Falcons hope for something different, a playoff win

Editor's note: Terence Moore has been a sports columnist of more than three decades. He has worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer, the San Francisco Examiner, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AOL Sports. Follow him on Twitter

Atlanta--Here we go again. Every time the Atlanta Falcons are on the verge of making the rest of the National Football League take them seriously beyond just an occasional tease, along comes -- well, something.

Danny White to Drew Pearson.

An arrest on the night before the Super Bowl.

Thousands of cheeseheads dominating the stands to turn the Georgia Dome into Lambeau Field South.

So here we are now, with the Falcons preparing during their 47th season to play hosts on Sunday afternoon to the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League's divisional playoffs. There will be none of that past silliness this time for the Falcons.

At least, that's what those associated with the team keep saying, and why shouldn't we believe them?

History, for one. Lots of brutal history. But there are so many signs that the Falcons are in the midst of a renaissance with their personal Mount Rushmore of owner Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan.

They've been together since 2008. They've produced five consecutive winning seasons for a franchise that hadn't managed two in a row before that. They've accumulated one of the NFL's best records (56-24) during that stretch, and they've been particularly dominant in the Georgia Dome. They also entered the postseason with the best record in the National Football Conference at 13-3 to earn home-field advantage along the way to the Super Bowl.

That is, if they keep winning. And they could.

Only the prolific likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and the Mannings (Peyton and Eli) have been as consistently impressive as Ryan during the past five seasons. Plus, Blank has given Dimitroff enough financial freedom to acquire talent as he sees fits, and Smith has won enough in Atlanta to shatter the record for most victories by a Falcons head coach.

The results? 

Three previous trips to the playoffs for the Falcons' Mount Rushmore, and three losses.

Even so, before usually gabby Falcons wide receiver Roddy White decided to go silent this week with the media for one of the few times during his eight-year career, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "With the team that we have now, and all the guys that have been around each other, with (Ryan) leading us as a group and knowing that everybody is on the same page, it's going to be a different outcome."

Uh-huh. We'll see.

The Falcons Nation has heard this before.

In 2008, the Falcons were picked to handle a rising but suspect Cardinals bunch on the road in Arizona. The Falcons lost 30-24.

Two seasons later, those 2010 Falcons resembled these current Falcons by building a 13-3 record that led to home-field advantage throughout the NFC side of the playoffs. It didn't matter. With all those cheeseheads screaming like crazy, and with Falcons fans either silent or heading down the local highways by the end of the third quarter, the Green Bay Packers smashed the Falcons 48-21.

Then came last season. The Falcons were just slight underdogs when they headed to New York to face the Giants. Instead, with Ryan and his offensive teammates vanishing for long stretches, the Falcons made the oddsmakers look silly with a 24-2 loss.

When you combine the Falcons' recent and past playoff struggles with a historically shaky fan base that has a tendency to come and go (even during games) and with the appearances of all those "somethings," this has been one of the NFL's most jinxed franchises.

"When you're growing up here, you're not conscious of that. You're not even thinking of that," said Terance Mathis, 45, a former NFL wide receiver who played 13 seasons in the league, including a franchise-record-filled eight for his hometown Falcons through 2001. "After my junior year in high school, I had a chance to watch them practice in training camp, and then go through their locker room. ..."

Still, as has been the case for many around Atlanta, filled with transients and dominated by Southeastern Conference college football fans, the Falcons weren't Mathis' favorite team.

Cowboys, Steelers, Raiders.

"That's where all the big superstars were from, so you gravitated to them, but I did watch the Falcons growing up," said Mathis, who particularly was fond of their teams during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which featured quarterback Steve Bartkowski and running back William Andrews. "If you loved football, you loved players who played well, and they had guys on those teams who played very, very well."

Thinking fan's guide to the playoffs

It's just that, after a wretched start that lasted for more than a decade after the Falcons' debut in 1966, the Bartkowski-Andrews era featured the first of many horrors to come for the franchise.

There were those come-from-ahead (and I mean WAY ahead) playoff losses to the Cowboys in 1978 and 1980, with relatively unknown quarterback White leading the way for Dallas. In both games, White kept finding his receiver, Pearson, in the clutch.

Years after the Bartkowksi-Andrews era, there was Deion Sanders, the only Pro Football Hall of Famer in Falcons history, leaving with his Prime Time act for San Francisco as a free agent.

There was Eugene Robinson, the Falcons' supposedly squeaky clean leader, going from saint to sinner on the day before the Super Bowl in 1999. He was arrested and accused of propositioning a female cop in Miami for oral sex, and the Falcons were flattened by the Denver Broncos in the game.

