Falcons finally fly to victory

ATLANTA �?? Matt Bryant pumped his fist and celebrated atop the Falcons logo in the middle of the field. Tony Gonzalez broke down in tears. Matt Ryan relished the thought of not having to answer a familiar question.

The Atlanta Falcons finally showed they could win a playoff game.

And, wow, what a game it was!

After a meltdown in the fourth quarter, the Falcons pulled off a comeback that will long be remembered in championship-starved Atlanta. Ryan completed two long passes and Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, lifting the NFC�??s top seed to a stunning 30-28 victory over Russell Wilson and the gutty Seattle Seahawks in a divisional game Sunday.

�??Wow!�?� said Falcons coach Mike Smith, summing up this classic as well as anyone could.

Atlanta (14-3) squandered a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling behind for the first time all day when Marshawn Lynch scored on a 2-yard run with 31 seconds left and Ryan Longwell knocked through the extra point for a 28-27 lead.

No team has ever won a playoff game when facing such a daunting deficit in the final period.

The Falcons, thanks to a pair of Matty Ices �?? Ryan and Bryant �?? didn�??t become the first.

Ryan, shaking off his struggles in three previous playoff losses and two interceptions against the Seahawks, hooked up with Harry Douglas on a 29-yard pass in front of the Falcons bench, and Smith quickly signaled a timeout. Then, Ryan went down the middle to his favorite target Gonzalez, a Hall of Famer-to-be playing what could�??ve been his final game.

Gonzalez hauled in the 19-yard throw, and Smith called his final timeout with 13 seconds remaining. Instead of risking another play and having the clock run out, he sent Bryant in for the field goal try.

The Seahawks called time just before the ball was snapped, and Bryant�??s kick sailed right of the upright. That turned out to be nothing more than practice. The next one was right down the middle as Bryant took off in the other direction, pumping his fist before he was mobbed by his teammates.

�??Our quarterback is a special player,�?� Smith said. �??They call him Matty Ice, but I feel like we�??ve got two Matty Ices. There�??s Matty Ice Ryan and Matty Ice Bryant.�?�

The Falcons overcame their reputation for choking in the playoffs, winning their first postseason game since the 2004 season. They�??ll host San Francisco in the NFC championship game next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Bryant knocked through his third game-winning kick of the season. But he�??d never made one like this, with so much on the line.

Wilson threw two TD passes and ran for another, doing all he could to pull off the most improbable of comebacks for the Seahawks.

But the Seattle defense, which is one of the NFL�??s best and had totally stymied the Falcons in the fourth quarter, went to a softer coverage and got burned.

Wilson finished with 385 yards passing as the Seahawks wiped out a 27-7 deficit entering the final quarter. When Lynch powered over, the ball breaking the goal line just before it squirted from his arms, Seattle celebrated like it had won its second straight playoff game on the road, having already taken care of Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins.

Not so fast.

Ryan led the Falcons back, wiping out his 0-3 mark in the playoffs, including a crushing loss to Green Bay two years ago when the Falcons were in the same position, the NFC�??s top-seeded team with home-field advantage in the playoffs.

�??The one thing I�??ve learned during my five years in the league, and specifically in the postseason, is that it�??s hard,�?� Ryan said.

Now, he�??ll no longer be asked why he can�??t win in the playoffs.

�??That�??s going to be nice,�?� Ryan conceded. �??But our goal is not to win one playoff game. Our goals are still in front of us. We still have two more games to go. That�??s the mind-set I have. That�??s the mind-set this team has.�?�

Wilson�??s last throw, a desperation heave into the end zone, was intercepted by Falcons receiver Julio Jones.

Gonzalez, who had never won a playoff game in his 16-year career, broke down in tears after Bryant�??s kick went through the uprights.

�??I�??ve never cried after a win,�?� said Gonzalez, who has stated repeatedly that he�??s �??95 percent�?� sure this is his final year. �??I was thinking, �??Here we go again. I guess it wasn�??t meant to be.�?��??

First Quarter

Atl�??FG Bryant 39, 9:40.

Atl�??Gonzalez 1 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 3:10.

Second Quarter

Atl�??FG Bryant 37, 9:13.

Atl�??White 47 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 4:16.

Third Quarter

Sea�??Tate 29 pass from Wilson (Longwell kick), 9:47.

Atl�??Snelling 5 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 2:11.

Fourth Quarter

Sea�??Wilson 1 run (Longwell kick), 13:01.

Sea�??Miller 3 pass from Wilson (Longwell kick), 9:13.

Sea�??Lynch 2 run (Longwell kick), :31.

Atl�??FG Bryant 49, :08.

A�??70,366.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING�??Seattle, Wilson 7-60, Lynch 16-46, Turbin 4-18, Robinson 1-(minus 1). Atlanta, Turner 14-98, Rodgers 10-64, Ryan 1-6, Jones 1-(minus 1).

PASSING�??Seattle, Wilson 24-36-1-385. Atlanta, Ryan 24-35-2-250.

RECEIVING�??Seattle, Miller 8-142, Tate 6-103, Rice 4-60, Lynch 3-37, Turbin 2-37, Baldwin 1-6. Atlanta, Jones 6-59, Gonzalez 6-51, White 5-76, Douglas 2-29, Rodgers 2-8, Coffman 1-16, Dr.Davis 1-6, Snelling 1-5.

MISSED FIELD GOALS�??None.