Falcons Look to End Season on High Note

The Atlanta Falcons want to finish their season off on a good note. To do that they will have to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today. They have already clinched the best record in the NFC, but with a win, they will tie a team record for the most wins in a season with 14.
The Buccaneers have currently lost five games in a row, the first of those losses came against the Falcons. They were 6-4 before the losing streak and appeared to be a playoff contender but now they will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Quarterback Josh Freeman has had a good year, setting a Buccaneers single season record with 3,843 passing yards so far. Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson has also had a good season, his first with Tampa Bay. He has set career-highs with 69 receptions and 1,334 reception yards. If he can get at least 89 more yards today, he will break the franchise record for receiving yards that was set by Mark Carrier 23 years ago.
The Falcons last played on December 23rd when they beat the Detroit Lions 31-18. Matt Ryan had a career-high tying 4 touchdown passes in the victory. With one more touchdown pass today, Ryan would set the franchise record for most touchdown passes in a season by a Falcons quarterback. The Falcons will most likely view this game as a tune-up for the playoffs, but they can do two things today that will be important for the future, both near and far.
First, the Falcons need to rest their starters. After a quarter or two, look for coach Mike Smith to start putting in reserves to give the main contributors some time off. Also, this will prevent any injuries from occurring. It would be devastating for the Falcons to head to the playoffs without a starter like Ryan, Roddy White or John Abraham because they got hurt in what really is a meaningless game for Atlanta.
Second, this game will help the Falcons know what to do with some of their reserves and rookies. These players that normally don't get a chance to play will have a chance to prove themselves and to show they deserve a spot on either the postseason roster or with the team next year.
With a win, the Falcons would finish the year 8-0 at home for the first time in fourteen years. That shows that home-field advantage will be a big plus for Atlanta in the playoffs and for today's regular season finale, as the Falcons will edge Tampa Bay in a close game.

Tight end Michael Palmer, running for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions, and the Falcons hope to win today to end their regular season on a good note.
Photo Courtesy of news.yahoo.com