Atlanta Falcons: Home Sweet Homecoming

The Atlanta Falcons are back on the road home after securing an unconventional homecoming victory against the New York Jets.

Home is where the heart is. The Atlanta Falcons win over the New York Jets today proved exactly that. It didn’t matter that the Falcons were technically the road team and away from their nests. They looked and played as though they were home.

Earlier this week, when I had the pleasure of appearing on The Jets Zone podcast and speaking with Paul Esden from that group briefly to break down Sunday’s matchup between Atlanta and New York. We discussed the struggles of each team as they both were aiming to break losing streaks. One point that I made was that we haven’t seen the same spirit from the Atlanta Falcons this season that we’ve seen before and that was certainly hindering their success. Some might even go so far as to question the Falcons’ heart when discussing how the team continues to skip beats.

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Well, the Falcons play and subsequent win in Week 8 breathed life back into their season. Sure, the team suffered some mishaps, including two fumbles by reigning NFL MVP Matt Ryan, but nonetheless, they rallied on for a win; and not just any win but a homecoming win.

You see, Falcons head coach, Dan Quinn, and wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu, had a little extra motivation for today’s game since Quinn was raised in Morristown, New Jersey and Mohamed Sanu lived in New Jersey while attending high school and Rutgers University. And they certainly showed up;  Quinn with great play calling and Sanu with 74 yards on six receptions (seven targets) and most impressively, this touchdown.

Sanu’s touchdown put Atlanta in the lead and shifted the team’s momentum when the Falcons appeared to be slowing down a bit; propelling them to a desperately needed win. Feeding off of Sanu’s energy, the rest of the Falcons were able to keep playing without skipping a beat; securing the win over the New York Jets.

The Dirty Birds played at a comfort level that’s helped bring them much success in the past. A comfort level found at home. And this could very well have saved their season. Now, the Falcons must build on today’s success; expand their home, figuratively speaking , and finish the second half of this season as strong as they finished Sunday’s game.