FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith wants his first two playoff losses with the Falcons to be “growing experiences” that will help his team prepare for Sunday’s first-round road game against the New York Giants.

With Smith in his first season as coach and Matt Ryan starting as a rookie quarterback, the Falcons lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs after the 2008 season. The Falcons had a first-round bye last year before losing 48-21 to Green Bay.

Smith said it’s important the Falcons (10-6) learn from the losses. He said based on those lessons he is planning tweaks to the Falcons’ practice this week.

“I know we’ve had two postseason games prior to this,” Smith said. “We haven’t gotten the outcome we’ve wanted. We are learning from those experiences. We’re going to use those as growing experiences and we’re looking forward to competing this week, and that’s not just Matt Ryan.

“That’s Mike Smith and every member of our team.”

The Falcons, who never enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons before Smith’s arrival in 2008, now have four straight winning seasons and the team’s first back-to-back playoff berths. The obvious missing piece in Smith’s otherwise impressive record is a playoff win.

Smith said he’s glad the Falcons, who capped their regular season with Sunday’s 45-24 win over Tampa Bay, can move straight into their playoff week.

“I think the way that it went down last year, I’d rather be up this week and go ahead and play,” he said. “That was one of the things I don’t know that we handled as well as we should of, the way that I structured it. I think if we get in that situation again we’ll handle it a little bit differently.”

Smith said he also discussed other changes for this week.

“In our staff meeting today, I brought out the notebook in terms of things we wrote down,” Smith said, referring to his notes from the last two playoff games. “You learn from everything that you do in terms of how you prepare. In terms of the actual scheduling, we’re not going to change that, but there are some things we definitely are going to do a little bit differently.”

He wouldn’t provide details of his planned changes.

“Some things I’d rather not talk about in terms of subtle changes in our installation and how we’re going to present things to our football team,” he said.

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement strictly limits the number of practices in full pads. Smith said the Falcons have not worked out in full pads since Week 13. He said his players could work in full pads in one practice this week.

“So it changes a little bit from what we’ve been doing in the last six or seven weeks of the season,” he said.

The Falcons had four turnovers, including two interceptions by Ryan, in last year’s playoff loss to Green Bay. They had three turnovers, including Ryan’s two interceptions, in their 30-24 loss to Arizona.

“There was a common theme in terms of you can’t turn the football over,” Smith said. “That was the pressing thing.

“It’s no different than regular-season football, but we’ve got to make sure that we have ball security. We cannot turn the ball over in the postseason. It’s imperative.”

The Falcons led the Buccaneers 42-0 on Sunday before pulling Ryan and other starters out of the game.

Ryan said the runaway win gave the offense momentum for the playoffs.

“I think it kind of put us in a little bit of a rhythm,” Ryan said.

“We made the plays and that’s what we need to do moving forward. I think everybody’s confidence is very high heading into next week.”

Smith said the Falcons have given the Jacksonville Jaguars permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their head coach position. The interview is likely to take place next week.

Linebacker Stephen Nicholas, held out of Sunday’s game with a toe injury, worked on the practice field with trainers on Monday but is doubtful for the Giants game, according to Smith.

by

The Associated Press

Nfl Atlanta Falcons

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson stands on the sidelines last Sunday’s game. (Andy King, Associated Press)

slideshow

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is doubtful for Sunday’s game at Atlanta because of a high ankle sprain.

Peterson hasn’t practiced all week after hurting his left ankle last week against Oakland. He was carted off the sideline Sunday and X-rays were negative. An MRI on Monday showed a Grade-1 high ankle sprain, the least severe of the three categories, and he had been in a walking boot for three days this week.

“With the limited amount of things he was able to do today, very, very doubtful he would make it, though,” Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier said.

Peterson is sixth in the NFL in rushing with 872 yards. He’s tied with Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy with a league-leading 12 touchdowns.

