In a rare Saturday night NFL matchup, the Atlanta Falcons (12-2) will face off against the Detroit Lions (4-10). The Falcons will look to finish out the season strong and ride that momentum into the postseason.

After clinching a berth into the playoffs last season, the Lions find themselves in an unfamiliar role, playing the spoiler.

On the other hand, Atlanta can lock down home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs if they can defeat Detroit, who is currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak.

My most club's standards, the Falcons have been successful in the past two seasons posting a 13-3 record in 2010 and a 10-6 mark last year. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the first game in each of the past two postseasons.

"I think it's important that you're playing efficiently and effectively in December and January, and I think that's what every team is striving for," Falcons coach Mike Smith told ESPN.

"I think over the last two seasons, the teams that were playing well in December and got really rolling were the teams that had the most success and the teams that ultimately were the world champions. So I think momentum is very important," he added.

Atlanta will go up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home next week and need one victory to ensure home-field advantage. However, the Falcons can also clinch the No. 1 spot if the Green Bay Packers were lose or draw and the San Francisco 49ers were to lose.

Nonetheless, the Falcons would prefer to enter the postseason with three consecutive wins under their belts.

"We still have some things in front of us, in terms of the regular season, that we want to accomplish and get done," quarterback Matt Ryan said.

CLICK HERE to watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the Detroit Lions via free live stream. Coverage of the NFL matchup will begin at 8:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 22.

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