The Atlanta Falcons clinched a home-field advantage through out the playoffs after their 31-18 victory at Ford Field over the Detroit Lions.

Although losing, star wideout Calvin Johnson stole the show with a record breaking night. Johnson caught 11 passes for 225 yards. His performance, helped him surpass Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice’s NFL receiving yards record. Johnson has accumulated 1,892 yards and will look to hit 2,000 in the season finale.

He also broke the record for most consecutive 100-yard games (8), tied the record for 100-yard games in a season (11), broke the record for consecutive 10-catch games (4) and he broke the record for most receptions in a month (44).

Detroit quarterback, Matthew Stafford finished the game 37 of 56 for 443 yards and one interception. Stafford, has attempted 685 pass attempts, just six away from breaking Drew Beldsoe’s NFL single season passing attempts record. Stafford is also 305 yards away from compiling 5,000 passing yards in consecutive seasons and becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to do so.

As for the Atlanta Falcons, quarterback Matt Ryan had an extremely efficient evening. Ryan completed 25 of 32 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan’s 142.6 passer rating tied his season best that he set last week.

Roddy White, was probable with a knee injury but performed exceptionally well. White lead the Falcons with eight catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver, Julio Jones also caught seven passes for 71 yards and scored his 10th touchdown of the year.

The Falcons are 7-0 at home this season and 33-6 at the Georgia Dome in the regular season since the 2008 season. The last time the Falcons clinched the No.1 seed and home field advantage was in 2010 where they were demolished  by the Green Bay Packers 48-21.

Atlanta will look to end the season 8-0 at home and will face divisional rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Detroit will look to continue to break and expand more records in their season finale against the divisional rivals the Chicago Bears.

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The Atlanta Falcons demolished the New York Giants 34-0, to improve to 12-2 and 7-0 at the Georgia Dome.

Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan completed 23 of 28 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. His 82.1 completion percentage and 142.6 quarterback rating were both season highs for the five-year starter. This was also Ryan’s sixth game this season throwing at least three touchdown passes.

Wide receiver Julio Jones was tied for a game-high six receptions for 74 yards and hauled in two touchdown catches. Jones has surpassed his eight touchdown rookie season, catching nine with for over 1,000 yards and still two games to go.

Veteran tight-end Tony Gonzalez also caught six receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown. Gonzalez leads the Falcons with 87 receptions.

As for the run game, Michael Turner carried the ball 16 times for 52 yards and punched in a one-yard run on the Falcons first offensive drive.

The Giants were out of sync from the start, opening their first drive with Eli Manning throwing an interception on 2 and 7 from their own 16 yard-line. Manning threw his second interception in the second quarter, resulting in a Falcons field goal.

Manning only completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards. His favorite target was wide receiver Domenik Hixon, who caught five passes for 80 yards.

The Giants were without running back Ahmad Bradshaw because of a foot-and-knee injury. Instead, rookie David Wilson got the nod for the start but was not nearly as explosive as last week. Wilson carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards.

With the loss, the Giants have fallen to 8-6 along with four other teams in the NFC. The Giants are currently third in the NFC East division at 8-6 behind the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, who are all 8-6. However, the Giants still control their own destiny and by winning out they will earn a wildcard playoff position. As for the Falcons, they will head to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions and control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

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The Baltimore Ravens got their preseason off to a successful start Thursday night when they recorded a 31-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Very little can be taken from preseason games in terms of judging how well a side will perform in the regular season, none more so than at the Georgia Dome where both sides fielded the majority of their starters for just one quarter.

These games do, however, provide the perfect stage for untested rookies and players lower down on the depth chart to prove their worth and stake a claim making the final 53-man roster. Following a summer of significant roster upheaval in Baltimore, this is one of the most hotly anticipated preseasons in recent memory for the Ravens. Duels for depth chart superiority are abound for Baltimore with halfback, wide receiver and outside linebacker positions coming under extra scrutiny, whilst there are still starters places up for grabs in the offensive line.