Peterson was out of his walking boot on Thursday and did some pool work. He tested the ankle again Friday but couldn’t practice. He walked out to watch individual group drills at the Vikings’ facilities before walking off the field with head trainer Eric Sugarman.

“The trouble he had was when he got up on his toes to plant or make a cut, that’s where he had trouble,” Frazier said. “So, that being the case it’s doubtful he’ll be able to get to the point where by Sunday we felt like he would be able to get out there. But we’ll see. The fact that he can put pressure on that ankle, that’s a positive sign.

“He’s made progress, but being able to cut, as we all know, is a major part of what he does.”

At 2-8, Minnesota has little incentive to rush its franchise back to return. Peterson signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension during the preseason.

Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up in his senior season at Stanford, would start in Peterson’s absence. Frazier said Lorenzo Booker could also see some time at running back and receiver Percy Harvin will continue to receive limited carries.

Safety Husain Abdullah (concussion) and right guard Anthony Herrera (left knee) have been declared out for Sunday’s game.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph missed practice all week with a quadriceps contusion and is listed as doubtful.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) and receiver Percy Harvin (ribs) are listed as questionable after practicing on a limited basis Friday.

It’s now official that Adrian Peterson will miss the game against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, giving backup running back Toby Gerhart(notes) a chance to potentially shine. The Minnesota Vikings may have to lean on Gerhart heavily, even going up against a Falcons defense that has been pretty good against the run in the past.

Atlanta gives up just 85.4 yards per game, but the team has also had teams with weak running games like the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts on the schedule. It could simply indicate that the Falcons can simply slow down teams that are bad on offense, and that would also include the Vikings. It certainly raises the level of risk associated with giving Gerhart the start, but sometimes fantasy football owners have to take the ris k.

On Saturday, the Vikings announced that Peterson got downgraded from being doubtful on the injury report to being out of the game. He is not even traveling with the team to play Atlanta, meaning there is no chance that he will see action against the Falcons. That’s good news for fantasy football owners that are stepping up to try out Gerhart this Sunday (Nov. 27), but it also means that those owners hoping Peterson would come back need to scramble.

Through 10 games this year, Gerhart has just 24 rushes for 118 yards and no touchdowns. It is easy to expect that he will have his biggest game of the year against the Falcons, but just how many yards he can get on the ground is an area for debate. He will get at least 20 carries as the featured back, and it is also likely that he will get used in a number of screen plays that could raise his number of receiving yards. That’s good news, especially for leagues that count receptions as positive points.

The Minnesota vs. Atlanta game takes place at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 27, and you can bet that this is an audition to decide if Gerhart deserves to have a bigger part in the offense for the Vikings going forward. If his time at Stanford is any sign of the talent he has now, then this could turn into a coming-out-party for one of the more underrated backs in the game.

More From YCN :

Week 11 Top Defenses

5_Frustrating_Players

5_Great_Fantasy_Players

Tim_Tebow_Rewards_Owners

Sources:

Week_12_NFL_Scores

Yahoo! Fantasy Football

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

TAMPA - 

Some Monday morning musings on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday evening:

• The stat that boggled the mind was that Josh Freeman’s successful quarterback sneak inside the one-yard line in the second quarter that proved the Bucs lone touchdown of the day was the first rushing TD of Freeman’s three-year career.

The thing is at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Freeman is a giant, looking more like a tight end than a quarterback. He’s like a big old oak tree back there and does not hesitate to take off and run out of the pocket when the opportunity presents itself.

It’s just hard to believe that when the Bucs have been down close to the goal line, Freeman hasn’t called his own number prior to Sunday.

With his size, he looks like he could barrel in about any time he wants.

• This has nothing to do with Sunday’s game but I have to get it off my chest. Every time I see a shot of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan with his helmet off I immediately think of a young Jim Carrey. Check out a mug shot of Ryan and then put it up against Ace Ventura, Pet Detective and you have twins, separated at birth. The last time I hooked up another sports figure with a look-a-like twin was a few years back when I thought Jays lefty Gustavo Chacin was the second coming of Benito Mussolini.

