In terms of pedigree, the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome on Saturday will be a mismatch.
The two biggest Falcons stars, quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, have one career playoff victory and missed the postseason over the past three years. They were part of the team that blew a 17-point lead to the 49ers in the 2012 NFC championship game. Dan Quinn has been a head coach for two seasons.
Meanwhile the Seahawks have won playoff games for five consecutive years. They’ve retained the core of the team that won back-to-back NFC titles in 2013 and 2014 with one Super Bowl victory. Pete Carroll is still the head coach.
The Falcons are favored to win but the Seahawks have more experience winning games like this one. To counter that deficit, the Falcons plan to rely on the identity they say they’ve developed while planning for their own championship run.
“I would hope it totally comes across how fast and physical that we play,” Quinn said Monday. “We are going to go and attack in all three phases in this game. Those are things we stand for in our program, so we want that to totally come to life.
“The players here, we have a real clear vision of how we want to play. I think that helps a bunch. We are not trying to be anything different than who we are. That process we go through to get ready, that’s what this week is about to us.”
The way the Falcons see it, they’ve gotten this far by following a regimented method each week and see no reason to change things now. That means that each day they will focus on a specific theme in practice, from ball security to spirited competition, leading up to game day.
The stakes are higher and the opponent is formidable but the Falcons don’t plan to change their approach. Rookie safety Keanu Neal said his teammates with playoff experience have been playing down the magnitude of the game.
“Not to get too high,” Neal said. “Continue to stay in the process. That’s one thing ‘Q’ really emphasizes. For us, every week is a championship week. The way we prepare, the way we go about our day, that’s what we do now. We continue to focus on the process and do what we do, not to make things up and make it bigger than it is.”
The Falcons already are familiar with the Seahawks after losing 26-24 in Seattle on Oct. 16. The Falcons have emphasized that both teams are different now.
The Falcons showed that while winning seven of 10 games after the loss in Seattle, including their final four. The offense is better and more consistent now. The defense that gave up 17 first-half points to the Seahawks and didn’t force a turnover no longer starts slowly and lately gets takeaways.
“I feel like our defense has jelled more,” Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. “Our young guys have stepped it up more. They are deeper into our system. And the offense is firing lately.”
While the Falcons closed the season strong, the Seahawks stumbled down the stretch. Seattle lost two of its last four games, including a home defeat to the Cardinals that opened the door for the Falcons to earn one of two byes in the NFC.
But then the Seahawks appeared rejuvenated while beating the Lions in a wild-card game on Saturday night in Seattle. Quarterback Russell Wilson, stymied by injuries earlier in the season, looked more dynamic and Thomas Rawls rushed for a franchise-record 161 yards.
“They look a lot better offensively than when we played them,” Clayborn said. “Russ looks like he is running around pretty well. The offensive line is pretty good and they’ve got a running back. It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
The Falcons began studying the Seahawks in detail on Monday. They’ll break down the different plays the Seahawks have used since October and anticipate what they’ll try to do in this game. The Falcons will get a read on changes in personnel.
In the big picture, though, the Falcons say they are focused on sticking to the things they believe got them this far.
“The phrase we use is: ‘Do what we do,’ ” Quinn said.
Packers’ Nelson suffered multiple broken ribs
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay will keep the Cowboys guessing on the status of wide receiver Jordy Nelson for an NFC divisional-round playoff game Sunday.
Nelson, the Packers’ top receiver, suffered “multiple broken ribs” during the wild-card win against the New York Giants on Sunday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He spent the night in a local hospital then was released in the morning and reported to the Packers’ facility to receive treatment.
Coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Nelson will be in the “rehab group” through Friday. He must be able to practice on Saturday to play against the Cowboys, McCarthy said. The Packers follow a different game-week schedule in that they do not go on the field on a Friday and have a regular practice on a Saturday.
“If he can practice, then he may have a chance,” McCarthy said.
Nelson has reestablished himself as a top receiver after missing last season because of a torn ligament in the right knee. In the current seven-game winning streak, Nelson has caught 45 of 59 passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers for 607 yards and five touchdowns.
McCarthy said he expects running back Ty Montgomery (leg) and linebacker Blake Martinez (knee) to practice Wednesday, when the Packers return to the field.
Steelers not concerned with Big Ben’s foot
PITTSBURGH — A day later, the way the Pittsburgh Steelers manhandled the Miami Dolphins for long stretches during their lopsided wild-card win on Sunday felt just as good as it did the first time around.
“It was a pretty thing to watch,” right tackle Marcus Gilbert said.
Except for that one snap late in the fourth quarter with the Steelers up three scores and things well in hand, the one that left quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wearing a walking boot postgame after tweaking his right ankle when Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake fell on Roethlisberger’s legs during a third-down heave that led to an interception.
Roethlisberger was face down on the Heinz Field turf for a moment before walking off and later jogging to the locker room at the end of the 30-12 beat down.
While he brushed it off afterward and there appears to be no concerns over his availability for next weekend’s visit to Kansas City, that didn’t make it easier for Gilbert to deal with, particularly when he was the one who let Wake get loose.
“When you saw that, honestly kind of felt sick to your stomach,” Gilbert said Monday.
“But you know he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around. You know he’s going to play through anything, get back up and do what he has to do to get to next week and play his kind of ball.”
Even if the prospect of having Roethlisberger still under center and throwing with Pittsburgh firmly in control late seemed an unnecessary risk to some, particularly on social media even after Pittsburgh reeled off its eighth straight win.
“I think hindsight is always 20/20,” guard David DeCastro said. “We’ve made plays like that before in that situation.”