Where to watch

Take in the action with a cheering crowd at a sports bar,

The NFL playoffs are upon us. With the Atlanta Falcons playing a critical playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks today, Atlanta will be rife with thirsty, impassioned fans. Where do they all go? Answer: that great American bastion of gridiron and deep fryer — the sports bar.

If you’re ready to watch the home team in action but you don’t have tickets, here is where to pony up with a crowd:

STATS

300 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-885-1472.

There may not be a more ideal environment in Atlanta on game day than STATS. Practically in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz stadium, STATS is a sports bar through and through.

There are beer taps installed right there at the table, so no need to wait on refills, and the audio visual systems at STATS are top-notch.

On big game days in Atlanta — such as the SEC Championship game — STATS is an absolute zoo, so factor that into the “we should go” or “we should avoid” discussion in your home.

Dantanna’s Buckhead

3400 Around Lenox Drive, Atlanta. 404-760-8873.

If the pandemonium of game day at STATS is a little less sophisticated than your personal preferences, opt for Dantanna’s in Buckhead.

You can’t miss at any of the three Atlanta locations (CNN Center, Buckhead and Sandy Springs), but Buckhead also offers a cigar lounge, and that helps the location distinguish itself in Atlanta’s crowded sports bar scene.

After all, why chug beer when you can sip an old fashioned?

The humidor (in Buckhead) and bourbon selections at Dantanna’s stay well stocked.

TopGolf Midtown

1600 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. N.W., Atlanta. 404-475-4000.

If perhaps a healthy mix of sports observation and sports participation is your favorite way to watch football, TopGolf is the ideal place to watch a game.

There are two locations in Atlanta, Midtown off Ellsworth Industrial and Alpharetta near North Point Mall.

In both cases, there are few bars with a better claim to gameday heaven than TopGolf. The elevated driving range can make anyone feel like Bubba Watson, slapping golf balls from three stories up into the sky and out some 200 yards into the back netting.

Dugan’s

777 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-885-1217.

If you like rowdy sports bars — the kind at which relentless trash is talked — then take your gameday experience to Dugan’s while you still can. The bar opened in 1982, in a sleepier time for the community, and more recently faced rumors that the property will be sold to Chick-fil-A. That rumor was disputed by the property owner, but not the underlying notion that some other high bidder could push Dugan’s from the suddenly valuable block. Bars for those looking to root with like-minded football fans:

The Brass Tap

4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, #32, Atlanta. 770-557-0232.

The Florida-based chain opened its first Georgia location in the Park Place Shopping Center in February 2016 and somehow quickly became a Seattle Seahawks hangout.

“It’s kind of random,” said bartender Jewels Thacker. “We have a large Falcons following, too, but since the beginning of football season, it slowly transformed into this Seahawks following.”

In addition to the 20 overhead TVs, a large projector screen to broadcast the game, and a selection of 300 craft beers, the bar also offers a Seahawks shot — a combo of Red Bull, Blue Curacao and Sour Apple Pucker.

Other home bases

Just about every NFL franchise has a sports bar home base in Atlanta — for example, the Packers at TJ’s Sports Bar in Roswell.

Cowboys fans should head to TopGolf in Midtown, where Cowboys Nation ATL meets each week.