The Falcons said in a statement Monday the move was made after a ”thorough investigative process by local authorities.” The NFL said Saturday its investigation is pending.

Hageman is a four-year veteran who started four games in 2016 and 12 games in 2015. He was listed as a backup before Saturday’s designation prevented him from playing in games or practicing.

Hageman faced charges of battery, cruelty to children and interfering with calls for emergency assistance. Police say he was at the home of his girlfriend, Janeal Jefferies.

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Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons
When: 4:35 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: 4:35 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Falcons -5.
O/U: 51.5
PREDICTION: Falcons 27. Seahawks 20

Oddsmakers currently have the ATLANTA listed as -5 point favorites versus the SEATTLE, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

ATLANTA — In the only previous playoff meeting between Atlanta and Seattle, Matt Ryan threw one more touchdown pass than Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and the Falcons overcame squandering a big lead to win on a late field goal by Matt Bryant.

That divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome during the 2012 season, though, probably has little meaning for Saturday’s follow-up in Atlanta.

That playoff game is the only victory in five tries for Ryan. Wilson, who was a rookie the first time, has an 8-3 postseason mark and a Super Bowl ring to his credit.

What could be of significance is the Seahawks’ controversial 28-26 victory at home in mid-October when cornerback Richard Sherman wasn’t whistled for a late pass interference call on Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.

“We felt like we had a chance to win that game. Calls didn’t go our way,” said Falcons second-year outside linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., who led the NFL with 15 1/2 sacks. “Things could’ve went a different route, so we’re looking forward to this opportunity.”

Not having to go back to Seattle is certainly an advantage for the Falcons. They also went 4-0 down the stretch in winning the NFC South and received a first-round bye when the NFC West-champion Seahawks lost three of their final six games.

The Seattle defense, which ranked third in the NFL in points allowed at 18.3 per game, suffered a major blow with the loss safety Earl Thomas. The Falcons, with Ryan having his best season, led the NFL with an average of 33.8 points per game.

“All teams are a little different now and I’d say we’re a better version of ourselves then when we played them,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.

While the Seahawks’ defense misses Thomas, it did return to form in a 28-6 opening victory over the Detroit Lions last Saturday.

Wilson, who had his career high with 385 passing yards in that playoff loss to the Falcons, appears to be the healthiest he’s been this season.

Just as important, the offense found its missing ground game with Thomas Rawls rushing 27 times for 161 yards – a team playoff record.

Rawls, the replacement for the retired Marshawn Lynch, was out with a fracture in his leg when the Seahawks played the Falcons during the regular season.

“We just haven’t been able to get him enough opportunities,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He just had a hard time getting rolling.”

The Falcons’ young defense, which has been much better against the run than the pass this season, now has something else for which to worry.

“It opens up everything for us,” Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said of the ground game. “When Thomas Rawls is doing that, they can’t help but put another safety in the box, and then that gives us one-on-one match-ups on the outside.”

Rookie safety Keanu Neal feels that he and his teammates are up to the challenge, although they were 27th in points allowed during the season at 25.4. Atlanta also lost top corner back Desmond Trufant after playing the Seahawks the first time.

“Since the bye week (in the middle of the season), the defense has really skyrocketed,” he said.

“All those guys, they don’t play like rookies, they don’t play like young guys,” Wilson said of the Falcons. “… They play fast, they play smart. They know where they’re supposed to be. … You can definitely notice that on film.”

Quinn, in his second season as Falcons coach, was the defensive coordinator during Seattle’s two trips to the Super Bowl. He has downplayed that as a storyline, though, and is thankful he’s already faced the Seahawks once.

“I’m glad that game got out of the way,” Quinn said. “… Let’s hope through the years we battle a bunch of times against them. I sense that will be the case.”

“It’s going to be a really difficult challenge and, of course, playing there is always hard,” Carroll said. “I love the job that Dan has done.”

Jones, who was second in the NFL in yards receiving despite missing two games with a toe injury, should be the healthiest he’s been in a while after the extra rest.

“Everybody could use a week,” said Jones, who had seven catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in the game at Seattle. “It’s a long season. But, yeah, it will be beneficial for me for that week, especially with the toe injury I had.”

