Trailing the Falcons 7-0, taking possession on their 8-yard line, the Panthers went run for a loss, incompletion, incompletion, punt returned for a touchdown. Carolina took the ensuing kickoff back to only its 13, then went run no gain, incompletion, pass no gain, punt. At the end of the first quarter, Carolina had 1 total yard of offense. Just to prove this was no fluke, trailing 21-0 in the second half, the Cats kicked a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Atlanta 5. The latter probably was so departing coach John Fox could avoid being accused of being shut out in his final game.
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Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesThe real explanation for the Falcons' hot streak.
What explains the Falcons being the NFC's top seed, on a 16-3 streak stretching back to last season, and having a starting quarterback with a 20-2 home record? Cheer-babe professionalism! As recently as 2008, Stephanie Blank, wife of the Falcons' owner, objected that some NFL cheerleader squads were "too sexy." Setting aside the metaphysical question of how they could ever be "too" sexy, her view was clearly wrong within the pro sports context. In 2009, she allowed the Atlanta cheerleaders to switch to bikini-style, two-piece outfits loosely modeled on those worn by the Philadelphia Eagles' cheerleaders. The football gods were propitiated, and the Falcons have been red-hot since.
