Atlanta Falcons: 5 Reasons They Will Choke In The Playoffs

December 11, 2012 11:09 pm

1,450 Views 10 Comments

Following the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal during the offseason, the Atlanta Falcons were pegged as the favorites to win the NFC South. They had finished second in 2011 and were set to take the reigns as division champions this year.

That is exactly what they have done, clinching the division back in Week 13. At 11-2 they currently own the best record in the NFC and are considered by some as the best team in football.

Atlanta has been playing some very good football this season and they have a five-game lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their division. They are also just two wins away from the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Record wise they seem like the obvious pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Getting to the big game is not easy, however, and the Falcons need to show a lot more before they can be considered contenders.

Here are five reasons why they will choke in the playoffs.

Start Slideshow

Visit ColdHardFootballFacts.com for more NFL articles

By Cooper Allen
Reporter
Become a fan

More Stories You May Enjoy

2013 Fantasy Football Preview: Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons 2013 Schedule: Predicting the Wins and Losses

New Dirty Birds: Atlanta Falcons' Draft Recap

Previous Comments (10)

Please Login to post a comment.

Ben Momo

5 months ago

Reply Report

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but this article is terrible. It offers no for analysis why you think this will be the case. This article should be titled, "there are many reasons the falcons will lose come playoffs, but I can't articulate why despite having a 5 page slide show." I assume any old joe can write an article for FN? Keep at it buddy, kill the the hyperbole in the fest sentence of each slide, it's very amateurish.

Bulldog Chuck

5 months ago

Reply Report

The weakest part of the Atlanta team is their terrible offensive line. The problem is that the teams that make the playoffs will destroy the Atlanta OL. Case in point was last year’s first round playoff game that Ryan watched while laying on his back. The same guys that couldn’t block the Giants are back and history tells us they still won’t be able to protect Ryan in a first round playoff game. Somebody needs to explain to Dimitroff that he isn't a fantasy football GM.

John burris

5 months ago

Reply Report

They will choke because they ARE the Falcons. That is what they do. Plus, they are surprisingly weak for having such a good record. Don't worry. Saints will be back on top next year to take care of business.

Dirty Bird Stephen

5 months ago

Reply Report

"They will choke because they ARE the Falcons. That is what they do. Plus, they are surprisingly weak for having such a good record. Don't worry. Saints will be back on top next year to take care of business."

^^^^Aints aren't going ANYWHERE with that horrible offensive line and defense that couldn't stop traffic at a red light, are you kidding me??

Now back to this article, first off you can tell it was written very biased and like Ben Momo said ANYBODY could've written this horrible article with more holes in it that an amateur essay writer plagiarizing (sic) from a well-known writer.

jerred carter

5 months ago

Reply Report

This is from the same publication that said that Mike "White" is the Falcons head coach a few weeks back (Article: Top 5 Coach of The Year Candidates)... Cancel subscription.

Cooper Allen

5 months ago

Reply Report

That was not my article, sir.

Jack Hammer

5 months ago

Reply Report

Name me a team that doesn't have any question marks. Or a team that hasn't had a bad game or two? It's hilarious that you question Matt Ryan but then later in the same article you list Colin kaepernick in the same sentence as Manning and Rodgers. Yeah, the same guy who can't beat those powerhouse Rams.

Cooper Allen

5 months ago

Reply Report

Give me Kaepernick and a top D over Ryan and an average D anyday. Thanks for the feedback.

Jack Hammer

5 months ago

Reply Report

Would that be the "average" D who just shut out the Giants? Or the one who hemorraged points against the Pats?

kevin king

4 months ago

Reply Report

Thanks for the article, Cooper.

Though I don't agree with most of your reasoning. I enjoyed reading it. Also, you accomplished what every writer should hope to--you generated interest enough to get responses.

The question that comes to mind first for me is what the article's title brings to thought. "Atlanta Falcons: 5 Reasons They Will Choke..." Does that mean you think that any team who loses in the playoffs choked? Or, does it apply only if the Falcons lose in the playoffs?

I'm a Falcons fan since they started but I'm also a realist. So, I think they will lose at some point also. Not based on their performance from 2 or 3 years ago though.