The Seahawks, though, may have benefited from playing last week after their sluggish finish to the regular season.

“We’re expecting a fight,” said Bobby Wagner, Seattle’s standout inside linebacker. “They’re going to come in rested. They’re going to be hungry, but we’re hungry, too. We’re going to come out and give them everything we got.”

After missing the playoffs the past three seasons, Ryan gets a chance to show that he can win more than once in the postseason. Quinn said he told his quarterback to focus on that opportunity.

“It’s all about now,” the coach said. “Things that are from a while back ago, you definitely learn from it. You take those lessons and now you apply them and you are better for it.”

Ryan, who has gone 137 passes without an interception, had 19 touchdowns passes to four picks at home during the regular season. Wilson had eight TD passes and eight interceptions on the road.

Ryan needs to change his playoff narrative, though.

“I don’t worry about it too much,” Ryan said. “One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is if you spend time worrying about that you are not spending time worrying about the things that are going to make a difference on (game day).”

Wilson is a Ryan fan, although he obviously hopes to outplay him Saturday.

“I think Matt Ryan’s always been a great quarterback,” Wilson said. “I don’t think it’s just this year. He’s always been a guy to be able to win football games and make plays and do a lot of good things. I don’t think it’s anything new for Matt at all.”

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The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback also is a leading MVP candidate .

The glaring void on Ryan’s resume is his 1-4 postseason record. At 31, Ryan may not have many more chances to change his reputation as a quarterback who comes up short in the playoffs.

Ryan’s only playoff win came against Seattle after the 2012 regular season, and he’ll have another shot at the Seahawks in Saturday’s NFC divisional round game.

Ryan said Tuesday he has never been better prepared for the playoffs.

”I feel like as you get experience throughout your career, you try to learn from all of it and you try to use it to make you better,” Ryan said. ”I feel like I’ve done that throughout my career. Both positive and negative, I’ve learned from all of those experiences and … I feel like I’m just playing my best and playing better than I ever have.”

No matter his stats, Ryan ultimately will be judged by his team’s success. The Falcons led the NFL in scoring while winning the NFC South, but a loss in their playoff opener would lead some critics to conclude they were just another regular-season fad that was not built for the postseason.

A loss also would leave an even larger void on Ryan’s record.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he talked with Ryan about the extra playoff pressure placed on the quarterback.

Quinn said this is a different Ryan than the one who lost to the 49ers in the NFC championship game after the 2012 season and also suffered one-and-done playoff losses to Arizona in his 1998 rookie season, to Green Bay in 2010 and to the Giants in 2011.

Quinn believes Ryan is ready for postseason success.

”For him I think you can’t truly be relentless until you’ve been right close to it and you didn’t get it,” Quinn said Tuesday. ”I know from my experience you learn so much from a loss and what you gain from it. What I can tell you is Matt’s a far different quarterback today than he was a few years ago.”

Quinn said Ryan’s ”ability to attack, his ability to be ready” in this season’s offense ”has nothing to do with” past playoff failures.

Ryan said he doesn’t dwell on past playoff letdowns.

”I don’t worry about it too much,” he said. ”One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is if you spend time worrying about that, you’re not spending time worrying about the things that are going to make a difference on Sunday.”

The approach is working for Ryan. He had a career-high 38 touchdown passes and a low with only seven interceptions this season. He finished second in the league in TD passes and yards passing. His 117.1 passer rating leads the NFL.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Ryan’s success following a startling dip in production in 2015 is a natural progression for his second season with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The success has made Shanahan a target for at least four teams looking for head coaches.

”The word we use is chemistry between throwers and catchers,” Carroll said in a telephone interview. ”There really is a lot to that. You can see just the benefit of the years together and the benefit of being in the same scheme for two years.”

Carroll said the Falcons offense led by Ryan is ”as good as you can get.”

Ryan wouldn’t say if this offense will be a better fit for the postseason.

”I know this team that we’re a part of right now,” Ryan said. ”We’re good enough to get the job done every week. I really feel that way. We just need to continue to do the same things we’ve done up to this point.”

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Now, heading into the playoffs for the first time with a team of his own, he’ll be relying heavily on the NFL’s highest-scoring offense.