The role of Ray Rice’s backup was initially thought to be contested between third-round draft pick Bernard Pierce and second-year players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry, but the emergence of undrafted rookie Bobby Rainey in the Raven’s training camp has thrown in a fourth contender.

Rainey was undoubtedly the star of the game for Baltimore, running elusively between the tackles, showing good acceleration to get outside of the defense and demonstrating his ability as a receiver when he collected a screen pass and displayed good agility to elude the Falcons’ defense on the way to scoring a touchdown. You could be forgiven for thinking you were actually watching Rice, such are the physical and playing similarities between Rainey and the current starting running back, a factor which could work against him should the Ravens want a contrasting back to supplement Rice.

With both Courtney Upshaw and Pierce absent due to recent injuries, it was likely that focus would fall on free agent acquisitions for Baltimore, rather than rookies, but a number of lower round picks stood up to be counted.

The fifth-round draft pick Asa Jackson looked good on special teams as well as nearly recording a sack early in the game, whilst safety Christian Thompson was reliable in the secondary and put in a thunderous hit late in the game. This is clearly a sign that training alongside Bernard Pollard is paying off for the youngster.

Wide receivers Deonte Thompson and LaQuan Williams both had good games, with Thompson in particular making a couple of clutch catches as both players compete for the fourth wide receiver spot on the depth chart.

The offensive line appeared solid, with the veterans acquitting themselves well, if not spectacularly, and Bryant McKinnie played, contrary to suggestions, in a bid to prove his fitness following a late arrival at training camp due to a back injury. Rookies Kelechi Osemele and Gino Gradkowski both looked good during their snaps, but they will have to maintain that form throughout the preseason if they are to challenge for a starters spot, although a place on the final 53-man roster seems a certainty at the moment.

It is difficult to criticize any of the current starters, despite being outplayed early on by the Falcons. They were only allowed a single quarter to showcase their talents, but a substandard performance from Cary Williams may well have alerted John Harbaugh. Playing against a wide receiver duo of Roddy White and Julio Jones is never easy, but Williams seemed outmatched, possibly opening the door for Jimmy Smith to partner Lardarius Webb.

Other notable performances included two fumble recoveries and an interception by rookie corner Omar Brown, while quarterback Curtis Painter may have helped establish himself as the backup quarterback after he outperformed Tyrod Taylor with a fairly composed and effective outing.

It is certainly in the early days for Baltimore, and the game against the Falcons probably raised more questions than answers in terms of the depth chart, but it was a good performance from the young rookies, especially the undrafted pair of Rainey and D Thompson. All eyes will now turn to their next preseason game at home against the Detriot Lions, where highly rated rookies Upshaw and Pierce should make their bow at the M&T Bank Stadium alongside the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

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With excitement growing over the upcoming NFL draft following the annual Combine, the opportunity arises to evaluate whether or not this draft can live up to the lofty expectations placed upon the class’ offensive players by their predecessors. The exceptional performances of Cam Newton and co. have surprised nearly everyone, coaches and fans alike, and have set the bar high for Andrew Luck and his colleagues.

Although he was drafted first overall by the Carolina Panthers, Newton had his critics before the start of the season, much of which was due to a poor preseason, and was not expected to make the kind of impact that you would expect from a number one pick. In addition to this, the fact Newton is a quarterback, arguably the most difficult position to successfully transition from College Football to the NFL, had many people writing him off before he had even begun.

An exhilarating start against the Arizona Cardinals, with Newton passing for over 400 yards, and people were regretting their decision to judge the quarterback prematurely. Fast forward another few weeks and a string of similarly impressive performances had erased almost all doubts and even had some foolhardy, most likely Carolina fans, labelling him as an ‘Elite Quarterback’.

This heaps pressure onto fellow Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and projected No. 1 pick Andrew Luck considerably. Both will be coming into the NFL with more expectation on them than Newton had and will be required to perform to a similar level now that Newton has set the bar for rookie quarterbacks.

In a year that saw the rise to prominence of the tight end, it was rookie wide receivers that were making a name for themselves. First round wide receivers A. J. Green and Julio Jones both made big contributions to their respective teams, whilst second round pick Torrey Smith had a good season for the Baltimore Ravens, giving their offence a much needed deep threat.

Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State is clearly the best wide receiver coming into the NFL this year, but his ability to make an impact on the level of Green and Jones depends much on which team, and their respective quarterback, drafts him. Georgia Tech product Stephen Hill also excelled at the combine and could find himself drafted late in the first round where many of the elite quarterbacks will be waiting to link up with him.

The offensive line may be one area in which the upcoming set of rookies have the edge on their predecessors, lead by the powerful Matt Kalil. Kalil, the younger brother of Panthers center Ryan Kalil, heads a group of young offensive linemen that include Wisconsin’s Peter Konz and Iowa’s Riley Reiff to name but a few.

It often takes a season or two before a young offensive linesman is ready for a starting role in the NFL, but this group of players seem as ready as any group that has preceded them. The Dallas Cowboys’ Tyron Smith was arguably the pick of the 2011 class and has been tipped to make the daunting move to left tackle this coming season, a position which Kalil has been tipped to be ready for in his rookie season.

With the increase in passing yards per game and the relatively short careers of running backs, many experts are saying the days of running backs being drafted in the first round are numbered, with the class of this year tending to agree with this prediction. Trent Richardson of Alabama is an incredible prospect and has been tipped by most to go with the third or fourth pick in the first round, but beyond Richardson there are no real standout prospects and there is a good chance no other running back will be drafted in the first round.

It is hard to predict the effectiveness of running backs in their debut NFL season due to the nature of frequent injuries in the position affecting how many touches a player is going to get. Richardson will have to outperform DeMarco Murray who was the best rookie running back in the NFL last season, but with the diminishing role of running backs in the professional game, it remains to be seen whether or not this will come to pass.

The extra pressure placed on Luck and Griffin because of Newton’s outstanding season could well be their downfall, with both also unlikely to have a wide receiver of Steve Smith’s quality to pass to. That being said, the fact the top four prospected picks are all offensive players speaks volumes about how talented these players are, and providing they have the right pieces around them, the offensive rookies in the upcoming draft may even be able to outshine a great group in the class of 2011.

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New Year’s Day means a change in lifestyle for many people. Not so much for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their losing ways, however. The Bucs (4-12) laid an absolute egg in the first half in Atlanta and fell 45-24 to the Falcons (10-6) – Tampa Bay’s 10^th loss in a row to close out a miserable season that ironically began with a promising 4-2 start.

“If I was in the business of working out my future, I wouldn’t be coaching,” said Raheem Morris shortly after. “I’m going to go to work tomorrow until they tell me to stop.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what management told him to do on Monday. Unable to win a game since October 16^th, Morris was fired after 3 years as the Bucs head coach. A 42-0 first half lead for the Falcons pretty much sealed his fate.

Aware that a Lions loss in Green Bay would give them an opportunity to clinch the 5^th playoff seed, Atlanta held nothing back from the get-go. By the time the Packers had defeated the Lions 45-41, the Falcons entered the 2^nd quarter with a commanding 21-0 lead.

Matt Ryan touchdown passes of 17 and 48 yards to rookie receiver Julio Jones on the second and third Falcons’ possessions of the game, respectively, put Atlanta up three scores following a one yard rushing touchdown by rookie Jacquizz Rodgers to open the game. The first of Josh Freeman’s three interceptions set up Ryan’s second and final touchdown pass of the game.

Atlanta put up just as many points in the 2^nd quarter. A Freeman fumble put the Falcons at the Tampa 30, and Michael Turner finished off the drive with a one yard touchdown run on 4^th and goal to make it 28-0. Turner would add an 81 yard sprint to the end zone on Atlanta’s next possession after scoring on a 26 yard Curtis Lofton pick six.

Freeman struggled mightily yet again, turning the ball over a total of 4 times. His counterpart’s day was the exact opposite scenario. With a 35 point lead just before halftime, and a team record of 42 points in one half, Falcons coach Mike Smith had the luxury of sitting Ryan for the rest of the game after just 9 passing attempts.

