Falcons want to stay sharp despite clinching playoff spot

The holiday weekend was an enjoyable one for Atlanta as it took care of NFC South Division foe Carolina and watched other results around the NFL turn its way in order to clinch the NFC South division for the first time since 2012.

Entering the season, there was plenty of doubt as to how the Falcons would perform after finishing 8-8 record in the first campaign under head coach Dan Quinn. The critics were everywhere as the young defense and lack of confidence in Matt Ryan gave many naysayers a reason to believe Atlanta would fall short of a playoff berth yet again.

Four months later, those doubters have been put to sleep as Ryan is an MVP candidate and Quinn’s group is now in position to claim an 11th victory and clinch a first-round bye. Throughout the season, it has clearly been a different team than a year ago, solidified by the Falcons avoiding a similar late-season falter.

“Number one, with the division, it shows it’s very difficult,” Quinn said. “To win this division, you have to beat good teams. Past that, the chemistry is a big part of why we play well, because the players want to play so hard for one another. When you can get that type of connection off of the field, it carries over.

“This is a very tight-knit group that we have, and that brotherhood is strong, and the accountability is real. That alone will take you a long way.”

Having the division won with a week to go in the regular season comes with the debate of resting key starters in the finale, especially with high-impact players — like Oakland quarterback Derek Carr — suffering season-ending injuries while playing after clinching a playoff berth.

Quinn knows the reasoning behind holding some players out after clinching a postseason spot, but the Falcons believe they have more to achieve. While Atlanta stands in a solid position to receive a first-round bye, it must beat New Orleans (4:25 p.m.) on Sunday to get that break.

Thus, there’s no chance that Atlanta’s staff decides to sit its impactful starters.

“We’re not in that spot and know that some things are still significant for us,” Quinn said. “Honestly, we love to battle as ballplayers and coaches. Otherwise, you’ve mistaken yourself and your team. It’s what we do.”

The mindset was fairly uniform throughout the facilities as preparation began for New Orleans, which is the immediate focus for the Super Bowl candidate Falcons.

Quinn indicated that New Orleans presents plenty of challenges, especially with the offensive production under veteran quarterback Drew Brees. In the final regular-season home game at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta is ready for its final division game and its main rival.

“We talked about what we want to stand for in the division, and we’ll talk about the rest next week,” Quinn said. “If we focus too much on what’s down the road, we’ll miss the coolest part of going through this with the team. We’re focusing on New Orleans and what’s in the present.”

On a team with plenty of rookies and second-year players, many of the Falcons are getting their first taste of postseason play. That includes safety Keanu Neal, who leads the team in total tackles with 100.

Neal’s rookie season has been a whirlwind with some surprises, but he’s anxious for what’s ahead.

The first meeting with New Orleans held some significance for Neal, because it was his first career NFL start. And New Orleans is the final opponent before the postseason starts.

“This is awesome (to be in the playoffs), just to be able to come to a team with great players and have the opportunity to do what we believe we can,” Neal said. “It’s really cool to be where we are, but we have to focus on getting better, competing and taking things as they go.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Falcons want to stay sharp despite clinching playoff spot."