Remember the Falcons' 2007 season?

They wish to forget. That's when the Falcons spent most of their time discussing Michael Vick's (ahem) hobby with pit bulls instead of his ability to mesmerize opponents with his speed.

That same year, Bobby Petrino didn't even finish his first and only season as the Falcons' head coach. After a controversial 3-10 start, Petrino bolted in the middle of the night with two games left to play to take over the University of Arkansas football team.

Pig sooie, indeed.

Now the Falcons hope to get it right this time.

Baltimore Ravens - Indianapolis Colts game preview

Indianapolis Colts - Baltimore Ravens

Chuck Pagano and Ray Lewis spent the previous four seasons as part of a Baltimore Ravens defense known for making life tough for the opposition.

As secondary coach and then defensive coordinator, Pagano teamed with the future Hall of Fame linebacker to help the Ravens reach a pair of AFC championship games before taking the Indianapolis Colts' head coaching job in January.

The game plans Pagano put together during those years weren't able to prepare him for what he'd endure next.

Pagano is back on the Colts' sideline after beating leukemia in time for Sunday's wild-card matchup against his former team in Baltimore, which could be the final time Lewis steps between the lines after announcing his decision to retire following the playoffs.

Indianapolis was 1-2 when Pagano took an indefinite leave of absence to receive treatment, beginning a "Chuckstrong" movement that captivated the league.

He stayed close to the team as interim coach Bruce Arians and No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck helped transform Indianapolis from a two-win team in 2011 to a playoff qualifier.

Pagano returned after a 12-game absence and couldn't hide his emotions during the Colts' 28-16 home win over Houston last week that capped an 11-5 regular season, and he's not about to rest as his team prepares for a tough postseason matchup.

"My doc said be prudent, if you remember, but I may not be prudent this week in spending a lot of time in a lot of different areas in trying to get as much information out as I possibly can and help where I can," Pagano said.

His knowledge of the Ravens' defense surely will be a benefit for Indianapolis, but it may have to contend with Lewis, who expects to play after missing the last 10 games with a torn right triceps.

The good news of Lewis' possible return, though, took a twist Wednesday as he announced plans to end his 17-year career when Baltimore's season concludes.

Lewis made 13 Pro Bowls and was a seven-time All-Pro while twice being named defensive player of the year. He won a Super Bowl ring following the 2000 season and is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks and 30 interceptions.

Fourth-seeded Baltimore and No. 6 seed Cincinnati would have to reach the AFC championship for Lewis to play another home game.

"Everything that starts has an end," said the 37-year-old Lewis, who plans to spend more time with his sons - including his oldest, Ray III, who will play at Lewis' alma mater of Miami. "For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride."

Pagano, who was conducting his Wednesday press conference as news broke of Lewis' retirement, said the fact he's facing Lewis and the rest of a defense he helped coach in his first playoff test seems fitting.

"Nothing shocks me anymore," Pagano said. "Everything that's transpired to this point, I guess it was just meant to be."

The Ravens are fond of Pagano as well.

"Chuck's like a dad to me," safety Ed Reed said. "He means a lot to me. I would have much rather seen them in the AFC championship game than the first game."

With Peyton Manning under center, the Colts won eight straight meetings - including two playoff victories - before the Ravens (10-6) took the most recent matchup 24-10 on Dec. 11, 2011.

Luck will be the first quarterback other than Manning to start a postseason game for Indianapolis since his former coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh - the current San Francisco coach and brother of Baltimore coach John Harbaugh - was under center for the Colts' 42-14 wild-card loss to Pittsburgh in 1996.

Luck has experienced an up-and-down first season, ranking 31st in completion percentage (54.1) and 26th in passer rating (76.5), but he threw five touchdowns without an interception in the Colts' final three games.

Baltimore finished 17th in total defense (350.9 yards per game) - its lowest ranking since the 2002 team finished 22nd - and Luck believes Pagano's knowledge of that unit will be beneficial Sunday.

"They're a great team," Luck said. "Obviously, coach Pagano knows more about them than I do so I'll lean on him, but obviously (it's) a historic defense."

The Ravens, though, dropped four of their last five games after falling 23-17 to Cincinnati in Week 17, though Harbaugh rested most of his starters with the division locked up.

Joe Flacco - the only starting QB in NFL history to make the playoffs in each of his first five seasons - attempted only eight passes, and Ray Rice had just three rushing attempts. Receiver Anquan Boldin sat out with a bruised shoulder, though he's expected to play Sunday.

Terrell Suggs (biceps) also didn't play last week but he, Lewis and safety Bernard Pollard, who missed the final three weeks with a rib injury, all hope to be on the field together for the first time this season against the Colts.