Ryan also set the Falcons single season franchise record for passing yardage. With just 106 yards he totaled 4,177 on the year, breaking Jeff George’s 1995 mark. ”We had opportunities the week before and just didn’t make the plays,” Ryan said. “Today, we made the plays and I think that’s what we needed moving forward.”

The Falcons were only able to add one more field goal in the 2^nd half with Chris Redman taking snaps. This was of no concern for Atlanta though, as Tampa Bay fell three touchdowns short with just two touchdowns and a field goal for the remainder of the game. The Falcons will now head to New Jersey for a 1 p.m. Wild Card showdown with the Giants. They hope to rebound after a disappointing divisional round loss to Green Bay last year despite being the number one overall seed after a 13-3 record.

“Honestly, I’ve said it all year: I think we’re a better team than we were last year,” Gonzalez said. This is only the first time in Falcons history that they have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Now that the Bucs’ spiraling downfall has finally come to an end, they will search for a new head coach before seeking an impactful franchise player with the 5^th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

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No division is more stacked with young proven talent then the NFC south.  A division that saw two teams make the playoffs and a 3^rd barely missing a playoff berth with a 10-6 record.  These teams will only get better and this division might see a new team on top of the wins column at season’s end.

The NFC South is home to the Atlanta Falcons who finished 13-3 this past season and although their record might not improve this upcoming season, the team along with its young quarterback most certainly will. At 26, young Ryan or Matty Ice as he has been called due to his cool calm demeanor in crunch time has had his best year in a very short career and look for that to improve.

Management and his coaches have drafted him a young, potentially great receiver in Julio Jones to go along with his many other weapons which will undoubtedly improve the offense that faltered in the playoffs.  Of course they will need to improve a poor pass defense that couldn’t stop anyone last season, but as the draft has shown us, they will be trying to outscore everyone and hope it is enough.  I see them coming 2^nd in the division at 11-5 this upcoming season.

Carolina Panthers finished 2-14 last season which got them the number one pick for their troubles…with that pick, the Panthers drafted a franchise quarterback or at least one who has the potential to be in Cam Newton.  They were the worst passing team in the league last season but the bright spot remains the running game.  That running game might suffer if they don’t sign Deangelo Williams this off season and improve that horrendous line.

It’s still a question who will start and what exactly they will do with Jimmy Clausen, the quarterback they drafted last season.  There are no real weapons on this team besides an old Steve Smith and the running game; so I don’t expect much on the offensive end of the ball.  At best, the Panthers will finish 5-11 this season… if we ever play and Newton will play by week 7.

New Orleans has been the class of this division for the last couple years but look for things to change a bit this season…not a big drop off in terms of wins but it won’t be as easy as it was at one point in this division.  The Saints finished 11-5 last season in an improved division that will only get better, but they are getting older while the division gets younger.

The offense will be there as long as the weapons stay healthy and Drew Brees remains at the helm, the running game needs help of course… which is why they drafted the Heisman winner Ingram- I wonder what that means for Bush who has had his fair share of problems along with USC lately.  The defense was good protecting against the pass but age is catching up to them quickly.  They didn’t do much to address that but we will see how that affects them in this division.  10-6, therefore finishing 3^rd in the NFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the hand are young and on the rise in terms of power teams in the NFL.  What we saw last season was a glimpse of what was to come for this team and this quarterback Josh Freeman who I didn’t expect this much from at this stage in his career.

They finished 10-6 last season, it is quite obvious at this point that this team is much more than just a good young signal caller; although we can’t over state how good he proved to be.  The defense is young and fast, they will need to improve the rush defense…hopefully their two young D-Ends will help the defense as soon as possible.  Clayborn and Bowers are both beast on the line and will push each other; we will have to wait and see what they will get from Bowers whom every team passed on time and time again. I see big things for these two players and this team, the defense will need their troubled cornerback Aqib Talib to dominate this cover 2 in order for things work… if he even plays.

I’m picking the Buccaneers to come out of the NFC South and the play for the NFC title this season.  At 12-4, they will be the class of the NFC for a while.

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