Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian spent the offseason Bobby Ryan Jersey , training camp and preseason fine-tuning an Atlanta offense that's expected to be elite in his second year.

When the Falcons and Eagles open the NFL regular season Thursday night in Philadelphia, Sarkisian will be back in his role as play-caller, giving him a chance to move past some of the disappointment of eight months ago.

"To say that we had a fourth-and-goal at the 2 against the team that went on to the win the Super Bowl and it was a bang-bang play tells you that we're very close, and it's been this offseason of getting over that hump," Sarkisian told The Associated Press this week.

"So we're very hungry and looking forward to the opportunity."

Sarkisian's first season wasn't exactly a bust. The offense led the NFL in third-down percentage and ranked eighth in passing as Atlanta went 10-6 and won a wild-card playoff game at the Los Angeles Rams.

But the Falcons dropped from first in scoring to 15th. Quarterback Matt Ryan, the league MVP the year before, threw 18 fewer touchdowns, was intercepted five additional times and had his passer rating fall over 16 points from the NFL's best.

Even worse, the offense developed a reputation for being predictable. Atlanta scored its only touchdown in the divisional playoff game after the Eagles lost a fumble at their 18-yard line. The Falcons, who were favored to win, went scoreless in the second half.

Yet they still had a chance to sneak away with a win before it all fell apart at the 2.

With the ball on the left hash mark, the Eagles said they knew the call before the snap as soon as tight end Levine Toilolo motioned right across the formation . They had only one half of the field to defend as Ryan rolled right and came under quick pressure.

Julio Jones, the star receiver and obvious target, fell down in the right side of the end zone, but got up quickly enough against cornerback Jalen Mills to turn and face the quarterback. Ryan lofted up a perfect pass. The ball went through Jones' hands .

Sarkisian, a former head coach at Washington and Southern Cal, has been through similar moments before, but this was his first big test as a coordinator in the NFL. He said he did the best he could.

"You put together a plan throughout the week and you get into situations and things are going accordingly Authentic Ezekiel Elliott Jersey , you trust the plan," he said.

The Falcons are hoping to improve in Sarkisian's second year the way they did in the second season of his predecessor, Kyle Shanhan, who called the plays that helped Atlanta win the 2016 NFC title.

Sarkisian said he feels more comfortable this time around, and it's obvious why.

Ryan and Jones and center Alex Mack are three of the league's best at their positions. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are tough to defend in the open field and the receiving corps that still includes dependable veteran Mohamed Sanu and added Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley as a first-round pick.

The biggest issue is getting the ball to Jones more often in the red zone. Sarkisian was heavily criticized last year for not having Jones, a two-time All-Pro, dialed in more often as Ryan's No. 1 option inside the opponents' 20.

"I think I'd be remiss not to say we need to get No. 11 the ball," Sarkisian said, "and we need to make sure you defend No. 11, and Julio demands coverage that way."

Notes: Long snapper Josh Harris was limited in practice Tuesday after missing Monday's session with a hip injury. Coach Dan Quinn said he Harris will be a game-time decision. Two reserves, G Ben Garland and CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson, will not play, but the Falcons are otherwise healthy.

SCOREBOARD

Sunday, Jan. 7

Buffalo at Jacksonville, 1:05 p.m. EST. The Bills (9-7) are making their first playoff appearance since 1999, ending a 17-year absence that was the longest for any team in the four major North American sports leagues. The Jaguars (10-6) are in the postseason for the first time since the 2007 season, and won their first division title since 1999. They’re coached by Doug Marrone, who was Buffalo’s head coach from 2013-14.

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Carolina at New Orleans Youth Pavel Zacha Jersey , 4:40 p.m. EST. Two familiar foes cap wild-card weekend as Cam Newton’s Panthers (11-5) take on Drew Brees’ Saints (11-5) for the third time this season. New Orleans won the previous two meetings, with the victories bookending an 8-1 stretch for the Saints en route to the NFC South title. The Panthers will have tight end Greg Olsen, who missed the earlier matchups because of a foot injury.

