The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons soar at right time
After offense rips through the best defense left in the playoffs, Atlanta looks like a team that could win the Super Bowl.
2008 Wild card (at) Cards 30, Falcons 24 26 20 24 40 29 41 199 186 199 2 1 0 2 2 0
That tells us something about Seattle, but far more about the Falcons. They were a good offense all along, but they’ve become one of the NFL’s all-time finest. And for those who point to total yardage as reason to believe this defense is a swinging gate, note that the Seahawks scored a touchdown on their opening drive and not again until 3:21 remained. “They settled back in and made more plays and tackled better,” Quinn said.
Inside the final nine minutes, the Seahawks trailed by 16 and still had a theoretical chance. They had it until Jonathan Babineaux sacked Wilson on second down and the Falcons brought heavy pressure on third-and-16, forcing him to dodge hither and yon before throwing downfield, which he did badly. Safety Ricardo Allen snagged the gift and returned it to the Seattle 46. The clinching touchdown — Ryan to a soaring Mohamed Sanu — was forthcoming.
Don’t misunderstand. The Falcons won’t Steel-Curtain their way to the Lombardi Trophy. But this defense is fast enough and bold enough to hold up its end, and this offense doesn’t need much help. Put it this way: If the Seahawks had somehow scored 35 points Saturday, the Falcons would have gotten 36. When they have the ball, this team truly is something to behold.
And now, not to go all Belichick here, it’s on to the NFC Championship game for the fourth time in franchise annals. It doesn’t matter who the Falcons play, or where. This offense will travel. This team will, too. This team is really good.