The Atlanta Falcons are the conference #1 seed for the first time since 1980.�The last time they had home field advantage, the Falcons with Steve Bartkowski had a 24-10 lead on the Dallas Cowboys entering the fourth quarter. They had a 10-point lead with less than 6 minutes remaining after a field goal.�The Cowboys had a new quarterback, Danny White, taking over for a legend in Roger Staubach, and there were questions as to whether White could win a big game.

White rallied the Cowboys, hitting Drew Pearson for two touchdowns, the second one coming with only 42 seconds remaining.�Atlanta has since hosted�two divisional round games as the #2 seed, after the 1998 and 2004 seasons.� For Falcons fans�old enough to remember, it would be nice to exorcise the ghosts of that 1980 defeat.

Aaron Rodgers comes in hoping to play the role of Danny White and silence critics about his ability to win�games in the playoffs.�The vitriol directed at Rodgers has been odd, considering that he and Ryan have been starting for the same period of time, and neither have accomplished anything in the playoffs yet.

I profiled the first time these teams met�earlier this week, an Atlanta victory by the score of 20-17.�The Packers were able to pass successfully in that game for the most part, but failed in the red zone and in short yardage on third down.�Rookie James Starks had over 100 yards rushing in the wildcard round, exceeding his season total.�He"s looking to become the next Timmy Smith, the seldom used running back who emerged in the Super Bowl for Washington 23 years ago.�I"m not ready to declare the Packers" inconsistencies in rushing the ball cured, but he looks more explosive than Brandon Jackson.

CB Brian Williams is out for tonight"s game for Atlanta. He"s not the starter (the underrated Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson are) but against a team that can go four deep at receiver with Jennings, Driver, Jones and Nelson, it could be a factor.� I would look for the Packers to spread the field with 3+ receivers early to test this.

Atlanta, meanwhile, is going to try to get Roddy White more involved.� He"ll likely be matched up with Tramon Williams frequently, but the Falcons need White to play big against a tough matchup.� Last time, Atlanta hurt Green Bay on third down with Tony Gonzalez and the backs, primarily third down specialist Jason Snelling.� I would look for some adjustments to be made of that this game, and Atlanta will need to counter with getting White the ball, perhaps on quicker routes or throws near the line.

The Falcons have been an efficient group, maximizing their opportunities, and they like to get into�manageable third down�situations by running Turner on first and second down.� If there has been an area that the Packers have failed at times this year, it is in rush defense, so I would expect a similar strategy tonight.

The tale of the tape shows the Packers with better efficiency numbers, while Atlanta leads in the number that got them home field advantage, wins.

The line: Atlanta by 2

My pick: Green Bay 27, Atlanta 20.�If you saw my playoff picks, you know I picked Green Bay, so I"m not going off that now.��The AFC matchups are getting the attention because of the rivalries, but I"m really looking forward to this one.� The first matchup was compelling, and it will be interesting to see who makes adjustments off the things they didn"t do well the first time around.

[photo via Getty]