MINNEAPOLIS -- In a matter a week the Falcons went from being controllers of their own playoff destiny to a team that needed help from multiple teams to make the postseason. In just more than 24 hours in Week 16 the Birds regained control and played themselves into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Atlanta held off a fourth-quarter charge and defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-17 Sunday afternoon. The win, coupled with Tampa Bay and Dallas losses clinches at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs for Atlanta. The Falcons can still win the NFC South and get a postseason home game with a win next week over St. Louis and a Carolina Panthers loss at New Orleans.
But for once the Falcons don't have to concern themselves with elaborate playoff scenarios or results from other games when it comes to their own future. They can enjoy a hard-fought victory over a division-leading team and step into the postseason that a majority of experts declared next to impossible after last season's turmoil and 4-12 finish.
"I really can’t tell you how proud I am of this football team," Head Coach Mike Smith said. "They went out and played extremely hard. We have talked about from the very beginning that this is a process that we are going through. The guys really have adone a great job. Now we have secured a playoff spot. I told them early today that it doesn’t mean we are done with the process. We are going to continue to work.
Atlanta turned four Vikings turnovers into 10 points Sunday afternoon, taking advantage of an offense that found ways to put the breaks on itself for much of the game. Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson fumbled twice and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson fumbled off a Kindal Moorehead sack in the third quarter. Wide receiver Eric Weems also forced a Bernard Berrian fumble on a first-quarter punt.
The Vikings fumbled thrice more in the game but managed to recover the ball.
"I thought we would get at least two or three (turnovers)," defensive end John Abraham said. "We did a good job of taking out Adrian, though. He got some big runs on us and we hit him. We knew the ball was fumbling. I think we did a good job of doing that. Closing our gaps and doing what we had to do. We pressured the quarterback a lot. He did a good job of getting out of the pocket and making plays for them."
In a matchup that featured the league's best rushing offense (Atlanta) going against the top run defense, the running game did just enough out on top. Michael Turner rushed for 70 yards and a score on the first drive of the game, setting the bar for an offense that was balanced, consistent and protective of the football. That percision helped the Falcons, who trailed in almost every category including total yards and time of possesion.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan led a 64-yard scoring drive off the opening kick and got the Falcons in the end zone with a shovel pass to Jerious Norwood on the first play of the second quarter to put the Birds up 14-7. Atlanta added a 22-yard Jason Elam field goal to go up 17-7 at halftime.
A lackluster third quarter showed signs of life with Moorhead's sack and forced fumble with 11:11 remaining. The ball was recovered at the Atlanta 46 by Davis, his second fumble recovery of the afternoon, but the Falcons were forced to punt after three plays.
The Falcons defense forced another punt with 6:20 left, setting the stage for one of the more dramatic moments of the season.
Atlanta took over at its own 49 and marched into the red zone. On second-and-goal from the Minnesota 5-yard line, Ryan rolled out of the pocket and sprinted toward the end zone. He dove for the goal line but the ball was knocked free.
The quarterback was up-ended and landed on his face just inside the end zone. The ball bounced around a bit but was recovered by offensive lineman Justin Blalock for a touchdown. The second-year player became the first lineman to score a touchdown since 1996 (Robbie Tobeck) and put the Falcons up 24-7 with just more than 17 minutes to play in the game.
"I do not know; the ball just seemed to gravitate toward me," Blalock said. "I have strong hands and no leverage. You get down there and just start leaning on people and good things happen."
Ryan finished with 134 passing yards on 13 completions. His favorite target was wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who caught four passes for 61 yards. Minnesota was led by tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who led all pass catchers with seven grabs for 136 yards (two touchdowns). Besides fumbling three times, Peterson rushed for 76 yards. The defense was led again by Abraham, who got one sack and set a new franchise record (16.5). Davis also recorded a sack.
Minnesota added 10 fourth-quarter points and pulled within one score with 2:40 remaining. The Vikings had the ball at their own 33 with 2:14 remaining but steady pressure from the Falcons defense proved too much.
"We knew coming into today we would have to stop the run and make them pass," Davis said. "I think we did pretty good in doing that making them pass. We kind of let down a little bit letting the quarterback run. We were seeing that he was just letting it go. We fought though. We just kept going and going. We knew if we would get on top that we were going to stay on top and they won’t be able to come back."
The clock ran out on the Vikings has not finished for the Falcons, who are guaranteed at least 17 games in this magical season.
"To come from the beginning of this year with all the negative expectations and negative talk around our camp, it feels pretty good to be here," Blalock said. "We have another game left, and we are going to go back to work like we have done this season. That is what has got us to this point and is going to keep us going wherever we are headed."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-VIKINGS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Metrodome press box
- GAME RECAP: Falcons lock up playoff berth with victory
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- GAME BLOG: In-game thoughts on FalconsLIFE from "It's a Mod's Life"
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: More thoughts from the AF.com Managing Editor
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Quarterback Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Highlights | Michael Turner | Matt Ryan | Falcons in the Playoffs
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Vikings
- PHOTOS: Images from the Falcons victory at Minnesota
- INACTIVES: Inactive players and starters from the Falcons-Vikings game