• Putting double coverage on big tight ends seems to be the rage these days. A week ago in Foxborough, the Patriots put the squeeze on Chargers tight end Antonio Gates which took away one of Philip Rivers primary targets. On Sunday, the Buccaneers did the same thing with the Falcons Tony Gonzalez, a favourite target of Ryan. In the game, Ryan threw Gonzo’s way eight times but just two of the passes were complete, albeit one of them a big one as Ryan found Gonzalez in the end of the end zone for a TD strike.

• The major defensive game plan of the Bucs was to put the clamps on Atlanta’s running game, particularly Michael Turner and force the Falcons to beat them through the air. That plan worked like a charm. Turner gained just 20 yards on 11 carries while the Falcons running game totalled an embarrassing 30 yards on 15 carries.

With Gonzalez blanketed, that forced Ryan to focus on White and rookie speedster Julio Jones who caught six passes for 115 yards.

The Falcons put veteran corner Aqib Talib on Jones, which left E.J. Biggers to cover White as the nickel back. White got his catches and yards but Biggers came up big on two tosses into the end zone to White, breaking both up and forcing the Falcons to kick a field goal.

“We put a lot of pressure on him,” Bucs veteran corner Ronde Barber said of Biggers. “E.J. is still a young corner. To put him in man situation against their best wideout, I think he stood up. He did what he had to do.”

• Before they get all giddy over their win, their first over Atlanta in the last six meetings, the 2-1 Bucs need to improve in certain areas.

Before they move into the upper tier of teams — their goal after coming off a 10-6 season and missing the playoffs is to make it into the post-season — they will have to jazz up their offence. It’s not like they can count on holding teams to 13 points every week.

In Sunday’s game, Freeman never took a shot downfield, not once. All his passes were dumps to running backs or tosses in the 10-to-15-yard range. The problem is they don’t have a real burner to run deep routes with Mike Williams their biggest threat at wide receiver.

The Bucs also are saddled with just an average running back in LeGarrette Blount. For most of the game Blount was three yards and a cloud of dust but in the final quarter he showed a little more life and second effort and wound up with 81 yards on 24 carries.

Blount, though, is no tank running between the tackles and is not the best at finding the hole at the line of scrimmage. He also has just average speed so he’s no breakaway threat.

• Finally, if the Falcons have designs as repeating as division champs, they will have to tighten up defensively. They’ve given up too many yards and not made enough plays on the defensive side of the ball.

They, like the Bucs and also the no-defence Saints, are still a work in progress.

No team is pulling away in the NFC South.

The Atlanta Falcons will play four night games in a 2011 schedule that includes a prime-time visit from Michael Vick.

The schedule, released Tuesday night, shows the Falcons opening at Chicago on Sept. 11.

The Falcons earned the four prime-time slots by finishing 13-3 and winning the NFC South last season.

Atlanta will play two Sunday night games, including a Sept. 18 home opener against Vick and Philadelphia. Green Bay, which beat the Falcons in the playoffs last season, visits the Georgia Dome on Oct. 9 in another Sunday game.

The Falcons play host to Jacksonville in a Thursday prime-time game on Dec. 15.

Their only Monday night game will be played on Dec. 26 at the New Orleans Saints.

The Atlanta Falcons will play four night games in a 2011 schedule that includes a prime-time visit from Michael Vick.

The schedule, released Tuesday night, shows the Falcons opening at Chicago on Sept. 11.

The Falcons earned the four prime-time slots by finishing 13-3 and winning the NFC South last season.

Atlanta will play two Sunday night games, including a Sept. 18 home opener against Vick and Philadelphia. Green Bay, which beat the Falcons in the playoffs last season, visits the Georgia Dome on Oct. 9 in another Sunday game.

The Falcons play host to Jacksonville in a Thursday prime-time game on Dec. 15.

