NFL Playoff Scenarios: Falcons' QB Matt Ryan Will Record First Playoff Win

When the Atlanta Falcons regular season ends, they will look back on one game and be thankful that they won.

Week 7: Oct. 23. at Detroit

That's the game that will get Matt Ryan his first career postseason win. 

Given the injuries to the Bears and overall inconsistent play of the Cowboys and Giants, the NFL Wild Card winners will be the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. 

By beating the Lions and having a far more favorable schedule coming in, the Falcons will earn the No. 5 seed, while the Lions will be No. 6.

That means that Detroit will have to go on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints. Both teams have already beaten the Lions this year. The 49ers won in Detroit, while the Saints were completely dominant against the Lions. 

The Falcons will get a game against the winner of the NFC East—the division that no team wants to win. I have previously predicted that the Cowboys will win that division. I stand behind that prediction, but it doesn't matter. The Falcons are just better than either one of those teams. 

Neither of them have the secondary to stand up against Ryan and the Atlanta receivers. And Atlanta can also run the ball. More importantly, the Falcons are more than capable of stopping their opponents, which neither the Cowboys or Giants can claim. 

Yes, both the Cowboys and Giants have good offenses, but we're talking about making a few stops. The Falcons can do that. The other two teams can't. 

Maybe Matt Ryan just needs to get away from home and away from the expectations. The first of his two playoff losses was a road game against a 9-7 team, the second came when the Falcons were 13-3 and the top seed in the NFC.

Lowered expectations will do wonders for the Falcons and Ryan, but it won't matter. Regardless of who the favorites are, the Falcons are going to win their first playoff game, setting up a date against the Packers in the second round. 

That game won't go as well. But Ryan will get a monkey off of his back and win a playoff game. In turn, Ryan and the Falcons will end what's been a dismal season of NFC East football.

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