Week 2 started playoff belief

Flowery Branch —- With a revamped roster and practically all new coaches, the Falcons had to blend together quickly this season. At some point, they started to gather tangible evidence that they could contend for the division title and make the playoffs.

Now, the Falcons (10-5) find themselves needing a victory over St. Louis (2-13) on Sunday and a loss by the Carolina Panthers in order to complete a worst-to-first turnaround.

“No one gave us a chance,” defensive tackle Grady Jackson said. “No one believed in us. Now, we have people believing in us.”

As the Falcons’ improbable playoff push unfolded, there were several key points during the season.

Falcons coach Mike Smith and offensive tackle Todd Weiner point to the second game of the season against Tampa Bay.The Falcons were down 17-3 at halftime.

“When we came out in the second half … there was a calmness on the sideline that we knew we can overcome this,” Smith said. “Our quarterback went out and played extremely well in the second half. Even though we didn’t win that game, I felt like it gave us confidence that we were going to be able to adjust and handle the surges that take place in a football game in the NFL.”

The Falcons would lose that game, 24-9. But Weiner, who’s in his 11th season, also sensed something special that day.

“I really felt the response was the kind that good teams have,” Weiner said. “When you can bounce back after some adversity and put things together in the second half, that’s a good sign.”

The next big challenge was to take that good feeling and turn it into a victory over a quality opponent. They beat lowly Kansas City the following week before losing to Carolina on the road. The Green Bay Packers and a trip to historic Lambeau Field were up next.

The Green Bay game caused several Falcons to see themselves as a playoff team.

“We got that victory on the road,” tight end Justin Peelle said. “That was a big victory for a young team to go up to a hostile environment in Green Bay against a good football team and we were able to come out with a victory. … We realized that we could win the road.”

Running back Michael Turner had played in Green Bay as a member of the San Diego Chargers. He knew it would be tough game.

“That was probably our first true test,” Turner said. “It showed that we could go on the road and win against a quality team. That was probably the game that really, the whole team started to believe.”

Linebacker Keith Brooking also points to the Green Bay game.

“One of the keys in this league is that you’ve got to go and win on the road,” Brooking said. “We had played extremely well at home, but to go up there in that type of environment was key for us. We gained momentum and confidence as a team.”

The following week, more players started to realize the Falcons could make a playoff push after beating the Chicago Bears in the final 11 seconds.

“Chicago, the way we did it was very, very impressive,” Smith said.

Safety Erik Coleman also took a positive vibe out the Chicago victory.

“We kind of proved to ourselves that we could play against a good football team and win close games,” Coleman said. “I know for us, especially being a young team, that win gave us a lot of confidence.”

NEXT FOR FALCONS

> Who: vs. Rams

> When: 1 p.m. Sunday

> TV; radio: Fox; 92.9 FM