dallas has been the favorite throughout a majority of the regular season and Green Bay is currently ‘red hot’. But what if the Falcons knock off the team that went to the Super Bowl in two of the last three seasons? Or what if the Seahawks somehow go into the Georgia Dome and shell the NFL’s top-scoring offense?
Related Story: How Falcons benefit from the Dan Quinn playoff edge
I talk a lot about momentum and what it means to teams chasing a championship. Last night’s College Football National Championship is a prime example. Alabama is far and away the better program; even showed up to Tampa as the better team. Clemson found the momentum in the second half and rode it past a 10-point deficit and to the win. There’s points in these big games where the momentum swings and the beneficiaries gain more confidence in the process. In the case of the Atlanta Falcons, we’ve witnessed their collective confidence grow with each win since the Kansas City loss.
Confidence is the difference
If there was anything the 2012 Atlanta Falcons were missing, it was confidence. They lacked confidence and were unable to ride momentum when they needed to the most. This is why ’10-yards short” continues to haunt us to this day.
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There’s little doubt the winner of Atlanta vs. Seattle heads into the NFC Championship game with all the momentum and confidence in the world. The betting lines probably won’t agree. There’s always the fascination and popularity of the Cowboys and Packers to contend with. And speaking of the Cowboys and confidence, we have to wonder what they’re thinking right now. If it were up to me, I’d rather play Seattle than Green Bay this weekend.
Imagine this…
Not to get too far ahead, but I like the momentum of the Packers over the 2016, playoff-inexperienced, Cowboys. If I’m right about it, we get Atlanta Falcons playing host to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. The Falcons would be coming off a big win over Seattle at home, the final game at the Dome ever, and against a team they beat in the regular season.
We couldn’t write the script any better.