"This is the first time we get a chance to get our defense back. We're excited and ready to roll," Pollard told the team's official website.

Harbaugh knows Sunday will be an emotional contest given Lewis' pending retirement and the team's ties to Pagano.

"It will be great. It's something that, in this profession, is a big deal," said Harbaugh, the only coach in league history with a postseason win in each of his first four seasons.

"Relationships are important. But by the same token, it's a game and they're the opponent."

article source: ESPN

Houston Texans - Cincinnati Bengals Live Streaming

Houston Texans - Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans - Cincinnati Bengals Game Preview

The last time the Houston Texans faced the Cincinnati Bengals, they clinched their first AFC South title for their first playoff appearance. Houston has not won since. After limping into the playoffs following three straight losses, the Texans host a Bengals team seeking its first postseason victory in 21 years Saturday at Reliant Stadium.

Making just his second career start after Matt Schaub (foot) and Matt Leinart (collarbone) suffered season-ending injuries in consecutive weeks, Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates led fourth-quarter scoring drives of 83 and 80 yards, respectively, in a 20-19 come-from-behind victory at Cincinnati on Dec. 11.

His game-winning 6-yard scoring pass to Kevin Walters with six seconds left extended Houston's franchise-record winning streak to seven. It also allowed the Texans (10-6) to celebrate their division title in the locker room after they watched Tennessee lose to New Orleans.

"We were very, very lucky (to defeat the Bengals)," coach Gary Kubiak told the Texans' official website on Tuesday. "We know we won't get away with that type of effort this weekend."

It would be hard to call the Texans lucky with the number of injuries they've overcome this season. Arian Foster was third in the NFL with 1,841 yards from scrimmage, but he missed two games at the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury. Houston has not had All-Pro linebacker Mario Williams (pectoral) in the lineup since October following his season-ending injury, while All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson has played just seven games due to injuries to both hamstrings.

Johnson returned in Sunday's 23-22 loss to the Titans following a three-game absence, but Yates played just one series after suffering a bruised left shoulder when he was sacked on his first snap. Yates, though, is expected to start after backup Jake Delhomme played for the first time since being signed Nov. 29. Kubiak also had a chance to rest many of his regulars last Sunday -- including Foster and tight end Owen Daniels - with the No. 3 seed already clinched, but losing three straight was not how the Texans wanted to head into their first playoff game.

"We're ripping off the rear-view mirror," tight end Joel Dreessen said. "The regular season is over with, and the Texans are officially invited to the postseason. We open up at home, in one week. And that's our focus right now. It's a whole new season, and we have to play at our best."

The Bengals (9-7) have the same approach as they enter the postseason for the third time since 2005, but are looking to advance for the first time since a 41-14 wild-card victory over the Houston Oilers on Jan. 6, 1991. Cincinnati defeated St. Louis and Arizona following last month's loss to Houston, but it needed losses by the New York Jets and Denver last Sunday to clinch the final wild-card spot.

"It's kind of weird," rookie quarterback Andy Dalton said following Sunday's 24-16 loss to AFC North champion Baltimore. "Obviously we didn't get it done today, but we still have a chance."

That chance could largely hinge on how well Dalton - a Pro Bowl first-alternate - and fellow rookie wide receiver A.J. Green can exploit the Texans' second-ranked defense. Dalton, who missed Wednesday's practice due to the flu, threw for 189 yards and a TD last month against Houston, while Green caught five passes for 59 yards.

"(The Dec. 11 loss is) in the back of our mind," Green, the Bengals' first rookie Pro Bowler since 1981, told the team's official website. "We're just going to go out there and play our game. If we stick to our gameplan, I think we have a great chance of winning the game." The Bengals went 0-7 against playoff teams, but six of those losses were by eight or fewer points.

"We definitely haven't played our best game yet," said Dalton, a Texas native who is 3-0 at Reliant Stadium, where he played twice in high school and once while at TCU. "It's what we're working for. We've got to go put it all together and just let it all out. Once we're able to do that, this team can be really good."

However, the Bengals' run defense will have to improve after yielding a season-high 221 yards last Sunday. Foster (1,224) and rookie Ben Tate (942) lead the Texans' second-ranked running attack (153.0 per game).

"Being in a hostile environment, what we've got to do is do our best to stop the run, get the crowd out of it, cause some turnovers and get in the backfield," Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga said.

If Cincinnati can win for the first time in five playoff road games, it will play at No. 1 seed New England next weekend in the divisional round. If Houston wins its fourth straight in this series, it will travel to second-seeded Baltimore.

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