The Falcons give up a big lead and fall to the ‘Niners
By Doug Knopf
The curse of the number 1 seed
still stands as the Falcons gave way to a San Francisco comeback. Since 2003, only
three number 1 seeds have made it to the Super Bowl. These number 1 seeds just
cannot finish games, and this is exactly what happened to the Falcons on Sunday
night.
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| AP Photo/ Dave Martin |
Early on, it was all Atlanta. It
seemed like they just had to throw the ball to someone named Jones or Gonzalez
and the team would earn a first down or even more. Julio Jones had two monster
plays in the beginning of the game, establishing himself on the field. A
46-yard touchdown pass and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jones accompanied by a
field goal gave Atlanta a 17-0 lead near the start of the second quarter. Two
great drives by the 49ers brought them right back into the game before Atlanta
closed out at half with a nifty touchdown. It was downhill from there for the
Falcons.
Each team was struggling to make
game changing offensives plays. Matt Ryan, the Falcons quarterback, threw an
interception and fumbled the ball in the third quarter, but the ‘Niners could
not capitalize, with a missed field goal and a fumble of their own. In the
fourth, after a quick three and out by Atlanta, San Francisco was able to score
and take the lead with a six-play 58-yard drive. After the score, the Falcons
got the ball with about eight minutes left and the ability to control the game.
Matt Ryan masterfully crafted a
drive all the way down into ‘Niners territory, dishing and dunking the ball. Already
having converted two third-downs on the drive, the Falcons were faced with a
third and four on the San Francisco 10-yard line. With the clock winding down
below the two-minute mark, they had two chances to get into the end zone. Even
just a first down would have been enough.
Matty Ice did not live up to his
name. He forced two passes into tough coverage, ultimately leading to the
demise of his team.
“We didn’t make the plays when we
had the opportunity,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “They made more plays than
we did.”