Their only Monday night game will be played on Dec. 26 at the New Orleans Saints.

MIAMI (Reuters) – The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers each secured divisional titles on Sunday with a pair of convincing victories on the final day of the NFL’s regular season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6) kept their slim playoff hopes alive with an impressive 23-13 win on the road over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (11-5).

The Saints already had their playoff spot secured and Tampa Bay now need losses by both the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers later on Sunday to make the playoffs.

The Falcons (13-3) wrapped up the NFC South and home-field advantage ahead of the Saints thanks to an impressive 31-10 home win over the Carolina Panthers (2-14).

The Steelers (12-4) won the AFC North by hammering the Cleveland Browns 41-9. Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns while Rashard Mendenhall ran over twice in the rout over the division-rival Browns (5-11).

The New England Patriots (14-2), already assured of a bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, crushed a ragged Miami Dolphins (7-9) team 38-7.

The remaining playoff slots will be decided after the later games on Sunday, which include the battle for the NFC West title between the St. Louis Rams (7-8) and Seattle Seahawks (6-9).

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Frank Pingue)

(Sports Network) – The Atlanta Falcons had a long winning streak come to an end and dreams of claiming the No. 1 seed for the NFC Playoffs were put on hold in a loss to the division-rival New Orleans Saints Monday night.

While the defending Super Bowl champion Saints may give Atlanta the biggest challenge from teams inhabited in the NFC South, the last-place Carolina Panthers are next in line to try and keep the Falcons from popping champagne corks this Sunday in the regular-season finale from the Georgia Dome.

The playoff-bound Falcons, who have the conference’s best record at 12-3, can clinch the NFC South, a first-round bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs with a victory over Carolina, something they did convincingly in a 31-10 road rout of the Panthers back on Dec. 12. Atlanta rode running back Michael Turner to victory that day, as he barreled his way to 112 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries.

That was the last time Turner reached the century mark in rushing, though, as he has been held to 82 and 48 yards on the ground, respectively, in his last two games.

Turner was one of a franchise-best and NFL-high seven Falcons to be named to the NFC’s Pro-Bowl roster on Tuesday, joining defensive end John Abraham, tight end Tony Gonzalez, fullback Ovie Mughelli, special teamer Eric Weems, wide receiver Roddy White and quarterback Matt Ryan.

More commonly known these days as “Matty Ice”, Ryan passed for a season-low 148 yards with a touchdown in the recent 17-14 loss to the Saints. With the ground game put on hold, the Falcons were trying to piece together some sort of identity on offense.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith didn’t seem concerned with the lack of production on the ground following Monday’s loss.

“No, not at all,” he said. “We didn’t get the yards that we would have liked to [Monday]. It wasn’t as efficient, but this is a football team that at the core of what we do is running the football. We will always be a team that’s going to run it. We just didn’t do it very well [Monday]. Again, you have to talk about the whole body of work. We’re talking about one night, but this is a good football team.”

Atlanta has been a complete football team this season and had an eight-game winning streak come to an end in Week 16. It was also the club’s first loss at home this season, as the Falcons fell to 19-2 lifetime as the host when Ryan’s under center.

Ryan has recorded a passer rating of more than 100 points in four of his seven home games in 2010, including a season-high 118.1 rating in a win over Cincinnati on Oct. 24. The Falcons are 15-0 all-time when Ryan has a rating over 100.

Panthers linebacker Jon Beason had hoped to face Atlanta’s starters in the season finale, and got his wish after a New Orleans victory.

“The thing you hope for is maybe [Atlanta] can lose this week and maybe they’ll have to play their starters Week 17,” Beason said before the Falcons dropped a game at home for the first time in 2010. “You want to go out and compete against the best. It’s always tough when you know a team is going to rest their guys.”

Carolina can’t get this season over soon enough and fell to 2-13 following last week’s 27-3 loss at Pittsburgh. It was overmatched in all phases of the game and is now in line for the No. 1 pick in next April’s NFL Draft.

