Nine years.
That’s how long we’ve been traveling down to Atlanta as a group for the Panthers/Falcons games. Coordinating trips to this annual NFC South rivalry matchup in 2008 is really how the Roaring Riot started; in those nine years we have had many more low moments than we have highs (we’re 2-7 attending these games; but I’ll be dammed if those two wins weren’t incredible). The experience of taking over the Buckhead bars and sitting together with hundreds of Panthers fans and friends in the Georgia Dome while cheering on our beloved Panthers always brings us back. After losing the only regular season game of the 2015 season in ATL and the Julio 300-yard receiving game of 2016, I said to myself that it was time for a break and that I wasn’t going back in 2017.
Welp, here we are….
The NFL didn’t do me any favors in my quest to skip ATL in 2017. For starters, the Falcons have a new one-billion-dollar stadium that the Panthers will be playing in for the first time. Listen, I, along with all sports fans that don’t have a 404 area code, hate the Falcons just as much as any Panthers fan does; I’m always down for a good “piped in crowd noise”/“Matt Ryan wears braided belts”/”28-3” joke, but I dig visiting new stadiums. And just like I did with Jerry’s World in Dallas, I’m willing to overcome my hate and give credit where credit’s due; the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta looks amazing. As much as I would enjoy not being around Falcons fans for this game, the opportunity to see the Panthers play their first ever game in this new stadium is historic and a must.
Our first trip to Atlanta. I totally remember 100% of this trip.
Secondly, the NFL scheduled this game on New Year’s Eve. I’m not advocating that Atlanta is some great NYE experience, but I can tell you being with a ton of Roaring Riot members and Panthers fans, tailgating before the game, and then getting the chance to ring in the New Year watching Yacht Rock Revue at Park Tavern most certainly is. We got to spend 2016 NYE in Tampa with the Roaring Riot and it was a total blast; naturally, when this game was scheduled, it certainly raised my interest.
And finally, something that the NFL hopes when scheduling these kind of Divisional matchups in Week 17 but can never totally accurately predict, this game is going to be HUGE. It’s always a heated game between the Panthers and Falcons, but this game to end the 2017 regular season will 100% have playoff seeding implications for both teams AND there is a scenario where the winner of this game could end up the NFC South Champion while the loser is completely out of the playoffs. This game could literally be the most important regular season game in Panthers’ franchise history. That’s INSANE. And there’s NO WAY I’m not going to be there for that.
Currently we’re just under 400 Panthers fans who have registered for the trip and who are going to do their part to help us impact this game. We need more of you there. There is still time to secure your spot to be there with us when the Panthers lock in their playoff spot, but you need to make your move soon.
Join us for the 2017 ATL Takeover. The ATL Takeover is officially SOLD OUT!