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STARS

Passing

– Marcus Mariota, Titans, led three second-half touchdown drives, incredibly throwing one of his TD passes to himself, and the Titans rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 for their first playoff win in 14 years.

– Matt Ryan, Falcons, went 21 of 30 for 218 yards and a TD to lead Atlanta past the Los Angeles Rams 26-13.

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Rushing

– Derrick Henry, Titans, had a career-high 156 yards rushing and scored a 35-yard touchdown run.

– Devonta Freeman, Falcons, ran for 66 yards and a TD on 18 carries.

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Receiving

– Julio Jones, Falcons, had nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.

– Tyreek Hill, Chiefs, caught seven passes for a game-high 87 yards.

– Robert Woods, Rams Bo Horvat Jersey , had 142 yards on nine receptions.

– Delanie Walker, Titans, had six receptions for 74 yards.

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Special Teams

– Matt Bryant, Falcons, booted four field goals – from 29, 51, 25 and 54 yards.

– Ryan Succop, Titans, kicked a 49-yard field goal.

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Defense

– Brian Orakpo, Titans, had 1 1/2 sacks.

– Deion Jones, Falcons had 10 overall tackles and a pass-defensed.

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STREAKS & STATS

With a 22-21 loss to Tennessee, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t won a home playoff game since January 1994. … Atlanta’s 26-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams gave the Falcons playoff victories in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. … Atlanta won a road playoff game for the first time in 5,481 days. The Falcons’ last postseason road victory came in the 2002 playoffs, when Michael Vick’s Falcons defeated Brett Favre’s Green Bay Packers. … Tennessee won a playoff game for the first time in 5,117 days, beating Kansas City 22-21. The Titans’ last playoff win came on Jan. 3, 2004 Craig Smith Jersey , when Tennessee topped Baltimore.

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MILESTONES

Los Angeles’ Cooper Kupp became the first Rams rookie to catch a touchdown pass in the playoffs since Torry Holt in the 2000 Super Bowl. … Derrick Henry became the third player in Titans history to have 100 or more yards rushing in a playoff game, joining Eddie George (twice) and Earl Campbell. … Alex Smith’s two TD passes against Tennessee put him past Len Dawson (seven) for the most in Chiefs playoff history with nine.

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COMEBACK KIDS

Tennessee became the third road team to rally from at least 18 points down to win a playoff game in NFL history. The Titans trailed Kansas City 21-3 at halftime before storming back in the second half to win 22-21. Dallas came back from 21-3 in the first half to beat San Francisco 30-28 in December 1972, and Detroit came back from 27-7 in the second half to beat San Francisco in December 1957.

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FROM ME TO … ME

Marcus Mariota capped a 91-yard TD drive to start the second half of Tennessee’s 22-21 win at Kansas City in bizarre fashion: He threw a TD pass to himself. His throw to the end zone was batted right back at him by Darrelle Revis, and Mariota hauled it in and dived for the goal line. It was the first time a player has thrown a TD pass to himself in the playoffs, and the first time in any game since the Vikings’ Brad Johnson during the 1997 season.

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PARTY POOPERS

Atlanta’s 26-13 victory ruined a celebratory night for the Los Angeles Rams, who rebounded from a rough homecoming season in 2016 with an outstanding debut year under 31-year-old Sean McVay, the youngest head coach to reach the playoffs in NFL history. A raucous crowd of 74,300 packed the Coliseum on a crisp evening for the first NFL playoff game in the nation’s second-largest city since early 1994. Los Angeles went 21 years without pro football before the Rams returned last season, and the franchise emphatically ended a 13-year streak of non-winning seasons this fall with an inspiring run to the Rams’ first division title since 2003.

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COOP’S WHOOPS

Pharoh Cooper is headed to the Pro Bowl after his outstanding regular season as a kick returner, but the second-year pro’s misadventures in his playoff debut cost the Los Angeles Rams dearly. He muffed a punt that bounced off teammate Blake Countess in the first quarter, and Matt Bryant subsequently hit the Falcons’ first field goal. After Bryant’s second field goal later in the quarter, Cooper got stripped by Damontae Kazee during a kickoff return at the Rams 32, and the Falcons drove for a TD.

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SIDELINED

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