Following a late November victory against the visiting Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said he wanted no part of a possible playoff game in Wisconsin. While the Pro Bowler got his wish as Atlanta locked up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and avoided the potentially arctic Green Bay weather, the Falcons will have faced plenty of blustery conditions by the time their divisional matchup against the Packers starts Saturday night at the Georgia Dome.
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Leading the NFC-best Falcons into their first home playoff game in exactly six years, third-year quarterback Matt Ryan looks for his first postseason victory as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to build on his first playoff win. Matt Bryant kicked a 47-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining, and the Falcons (13-3) won 20-17 on Nov. 28 in just their second home game versus Green Bay in 18 years.
"I have no plans of going to Lambeau Field in January," White said following the victory. "I plan on staying right here and sleeping in my own bed in the playoffs." Despite Atlanta finishing the regular season with nine wins in its last 10 games and earning a first-round bye, several members of the team have not had that luxury this week after a storm blanketed northern Georgia with several inches of snow and ice Sunday night and Monday.
"I've been here since Sunday morning so I haven't left the facility," coach Mike Smith said Tuesday. "... The guys have managed it. We've done a really good job in terms of carpooling. We've had a bunch of guys making sure that they're riding in together. We want to try to keep the week as normal as possible so we wanted these guys to go home if they wanted to."
When Smith and the NFC South champs take the field Saturday, it will be their first home playoff game since a 47-17 divisional round victory over St. Louis on Jan. 15, 2005. Two seasons ago in Ryan's first playoff game, the Falcons fell 30-24 at Arizona in the wild-card round. The third-year quarterback, 20-2 at home during his career, is expecting a different result at the Georgia Dome.
"I think the dome has been a tough place for teams to come in and play this year," Ryan, who set career highs with 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, told the Falcons' official website. "The atmosphere has been electric. I think specifically for us offensively, it's a benefit to be at home."
Rodgers and the sixth-seeded Packers (11-6) will not have that benefit, needing three road victories to advance to the Super Bowl. Green Bay took its first step toward that goal as cornerback Tramon Williams intercepted a pass in the end zone with 33 seconds remaining Sunday to seal a 21-16 win over Philadelphia.
