Atlanta Falcons’ fans factored into the win over Seattle Seahawks
By Adnan Ikic
Dan Quinn and Atlanta Falcons players stressed the importance of having the fans in their seats from kickoff. The Atlanta faithful responded by creating a raucous atmosphere from the get-go.
Vibrations were felt in the Georgia Dome on Saturday, January 14, 2017. After earning the right to play the divisional round of the playoffs in front of their home crowd, the Atlanta Falcons were greatly rewarded.
Here are some Twitter reactions to the (authentic) Georgia Dome crowd noise:
The Georgia Dome erupted on that safety--so loud. Huge change of momentum for #Falcons. #Seahawks lead 10-9
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) January 14, 2017
Ear splitting noise in the Georgia Dome
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) January 15, 2017
Matt Ryan’s stellar performance earned him continuous “MVP” chants throughout the afternoon. The Falcons’ All-Pro quarterback acknowledged the effect of the home fans during his post-game comments.
Matt Ryan said it was "pretty cool" to hear the MVP chants, says the @GeorgiaDome was as loud as it's ever been.
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 15, 2017
The Georgia Dome shook on every Seahawks’ 3rd down play. The noise level then hit another level when Russell Wilson fell backwards and into his own end-zone for a safety. I thought the roof would blow off after the Falcons’ intecepted Wilson both times.
The Falcons defense clamped down after Seattle’s opening drive which lasted eight and a half minutes and culminated with a Jimmy Graham touchdown catch.
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The Atlanta offense, meanwhile, kept humming throughout. Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman combined for over 200 yards of total offense and eight different receivers caught a pass. Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Tevin Coleman each caught touchdown passes. Jones dominated Richard Sherman before re-aggravating his foot injury in the second half.
The Falcons could’v broken the 40-point mark but Dan Quinn chose to take the classy approach of taking a knee at Seattle’s one-yard line to close out the game. A sellout crowd of 71,155 packed into the Georgia Dome to watch the Falcons bully Seattle to a 36-20 win and earn the NFC Championship Game trip.
Next: Falcons takeaways from win over the Seattle Seahawks
The Superbowl now goes through Atlanta thanks to the Cowboys’ loss to Green Bay. The Atlanta Falcons get one more home game in which the Georgia Dome is expected to be louder than ever before.