The incongruity is not lost on the Atlanta Falcons coach.

”I have not been in extra offensive meetings, that’s for sure,” Quinn joked.

The Falcons (11-5) romped to the NFC South title and a first-round bye in the playoffs largely because quarterback Matt Ryan turned in an MVP-worthy season – and got plenty of help from an absurdly deep receiving corps, a dynamic pair of running backs and a much-improved line .

Atlanta scored 540 points, an average of 33.8 per game and at least 100 points more than every other team in the league except New Orleans (469) and New England (441).

The Falcons finished second in total yards (an average of 415.8) behind only the Saints, and perhaps most impressively ranked among the top five in both passing (295.3) and rushing (120.5) yards.

When asked what his coach thinks about this style of play, Ryan deadpanned, ”I think he’s OK with scoring points, too. I don’t think he’s opposed to that.”

The Atlanta defense?

Not nearly as impressive, though that was to be expected given as many as four rookies started at times . Atlanta ranked in the bottom half of the league in points (27th), yards (25th) and yards per play (21st).

”You can get jammed up if you just look at just the stats defensively,” Quinn said, before quickly adding, ”I know I have, for sure.”

Certainly, this Falcons team isn’t constructed like the one he worked for in Seattle, where he ran a star-powered defense that carried the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl title during the 2013 season, totally stifling Peyton Manning and the high-scoring Denver Broncos for a 43-8 rout.

That performance helped turn Quinn into one of the league’s most sought-after assistants for a head coaching job.

Now, in an interesting twist, it’s his offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, getting all the attention .

”I do have a real admiration for Kyle and the offensive staff and how they feature the players,” Quinn said. ”I think that’s true on any really good team, whether it’s offensively, defensively or special teams. How do you feature what the guys do best?”

Defense may be his specialty, but Quinn spends plenty of time working with both sides of the ball, proving especially helpful to Ryan when it comes to breaking down opponents.

”Dan knows a lot of ball,” the quarterback said. ”We talk a lot during the week about ways to attack defenses we’re going against. He’s excellent on that. I’m sure he’s comfortable with the whole team we’ve got going into this playoff stretch.”

Stats notwithstanding, Quinn doesn’t buy into the notion that the Falcons are strictly a one-dimensional team. He’s getting more and more comfortable with his defense.

”There’s a bigger story there in terms of the style and attitude and ball-hawking and tackling that goes into it,” Quinn said. ”All along, we’ve kind of kept pressing on the message: We’re gonna get there.”

Certainly, there’s a huge amount of upside on the defensive side. Vic Beasley , who led the league with 15.5 sacks, is a second-year player. The top two tacklers, linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal, are both rookies. Of the nine players who started at least nine games, only two have more than two years of experience in the pros.

The dynamic offense has given those guys some room to grow.

It also gives them something to shoot for.

”When we go out there, we want to match them,” said Neal, a first-round pick who quickly established himself as one of the leaders of the defense with his fearless, hard-hitting style. ”If they get a touchdown, we’ve got to get a three-and-out.”

Quinn said the defense has really grown since a tough loss at Philadelphia, which was followed by a bye in Week 11. The Falcons were 6-4 at the time, no lock for the playoffs. But they closed the season winning five of the last six , the only setback a bizarre loss in which Kansas City picked off a pass and returned it for a winning two-point conversion in the closing minutes.

During that stretch, the Falcons held four opponents under 20 points, and they were up 38-13 on Drew Brees and the Saints through three quarters of the regular-season finale . Even though they gave up three touchdowns in the final period and had to hold on at the end, it didn’t diminish the progress the defense has made.

”From a communication standpoint, we’ve gotten a lot better,” Neal said. ”We’re playing so much faster because we understand the defense and what offenses are trying to do to us.”

But in these playoffs, Quinn knows he’ll probably have rely more on scoring points than he did in Seattle.

He’s good with that.

”Just watch him on the sideline. He’s very pumped up,” star receiver Julio Jones said. ”It’s a fun time right now.”

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .

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Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 24, 2016
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Falcons -3.
O/U: 52
PREDICTION: Falcons 30, Panthers 24

Oddsmakers currently have the Atlanta listed as 3 point favorites versus the Carolina, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The roles are reversed for this year’s late-season meeting between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

The teams meet Saturday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium, where the Falcons have plenty at stake.