The Panthers have never previously made a pick at the No. 1 spot. They won a coin toss with fellow expansion team Jacksonville for the top selection in the 1995 draft, but traded it to Cincinnati. Carolina picked quarterback Kerry Collins at the fifth spot in that draft, and he eventually led the team to an NFC title game appearance. The Panthers are hoping one of the few college stars coming out this season can achieve similar success.

Speaking of success, there was actually a bright spot from Carolina’s defense in the form of defensive end Charles Johnson in the Pittsburgh game. Johnson had two of Carolina’s three sacks against the Steelers and tied a team record with one in six consecutive contests. Kevin Greene was the last player to turn the trick, back in 1998. Johnson owns seven sacks in his past six games and a career-best 11 1/2 on the season. He had 10 total over his first three professional seasons.

Panthers head coach John Fox will have his players by his side, since this could be the last time that happens. Fox is on the proverbial hot seat and was able to make a name for himself by guiding the Panthers to several playoff appearances, including a trip to the Super Bowl, during a tenure that began in 2002. However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season and Carolina sinking to the bottom of the NFL pack, the general consensus is that Sunday’s game will be his final one with the organization.

SERIES HISTORY

Atlanta leads the all-time set with Carolina, 19-12, following its above- mentioned 21-point triumph in Charlotte back in Week 14, and also dealt the Panthers a 28-20 defeat at the Georgia Dome last season. Carolina had won in Atlanta three straight years from 2005-07, but has lost in each of its last two attempts as the visitor in this series. The Falcons last pulled off a season sweep of the Panthers during the 2004 campaign.

Fox enters Sunday’s contest with a 7-10 career mark against Atlanta, while Smith is 3-2 against both Fox and Carolina over his career.

WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL

It can easily be assessed that the Panthers have some work to do in order to regain the glory of years past. The Jimmy Clausen experience has yet to work out, as the former Notre Dame quarterback wasn’t able to make the referees raise their hands on a consistent basis much like Touchdown Jesus did in South Bend. Clausen was thrust into the spotlight when starter Matt Moore, who ended the year with five touchdown tosses, was lost for the season in late October. Clausen (1,376 passing yards, 2 TD, 8 INT) completed 10-of-23 passes for 72 yards and an interception against the Steelers. The Panthers are 32nd in the league with averages of 142.3 passing yards, 256.3 total yards and 12.4 points per game. If there’s an offensive MVP on the team, running back Jonathan Stewart should garner those honors. Stewart has played in 13 games, running for 739 yards on 165 carries with two touchdowns, and could finish with the lowest output of his three-year career after gaining 836 yards in his rookie season of 2008 before a 1,133-yard campaign a year ago. Stewart has gained 531 rushing yards and a touchdown in the past five weeks, however. Fellow running back Mike Goodson (438 yards, 3 TD) is second on the team in rushing. Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith (46 receptions, 2 TD) is having one of his worst seasons as a pro and will try to go out on a good note.

Abraham (39 tackles, 13 sacks, 1 INT) not only had his first career interception against the Saints, but he also added a sack to bring his team- high total of 13. The veteran defensive end should have a field day against Carolina’s offensive line and wreak havoc on Clausen. Abraham is currently second in the NFL in sacks behind Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake (14), and his interception of a tipped Drew Brees pass was Atlanta’s 21st of the season, which is good enough for fourth in the league. Leading tackler Curtis Lofton (118 tackles) also has two sacks and an interception this season. He ended with 11 stops in Monday’s loss to the Saints, while defensive end Chauncey Davis (23 tackles) picked off a Brees pass and rumbled 26 yards for a score in defeat. The Panthers will most likely send Stewart and Goodson between the tackles early and often to establish the run game before Clausen tests the waters through the air. Atlanta is 12th against the rush as opposed to its 23rd-ranked pass defense, but the Falcons limited Brees to his second lowest-passer rating of the season with a 77.1 mark. Cornerback Brent Grimes (80 tackles) is enjoying a solid season under the radar and leads the team with five picks. Safety William Moore (64 tackles) also has five interceptions this season.

