The Season of Miracles: Atlanta Falcons Clinch Playoffs With Win Over Vikings

After an impressive first half of play and up 17-7, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said to his team, "One more half and we're in."

With the knowledge that Tampa Bay had lost, Atlanta knew what could happen to their season.

Up to that point, everything they'd needed to happen had happened. The other team that needed to lose to help the Falcons' cause was the Cowboys, who fell to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.

And with one more half to play, as their quarterback said, they'd be "in," meaning they'd clinch an NFC playoff berth.

But to be in, they still needed to win—and it didn't come easy, just as nothing has the past two years for the Atlanta Falcons.

Last year in Week 16, the Falcons found themselves in Arizona in a game of no consequence, simply going through the motions to cap a season that was everything if not forgettable.

For a team that was given no chance of finding any success this season, it's not a bad way to end two wild years—playoff bound.

Defensive end John Abraham, who recorded one sack to give him a franchise record 16.5, was overcome with emotion.

Describing the moment that culminated a season that saw his career flash back to his early dominance and a team that was written off before any games were even played, the defensive end said, "I teared up. It all hit me. To have a year like this, to fight like this, after what everybody was saying about us—I actually teared up. Never happened before.”

Abraham was talking about his personal fight and the fight of his entire team. The coaching staff limited his snaps this season in an effort to keep the notoriously injured Abraham healthy, and for the most part it worked. But as the season wore on, so did the injuries.

Few knew it last week, but Abraham said he'd doubted he'd be able to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his body so dinged up from the double and triple teams he's faced all season. The adrenaline kicked in at game time and he decided to give it a go. He finished with three sacks in the game, for the third time this season, none more important than his Bucs-drive-stopper in overtime.

This Atlanta Falcons team showed that kind of fight all season. Coach Mike Smith often spoke of his team's resiliency following games, and that has come to epitomize this season for the Falcons.

While the win on Sunday was not pretty and wasn't accomplished in traditional ways, they capitalized on Minnesota mistakes and hung on in the second half to get the job done.

Minnesota fumbled seven times, turning it over four times to the Falcons. Atlanta wasn't able to take advantage of each turnover, but they were able to muster 10 points out of those turnovers, which proved to be enough.

On a day that found Atlanta facing one of the toughest defenses in the NFL, they were able to do just enough on offense to create a cushion that would be insurmountable for the fumble-prone Vikings.

Atlanta started quickly in the first quarter. Ryan went to the no-huddle offense on the first possession hoping to stay ahead of the crowd noise, and it proved to be a wise decision. They used a balanced attack and two Vikings penalties to drive the length of the field and scored on a Michael Turner one-yard touchdown run.

The drive took 12 plays, went 74 yards, and used 6:14 off the clock. The running back Turner's touchdown was his 16th of the season, tying a franchise record. Turner's touchdown was the seventh time this season Atlanta has scored on its opening possession. In those seven games they are 7-0.

But this game was never a done deal, despite all the Minnesota turnovers. Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson played well, finishing the day 22-of-36 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Over half of his yards and both of his touchdowns went to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, whom the Falcons struggled to defend all day.

It's likely they struggled to find an answer to Shiancoe because they entered the game focused on stopping Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, the NFL's leading rusher. While Shiancoe damaged the Falcons, Peterson failed to beat them. The Atlanta defense held Peterson to 76 yards and no touchdowns. The 76 yards were his second lowest rushing total of the season.

The Minnesota Vikings defense came to play, proving they are as good as advertised. They held Turner to 70 yards rushing in addition to his lone touchdown. Matt Ryan and the offense didn't have a great day, but they were patient and scored when opportunities presented themselves.

One of the unsung heroes in the season, offensive guard Justin Blalock, fresh off a timely recovered fumble from the hands of Ryan last week, came through again on Sunday.

Late in the third quarter on second-and-goal, Ryan, unable to find an open receiver, scrambled for the end zone. There was intent in his steps, and he looked determined to find the end zone.

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber met him at the one in a mid-air collision as Ryan was diving for the end zone. A hit that looked nastier than it was jarred the ball loose, and it bounced freely in the end zone. Blalock was there to recover it, and he recorded the first touchdown of his career. It was the first touchdown by a Falcons offensive lineman in 12 years.

Deep into the fourth quarter, Jackson and the Vikings were still within striking distance. As time wore on, Minnesota had to rely less on Peterson and more on Jackson's arm. Jackson used his legs a little to extend more than a few drives. The third-year quarterback ended the day with as many rushing yards as Peterson.

Following a touchdown pass to Shiancoe and a three-and-out by the Falcons, the Vikings took back over with just over two minutes remaining in the game, with an opportunity to tie the game with a touchdown.

After a first down conversion on second down, the Falcons turned up the pressure. They'd done a good job all day getting to Jackson, but his mobility allowed him to flee the pocket and occasionally make a play. On second down linebacker Keith Brooking burst into the backfield, narrowly missing a sack as Jackson threw an incompletion.

Then the player whose resiliency and fight have defined this team's defense came through one last time for Atlanta. Abraham surged around the corner to sack Jackson and force the seventh and final fumble. The Vikings recovered it, but the damage was done. Facing 4th-and-16, Jackson failed to complete a pass to wide receiver Sydney Rice, on the sideline and the game was over.

That incompletion fell at the feet of coach Smith. As the ball hit the ground he threw his hands in the air and his players began to rush to him, eager to congratulate, and quite possibly thank, him. As hugs were going around on the Atlanta sideline, everyone had that look—the look of a team headed to the playoffs.  

In the locker room following the 24-17 win, safety Lawyer Milloy led a chant of, "We're not done." Considering all that Atlanta has overcome, you can't help but agree with Milloy. Surely this team is capable of accomplishing a lot more.

"This is the season of miracles," owner Arthur Blank said, describing the season-long turnaround of his team.

Will wonders never cease? The Atlanta Falcons are in the playoffs.

This article originally appeared on the Atlanta Falcons Examiner page. To view, go here.