A year ago in the second-to-last game of the regular season, Atlanta delivered the first loss for Carolina, spoiling what had been a perfect season to date.

Now the Falcons (9-5) are clinging to first place in the NFC South, while the Panthers (6-8) are trying to avoid a last-place finish in the division.

“We’ve done some pretty good things,” Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan said. “I think we’re good enough to win every week. … We’ve got good, competitive players. We’ve got guys who aren’t scared of the moment.”

Ryan said the Falcons have performed well against some of the top defenses and it’s paying off late in the season. Atlanta leads the NFL with 33.5 points per game, ranking second with 412.9 yards of total offense.

“I think we’re starting to play our best football,” Ryan said. “To me, it’s going to be a tough one (at Carolina). We’re going to have to play our best.”

That’s probably not what the Panthers wanted to hear. They gave up 571 yards to the Falcons in the October meeting.

“They are still a dynamic football team,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. “They’re explosive on offense.”

It will be the home finale in what has been a challenging season for the Panthers, who have an extra-short week given their Monday night victory at Washington.

“We have to refocus,” Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said. “The Falcons are a different team than we just played on Monday night and we understand that. We’ve got to be ready for an extremely high-powered offense.”

One of the big offensive outbursts for Atlanta came Oct. 2 in a 48-33 home victory against Carolina.

This time, the Panthers aren’t likely to have Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly, who has missed four games since suffering a concussion. Although he has been cleared from the concussion protocol, it appears unlikely he’ll play again this season.

“I think their defense, in general, had done a good job in his absence,” Ryan said.

Despite an NFL-leading 40 sacks for the Panthers, the defense has been torched by opponents passing for 274.8 yards per game.

This game might be more than a divisional rivalry because of the roster makeups.

“We’ve got a lot of guys from the Atlanta area that do love Atlanta,” Rivera said. “That’s understandable. They want to be able to beat their home team to have a little bit of bragging rights. I think that’s part of it.”

Quarterback Cam Newton is one of the Carolina players with deep Atlanta connections.

Last season, Newton was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Now, Ryan’s name ends up in those MVP conversations.

Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said Ryan already had been among the special group of quarterbacks, so to move higher on that list is a worthy accomplishment.

“For him to take it to another spot, it takes a lot of work,” Quinn said.

Ryan said with the Falcons pursuing a playoff spot, there’s no sense being distracted by MVP talk.

“I don’t think about it all that much,” he said. “It’s really nice to be mentioned in that. For me, it’s about the success of the team and trying to win games. I find a lot of enjoyment in that.”

Falcons running back Devonta Freeman was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three touchdowns against San Francisco. He finished with 139 rushing yards on 20 carries.

“I think when you look at the guys that are around Matt right now, man, the way they’ve been running their offense,” Davis said. “He has gotten comfortable in the new system and it’s showing.”

The Panthers, who are aiming for a three-game winning streak for the first time this season, continue to count on Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen as one of the centerpieces of their offense. He needs 8 receiving yards to become the first NFL tight end with three consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards, though he has missed practice time this week with a sore elbow.

“You’d better have awareness for where Greg is at,” Quinn said.

Some of the Falcons’ concerns might be eased with cornerback Jalen Collins available at practice this week.

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, December 18, 2016
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Falcons -14.
O/U: 51.5.
PREDICTION: Falcons 27, 49ers 16

Oddsmakers currently have the Falcons listed as 13½-point favorites versus the 49ers, while the game’s total is sitting at 50.

The Atlanta Falcons sit in the driver’s seat in the NFC South and, with a favorable schedule in final three weeks, are very much in the mix for a first-round playoff bye.

But they need to get healthy ahead of the playoffs.

The banged-up Falcons (8-5) kick off their closing stretch Sunday, when the lowly San Francisco 49ers (1-12) visit the Georgia Dome for the final time. This is the last season for the Falcons in the dome, before moving down the block to their new stadium for the 2017 season.

Seven Falcons sat out Wednesday’s practice, including superstar wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones missed last week’s road win over the Los Angeles Rams with a toe injury.