WHEN THE FALCONS HAVE THE BALL

Ryan (3,469 passing yards, 26 TD, 9 INT) will look for a better showing this weekend after getting the week started with a lousy performance against the Saints. He threw for only 148 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, but was sacked only once. In the first meeting with Carolina, the former Boston College star was 20-of-34 passing for 227 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ryan still has 32 wins as a pro and can tie Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the most victories by a quarterback in first three seasons since 1970. With a .905 winning percentage at home, Ryan has a good chance at matching the former Miami Dolphins gunslinger. Ryan’s 26 touchdown passes this season are tied with Chris Miller, who threw for 26 touchdowns back in 1991, for the third-most in franchise history. Ryan has also thrown a scoring pass in 14 consecutive games and hopes to beat Carolina’s above-average defensive backfield with Pro Bowl receiver White (109 receptions, 1,327 yards, 9 TD), who caught 11 touchdown passes a year ago and has eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark in a season two years in a row. He’s also is the first player in team history to accomplish that feat. White has caught a career-high 109 passes in 2010, giving him 424 in his career. Only Terance Mathis hauled in more passes in a Falcons uniform, with 573 from 1994 to 2001.

Johnson (61 tackles, 12 sacks) will try to add to his sack total on Sunday and had one of three Carolina takedowns of Ryan in the first matchup with Atlanta. He has a sack in six straight games. With nothing to play more besides pride, the Panthers should have no doubts or concerns going into this one. Beason (109 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and free safety Sherrod Martin (78 yards, INT) both had eight stops in the first meeting against the Falcons, while outside linebacker and leading tackler James Anderson (120 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT) had six stops. The Panthers are 23rd against the rush, allowing 125.5 yards on the ground per game, and rank 11th in pass defense (209.3 ypg). Carolina is also rated 24th in the league with 25.1 points allowed per contest and can expect to see a healthy dose of Turner before figuring out a way to stop him. The Panthers limited Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall to 65 yards and a score on 18 touches and have recorded 17 sacks in the past six games. Defensive tackle Derek Landri (41 tackles, 3 sacks) has started all 15 games in his first season in Carolina and posted three stops, including a sack, against the Steelers. Safety Charles Godfrey (80 tackles) hopes to add to his team-leading total of five interceptions on Sunday, while cornerbacks Richard Marshall (84 tackles, 3 INT) and Captain Munnerlyn (42 tackles, 3 INT) are tied for second among Carolina players with three picks.

FANTASY FOCUS

Even though the Panthers have nothing to play for and most leagues have already completed the fantasy season, there are still plenty of ones that are still in action. Stewart and Goodson should see a healthy dose of carries, while it isn’t foolish to give wideouts Steve Smith and David Gettis the start in the season finale. Kicker John Kasay has made all eight tries between 20-29 yards and 11-of-14 attempts from 40-49 yards away. He is 3-of-4 from 50-plus.

The Falcons failed in their bid to capture the NFC South and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, leaving Sunday’s game on the shoulders of the players who got them there. The same rings true in fantasy, as Atlanta will run out a quintet of stars in Ryan, Turner, White, Gonzalez and kicker Matt Bryant. Bryant has booted all 11 tries from 20-29 yards, eight of his nine attempts from 30-39 yards away and seven of his nine kicks between 40-49.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Falcons couldn’t have a better matchup to lock up the NFC’s top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. They’re a dominant 6-1 at home and, besides Monday’s loss, have made life a living hell for visiting teams. “Matty Ice” will keep it cool in this one and Turner is destined to cap the regular season on a high note before resting his weary body during the bye. It sure will be tough trying to unseat Atlanta at home, and Carolina wants no part of what the atmosphere will be like Sunday in Georgia.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Falcons 33, Panthers 13

The Sports Network