Falcons vs. Lions, Week 16: Players from both teams break records in Atlanta's big win

The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Detroit Lions, 31-18, on the road Saturday night, sealing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Matt Ryan broke a franchise single-season record for touchdowns thrown by tossing four in the first half for a total of 31 on the season with one game to go. He wasn't the only one breaking records, though. Calvin Johnson, who had 225 receiving yards on the night, has now broken Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record, set in 1995. Johnson now has 1,892 receiving yards on the season.

The Falcoholic's Alex Welch enjoyed the team's big road win over the Lions and mentioned how nice it is to have home (dome) field advantage all locked up heading into the final week of the regular season, but he also mentioned that the next step is to do something the Falcons have had trouble with over the last few seasons: Win in the playoffs.

A first-round bye and the top seed in the conference looks pretty nice on the 2012 resume. Of course, the next obstacle to overcome is winning in the playoffs, but with the way this team is playing down the stretch, we all should feel confident about their chances at this point.

He also pointed out that with the Falcons heading into Week 17 with a 13-2 record, they have a chance to tie their 14-2 record from the 1998 season, which is the only year they went to the Super Bowl.

The Falcons take on the Buccaneers at home next Sunday, while the Lions wrap up the season at home against the Chicago Bears. For more coverage on the Falcons, make sure you head to The Falcoholic, and for the Lions, head to the Pride of Detroit.