A Packers player described the Dome as "Lambeau South."

[AtlantaFalconPokerPro]

This article is for all of the people out there that says Atlanta doesn't support it's teams!


ATLANTA -- When did the Georgia Dome become such a casino-like, cash-in spin for the Falcons? How is it that in this Georgia Dome, the Falcons draw aces?

It is spooky what the Falcons are doing in this place. The Green Bay Packers were the latest team all shook up by the Falcons' piercing play and carnival crowd. The Falcons flipped them, 20-17, on Sunday afternoon, winning on a Matt Bryant 47-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining. And that was only 47 seconds after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had steered his team 90 yards in 16 plays, converting a fourth-and-goal from the 10-yard line into a touchdown pass to tie the game at 17-17.

Not enough. No, the Falcons were not sinking. Not here. Not in this dome they call home.

They have won seven consecutive games here now. They are 19-1 with quarterback Matt Ryan in this dome. He has won 15 straight here.

That is beyond good. That is a winning spin, the trump card, nearly every time.


Dome sweet home.

Somebody in the Packers locker room afterward described the place as sort of a "Lambeau South."

As good as the Packers have been in Lambeau Field for so long, they know a home-field advantage when they see one.

"It is a great atmosphere here for them," Packers receiver Greg Jennings said. "They feed off that atmosphere. I mean, it's huge. We had a lot of things we did that we can hang our hat on, but we are not a moral victory kind of team. I have little doubt we will see this team again."


Looks like in this dome.

Because Atlanta (9-2) owns the best record in the NFC with five games left. Its next three are on the road. Its final two are in the dome.

"We are fighting for home-field advantage," Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We are on a roll and feeling good in here. It's huge to play here. It's home. It's energy. We play with more confidence here. It's a family atmosphere. We feed off the crowd and they feed off of us. When I came here from Houston, they used to say, 'Hey baby, we're in the dome today.' And I was like, 'What does that mean?' I found out."

It is an explosive team in a festive environment.

The Falcons feature Ryan, who completed 24 of 28 passes in this game. Rodgers had bigger passing numbers, but Ryan was more efficient, just as nimble, just as crafty and just as good. These quarterbacks dueled in impressive ways.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers said of Ryan: "He's smart. He read our coverages. He ran outside the pocket and made some third-down throws. I had a lot of respect for him coming in. I feel no differently now."

Ryan also enjoyed the balance of Michael Turner's hard running. Turner rushed for 110 yards -- including a fourth-down, 1-yard score. Atlanta outrushed Green Bay 117 yards to 77 yards.

The Falcons defense was good and their special teams assisted in the winning field goal with a 40-yard kickoff return (the Packers added 15 more yards with a face-mask penalty during the return). You could sense it. The Falcons were going to find a way in this dome.

Falcons general manger Thomas Dimitroff said his team was built to play on the dome's fast indoor surface. He has built the Falcons to feature athleticism, speed, urgency. Sort of like the Warner-Faulk-Bruce-Holt Rams on that fast track in their old dome. And the more success the Falcons have in this dome, the more they believe they will not lose here.

"It's always 70 degrees and sunny," Falcons receiver Roddy White said of the dome.

Fullback Jason Snelling added: "It's magic in here."

Which team in the NFC playoffs is going to ride into this dome and clip the Falcons?

The Falcons sure hope they have the chance to answer that. And if they, indeed, earn home-field advantage, they are confident they already know the answer.

"We may not be invincible in here," Falcons safety Thomas DeCloud said. "But we will be hard to beat."

[poutlipper]

Good read. I love how the word is "out" about the Falcons at home. For all the lack of perceived respect for the Falcons... when we are talked about... it's always mentioned "at home."

[hitwriter]

Great read... nice respect from the Green Bay locker room....

The media may not get it, but the players do.

[AtlantaFalconPokerPro]

I think that it's such an impressive stat that it gives the impression that were a bad road team. In reality I think Ryan is 10-11 on the road, or something close to that.

I think today's game silenced a lot of the remaining doubters.

[DemBirds]

I was all prepared to take "Lambeau South" as an insult, as in Packers fans filled the Dome. Good to see that's not how it was meant.

[The Falcon Jedi]

There were a lot of Packer fans in the Dome

[Stankfoot]

(11-28-2010 10:26 PM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  There were a lot of Packer fans in the Dome

Packer fans always travel well, and Atlanta is a popular destination during the winter. That being said, it was different today. While there were a lot of packer fans, any time they tried to do any chanting for their team they were quickly drowned out by falcons fans.
It's nothing like it was years ago when there would be more steeler fans at a game than falcon fans. I was very proud of the fans at the game.

[TankWorkman]

(11-28-2010 10:26 PM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  There were a lot of Packer fans in the Dome

You called that right! I can maybe understand them in the upper level, but the lower level had just as many, if not more!

[nativefalcon]

(11-28-2010 10:39 PM)Stankfoot Wrote:  Packer fans always travel well, and Atlanta is a popular destination during the winter. That being said, it was different today. While there were a lot of packer fans, any time they tried to do any chanting for their team they were quickly drowned out by falcons fans.
It's nothing like it was years ago when there would be more steeler fans at a game than falcon fans. I was very proud of the fans at the game.

Packers shitheads can go home in the cold and be depressed about the fact their team got their asses kicked, ENJOY. Hope you liked Atlanta.

[TomBradyMVP12]

No place like dome.