Falcons vs. Giants: Confidence, Not Playoff Seeding, on the Line for Atlanta

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When the NFL schedule was free in the Spring, I circled this week's game against New York.

Not because it provided the Falcons with an possibleness to punish terminal season's playoff expiration to the Giants (who marked in the NFL's today digit year-old postseason actuality show, Beat the Falcons Soundly, Go on to Win a Super Bowl), but because the mettlesome was feat to be played in Week 15, where at small digit of these teams figured to requirement a get in visit to bonded a playoff spot.  As it turns out, the Giants module be a fearless aggroup when they become to the Colony Dome on Sunday, and that bodes substantially for the Falcons in cost of their possess playoff preparation.

No, Sunday's mettlesome against the Giants is not a must-win for the Falcons because of its potential effect on Atlanta's playoff seeding.

The Falcons are 11-2 and ease reassert a one-and-a-half mettlesome advance over the 49ers and a digit mettlesome advance over the Packers for home-field plus in the conference. Given the schedules that the 49ers (at NE, at SEA, vs. AZ) and Packers (at CHI, vs. TEN, at MINN) grappling the terminal threesome weeks of the season, the Falcons haw be healthy to bonded home-field plus by success exclusive digit of their effort threesome games (vs. NYG, at DET, vs. TB).

Instead, the Falcons requirement Sunday's mettlesome against the Giants seriously because they requirement to grappling and move to the category of push that they hit bifold low in the playoffs in 2010 and 2011.

It's the category of push that exclusive comes when you're activity against a talented, battle-hardened aggroup that is activity for its correct to survive. Indeed, if Falcons fans poverty a genuine effort of whether or not this 2012 squad has what it takes to win that artful prototypal playoff mettlesome of the Dimitroff/Smith/Ryan era, they requirement not countenance some boost than this Sunday.

Thanks to Week 14 wins by the Redskins and Cowboys, the Giants are today clinging to a digit mettlesome advance in the NFC East over both teams. However, the Giants are not meet in danger of losing their advance in the division. At 8-5, the Giants are in danger of absent the playoffs nudity if they retrograde digit of their terminal threesome games (at ATL, at BAL, vs. PHI).

That's because the Giants hit a 2-3 achievement within the NFC East, patch the Redskins and Cowboys are 3-1 and 3-2, respectively. Since the Giants hit already separate their head-to-head flavour program with both teams, if they were to closing equal with either Redskins or Cowboys at 9-7, their weaker disjunctive achievement could ready them discover of the postseason.

Given the Giants' struggles with the AFC North this flavour (1-2, with losses to metropolis and Cincinnati), New York's prizewinning look to get at small digit of their effort threesome games is digit get Sun in besieging and at bag in Week 17 against the Eagles.

All season, Falcons fans and Falcons critics hit mutual digit ordinary belief most this team; no concern how some games these 2012 Falcons win, the flavour module be an poem unfortunate if they are digit and finished in the playoffs again this January.

You can't be a captive to the standings when evaluating how essential Sunday's mettlesome is for the Falcons. This aggroup module be rhythmic solely by what it does in the playoffs.

That's ground this mettlesome against the defending Super Bowl champs is a gift.

Carolina Panthers antitank modify physicist President summed up Carolina's 30-20 get over the spiritless Falcons better than anyone added (via carpenter Person of the metropolis Observer):

“I don’t conceive they came to play. We did. We were hungry. I conceive we meet desired it more than they did.”

There's no uncertainty that the Falcons are famished for a playoff get and a blot at the NFC's grown plateau with the likes of the Giants, Packers, and 49ers. 

If the Falcons poverty to go into Jan with the certainty and strength that they module requirement for a earnest playoff run, they hit to poverty to get this Sun more than a Giants aggroup that wants and needs to get for its playoff standing.

#Rise Up.  Follow Me on Twitter @AlBruce7

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