Atlanta coach Dan Quinn on Wednesday re-classified Jones’ injury as a sprained toe. Quinn had initially described the injury as turf toe, which could have lingered much longer than the sprain is expected to.

“We’ll get him back here shortly,” Quinn said of Jones. “When he can explode like he does…the good news is it’s not something that’s going to be a long-term thing.”

Atlanta’s second-leading receiver Mohamed Sanu, who also missed last week’s game with a groin injury, returned to practice Wednesday. But defensive end Adrian Clayborn (knee), cornerback Jalen Collins (knee) and safety Kemal Ismael (shoulder) were among those who sat out Wednesday’s practice.

The 49ers are battling their own injuries, with left tackle Joe Staley (hamstring) and receiver Torrey Smith (concussion) both sitting out Wednesday’s practice. Staley had started 92 consecutive regular season games, before missing last week’s loss to the New York Jets. Smith is in the league’s concussion protocol and still needs to be cleared before taking the field again.

Even if the 49ers were at full-strength, they’d be hard-pressed to keep up with the Falcons, who boast the league’s most prolific offense, led by quarterback Matt Ryan, an MVP candidate. Ryan has already thrown for more than 4,000 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Rams.

“Matt’s one of those quarterbacks that transcends any system,” San Francisco coach Chip Kelly told reporters Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter, I really don’t think, what system he’s running. Although, the one he’s running right now he’s very, very successful in. I think he fits very well into what (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) is doing. But he’s had a couple different coordinators and been successful with whoever was coaching him. That’s just the type of player he is. I think he’s an elite quarterback.”

Despite missing Jones and Sanu, the Falcons put up 42 points in last week’s win over the Rams. The 49ers have scored a total of 47 points in their last three games combined.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will start Sunday against Atlanta. Kaepernick has completed 54.8 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, since taking over as the starter for Blaine Gabbert in Week 6.

“I think Colin has gotten better each week with us,” Kelly said. “The more comfortable he gets in our system, the more comfortable we are around him. … We’ve been pleased with Colin.”

Kaepernick has yet to lead a victory this season, though. Last week, San Francisco jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Jets, but was held scoreless in the second half and lost their 12th straight game, despite a 193-yard rushing performance from Carlos Hyde.

“Once again, it comes down to our execution,” Kaepernick said. “We have to be able to make plays and we didn’t make enough in the second half to put points on the board.”

The Falcons lead the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game in the NFC South and are within a game of the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions in the battle for the second seed in the NFC.

After Sunday’s game against the 49ers, the Falcons close out the regular season at the Carolina Panthers and at home against the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta’s three remaining opponents are a combined 11-28.

“Who we’re playing and where we’re playing — that’s kind of irrelevant, so to speak, because you want to just go and battle for it,” Quinn said. “(That’s) the intent of the players, that’s what we’re set out to do.”

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Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Falcons -6.5. O/U: 45
PREDICTION: Falcons 27, Rams 16

Oddsmakers currently have the Falcons listed as 6.5-point favorites versus the Rams, while the game’s total is sitting at 45.

ABOUT THE FALCONS (7-5): Atlanta has the league’s top scoring offense, as quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones are having huge years. Ryan ranks second in the league in passing (3,813 yards) and third in touchdown tosses (27) while Jones leads the league in receiving yards (1,253). The Falcons also have the league’s worst pass defense, though, and have been terrible in the red zone – allowing touchdowns on 76.2 percent of drives inside the 20.

Atlanta Stats:
Team record: 7-5 SU,7-5 ATS
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 7 games
Atlanta is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road

ABOUT THE RAMS (4-8): Los Angeles’ offense ranks last in the league, and things have not improved since No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff took over at quarterback. After putting up respectable numbers in a loss to New Orleans two weeks ago, Goff went 14-of-32 for just 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Patriots. The defense that carried the Rams early in the season has been exposed in the last two games, allowing a season-high 555 yards versus the Saints before giving up 402 last week.

