Just one good night in Detroit will set the Falcons up for a relatively relaxed three weeks in Atlanta.
Win at Detroit on Saturday and the Falcons (12-2) will earn a bye for the first weekend of the playoffs and wouldn’t need to leave the Georgia Dome to win the NFC title. The result of their game against the Buccaneers on Dec. 30 would become moot.
For the Falcons, it’s all about clinching home field when they go to Detroit’s Ford Field.
“That’s the thing that is in reach,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We’ve got to go out and play effectively this week. Our goal is to win every game we play and then we will figure out what happens after that.”
Defeat the Lions (4-10) and Falcons players are likely to be off until after Christmas Day. When they returned to work, the team’s regulars would enjoy a light practice week and look forward to either sitting out the Buccaneers game or logging just a handful of plays.
Lose to the Lions and Atlanta still could earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by defeating the Buccaneers. But they’d squander the other benefits of wrapping up the No. 1 seed this weekend and lose the good vibes generated by their 34-0 victory over the Giants last Sunday.
The Falcons ultimately will be judged by their postseason results because they’ve lost all three playoff games under Smith. A victory at Detroit would be more evidence that they are primed to end that streak.
“Are we different (at this point of the season) than we have been in the past? Absolutely, we are definitely a different football team,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “But I think our confidence has been at a high level the entire year.”
The Falcons will encounter a wounded and wobbling Lions team at Ford Field.
Detroit is finishing up a miserable, injury-riddled season. The Lions have lost six games in a row, including a 38-10 defeat at Arizona (5-9) on Sunday that represented their worst beating of the season.
Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he has no plans to alter his playing rotations to get his younger players experience.
“You don’t have time to experiment, I guess, for lack of a better word,” he said. “You have to go with the guys that you think give you the best chance of winning every single week. If you start looking at things other than that, you’re on the wrong track.”
The only compelling storyline remaining for the Lions is wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s chase for an NFL record. Johnson, the former star at Sandy Creek High and Georgia Tech, needs 182 yards to break Jerry Rice’s season record for receiving yards ( 1,848).
The Falcons said they don’t want to get too focused on limiting Johnson’s numbers.
“He’s going to get his,” Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud said. “You always have to be aware where he’s at. If we can limit him, we can’t let other guys beat us.”
The Falcons still need to tune their play before the postseason. At the top of the list are their season-long issues with both running the ball and stopping the run consistently.
Plus, it was less than two weeks ago that the Falcons flopped in a 30-20 defeat at Carolina.
“We played a better game (against the Giants), but we’re still far, far away from the perfect game,” Smith said. “That’s what we’re striving to do is to play a perfect game.”
Moore questionable
Falcons starting safety William Moore did not participate in practice Friday and is listed as questionable to play against the Lions. Moore has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury.
Five other Falcons players were listed as questionable: wide receiver Roddy White (knee), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (ribs), running back Christopher Owens (hamstring), tackle Tyson Clabo (thigh) and defensive end Cliff Matthews (hamstring).
Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew (ankle) is listed as doubtful and safety Louis Delmas (knee) is questionable. Pettigew did not practice on Friday.
Hope, White fined
The league fined Falcons safety Chris Hope $30,000 on Friday for his helmet-to-helmet against Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Falcons wide receiver Roddy White also was fined $7,875 for scuffling with Giants cornerback Corey Webster, who was docked the same amount.
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