Los Angeles Stats:
Team record: 4-8 SU,4-7-1 ATS
Current Streak: lost 3 straight games.
Los Angeles is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Los Angeles is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles’s last 6 games

EXTRA POINTS
1. Ryan has averaged 308.2 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in his last six road games.
2. Los Angeles DE Robert Quinn has recorded a sack in five straight home contests.
3. Atlanta LB Vic Beasley leads the NFC and ranks second in the league with 10 1/2 sacks while Los Angeles has allowed 31 – including seven in its last two games.

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Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons
When: 11/27/2016 1:00 PM

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Falcons -4.5 O/U: 51
PREDICTION: Falcons 40, Cardinals 28
Oddsmakers currently have the Falcons listed as 6-point favorites versus the Cardinals, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

One team is hoping to prevent a second-half slide like the one that derailed its season a year ago.

The other is just trying to keep its head above water, knowing that one more loss could effectively end any chance it has left of making the playoffs for a third straight year.

That and more are on the line Sunday at the Georgia Dome when the Arizona Cardinals (4-5-1) visit the Atlanta Falcons (6-4) in a pivotal NFC battle.

This marks the seventh time in the past 11 years that the teams met, with each splitting the previous six meetings.

It’s a chance for the Falcons to extend their slim lead in the NFC South over the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers. It’s a chance for the Cardinals to possible salvage their season — at least for another week.

Asked if his team had a sense of urgency, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, who had to spend a night in the hospital because of chest pains following his team’s latest loss — a 26-20 defeat at Minnesota — just scowled.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “If you don’t have one right now you don’t belong in the business, and you damn sure don’t belong in this locker room.”

The Cardinals have been searching for answers all season after a 13-3 regular season a year ago in which the offense set multiple franchise records and quarterback Carson Palmer was in the conversation for MVP candidacy upon setting several career firsts.

Palmer and the offense, however, went missing in 2016 and other than second-year running back David Johnson, who ranks third in the league in rushing with 863 yards, there hasn’t been any of the same consistency Arians and the Cardinals are used to enjoying.

Palmer said there’s only one thing on the team’s mind as it gets ready for the Falcons.

“To win one game,” he said. “Can’t worry about seeding or standings or division records; nothing matters other than this game. As leaders, as the older guys in the locker room, you just keep everybody’s focus on one day at a time, finishing today. We’ve got the practice part done. We have a lot of meetings and a lot of tape to watch. You finish day after day after day, and that’s the mindset that we have.”

As for the Falcons, they still have last season on their mind. Atlanta began 6-1, but scuffled their way to a 2-7 finish over their last nine games to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

Another second-half collapse wouldn’t only be punishing, it could lead to more changes once again for a franchise that hasn’t been able to finish what it started. Coach Dan Quinn acknowledged that still resonates across the organization, but that last season’s second-half fail could propel the Falcons moving forward.

“Well, we certainly hope so,” Quinn said. “The scars that you get when you finish poorly, they definitely leave a mark. We’re a way different team than our 2015 team — our mental toughness, our resilience; we’re just tighter, we’re better, we’re more complete in that way.

“That’s, I think, the biggest difference. Although we didn’t finish all of them like we’d like to this year, I would say we’re quite a bit different outfit than we were at the end of 2015.”

Atlanta boasts one of the league’s best offenses. It’s ranked first in points per game (32.0), yards per play (6.7), passing yards per play (8.9) and touchdowns scored (36). Overall, the offense is ranked third, averaging 416.6 yards per game.

Quarterback Matt Ryan is enjoying one of his finest season to date, ranking second in passing yards (3,247), third in passing touchdowns (24) and fourth in completion percentage (68.2). His favorite target, wide receiver Julio Jones, leads the league in receiving yards (1,105) and has been difficult for everyone to slow down.

Jones had 10 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown in his last game against the Cardinals two years ago, torching Arizona’s All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson. That was the season in which Peterson, however, was dealing with Diabetes and it had to be diagnosed, which led to his worst season in the pros.

Peterson is completely different player now, however, and Jones can see that on film.

“He dropped that weight, looks like he’s in better shape,” Jones said. “He’s always a good athlete, a guy who can make plays. He can pretty much do a lot of great things.”

Peterson will shadow Jones throughout the game, something other teams have tried and failed to do against Jones this season.

“Teams have been trying to do that, but they’ve been playing a lot of two-man while they were doing it,” Jones said. “They’ll take their OK corner and put him over me and then just have safety help, and try to put the better corner on the other side, try to let him lock that side down. Pat P, it’s just usually one-on-one. It’s always been great matchups between us.”

The Cardinals get Tyrann Mathieu, their playmaking safety, back this week after the Honey Badger missed the last two games because of a shoulder subluxation. His addition could make the league’s top-ranked defense, which is allowing a league-low 287.4 total yards per game as well as the fewest passing yards per game (190.2), that much more dangerous.

As good as Arizona’s defense has been, Mathieu said it hasn’t been good enough.

“I think we could play better,” he said. “Every game, there’s like three or four plays where we’re just giving up touchdowns or giving up big plays. We’ve got to continue to create turnovers, we’ve got to create more turnovers, we’ve got to find a way to score and shorten the field for our offense.”

Mathieu said the Cardinals will have their hands full with Ryan, Jones and Atlanta’s running back tandem of Davonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who is finally healthy.

“They’re a dominating offense, obviously,” he said. “Matt Ryan is playing tremendous right now, Julio, it goes without saying, and they’ve got two running back that are definitely going to try and hurt us in the run and the pass game, so our front has to play well, our linebackers have to play well and then on the back end, we’ve got to do a good of containing Julio.”

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San Diego Chargers vs. Atlanta Falcons
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 23, 2016
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Falcons -6.5. O/U: 53.5
PREDICTION: Falcons 34, Chargers 27

The San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at Georgia Dome.

Oddsmakers currently have the Falcons listed as 6-point favorites versus the Chargers, while the game’s total is sitting at 50½.

Atlanta boasts the league’s top offense, averaging 441.5 total yards and 33.2 points, but has failed to hit either mark in the last two games. Ryan and Julio Jones have developed into the league’s most prolific passing duo, but it was a drop by Jones that resulted in the game-turning interception against the Seahawks. The Falcons have been tough on the run, but the young secondary has faced rough patches and will have a difficult assignment versus Rivers and the Chargers. The Falcons were a 26-24 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Seahawks. They covered the +6.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (50) made winners of OVER bettors.

Team record: 4-2 SU,5-1 ATS
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games

Despite numerous injuries, San Diego has the league’s No. 3 scoring offense largely on the strength of Rivers and the passing game. Turnovers are a concern, though, as the Chargers have 13 giveaways – including an NFL-high 10 lost fumbles – and have committed at least two turnovers in four straight games. The defense struggled early in the season but was stout against Denver and has yet to allow 100 yards rushing in a contest. The Chargers were a 21-13 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Broncos. They covered the +3-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (34) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Team record: 2-4 SU,4-2 ATS
San Diego is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games
San Diego is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego’s last 7 games

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Atlanta at N.Y. Giants
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 20, 2015
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX.
LINE: Giants -2.5. O/U: 51.5
PREDICTION: Giants 23, Falcons 20
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Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 3-point favorites versus the Falcons, while the game’s total is sitting at 50.

New York’s offense wasn’t sharp in the opener, with one touchdown coming on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s fumble return and the other coming on Jennings’ plunge after an interception return to the 1-yard line. Manning threw for 193 yards on 20-of-36 while Jennings rushed for 52 yards and wideout Odell Beckham had a team-high five receptions for 44 yards. With star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul recuperating from a fireworks accident, the Giants allowed Dallas to convert fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 76 and 72 yards that took 2:53 and 1:27.

The Giants were a 27-26 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Cowboys. They covered the +7-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (53) made winners of OVER bettors.

Team record: 0-1 SU,1-0 ATS
NY Giants is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NY Giants is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of NY Giants’s last 11 games
NY Giants is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

Atlanta’s Julio Jones put on a show in the season opener by hauling in nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns while fellow wideout Roddy White had four receptions for 84 yards. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 298 yards with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions while rookie running back Tevin Coleman provided balance to the offense by rushing for 80 yards on 20 carries in his NFL debut. The Falcons surrendered 336 passing yards to Philadelphia after ranking last in the NFL last season with an average of 279.9 yards allowed.

The Falcons were a 26-24 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Eagles. They covered the +3.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (50) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Team record: 1-0 SU,1-0 ATS
Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games on the road

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