NFC Championship: Atlanta Falcons travel to face Minnesota Vikings at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Minnesota Vikings, the home crowd at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is asked to be a player; for Atlanta Falcons, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Atlanta Falcons versus Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Atlanta Falcons-Minnesota Vikings cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-9 | L5 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 12-4 | W6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 14-2 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-8 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 14-2 | W9 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-10 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-12 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 15-1 | W8 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L4 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 9-7 | -- |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-13 | L3 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 714172730 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 720202727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Jamal Anderson 5 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick) | 7-0 |
| Vikings | Randy Moss 31 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Gary Anderson 29 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Vikings | Randall Cunningham 1 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick) | 7-17 |
| Vikings | Gary Anderson 35 yard field goal | 7-20 |
| Falcons | Terance Mathis 14 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick) | 14-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 27 yard field goal | 17-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Matthew Hatchette 5 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) | 17-27 |
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 24 yard field goal | 20-27 |
| Falcons | Terance Mathis 16 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick) | 27-27 |
| OT | ||
| Falcons | Morten Andersen 38 yard field goal | 30-27 |
| Falcons | Vikings | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 25 | 26 |
| Total Yards | 427 | 356 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 27/43 | 29/48 |
| Pass yards | 340 | 266 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 23 | 12 |
| Net pass yards | 317 | 254 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 29 | 34 |
| Rush yards | 110 | 102 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 2 |
| Penalties | 4 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 65 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | |||||
| Chris Chandler | 27/43 | 340 | 3 | 0 | |
| MIN | |||||
| Randall Cunningham | 29/48 | 266 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Jamal Anderson | 23 | 67 | 0 | 11 |
| Tim Dwight | 3 | 28 | 0 | 21 |
| Chris Chandler | 2 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Ken Oxendine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MIN | ||||
| Robert Smith | 21 | 71 | 0 | 16 |
| Randall Cunningham | 6 | 13 | 1 | 7 |
| Leroy Hoard | 6 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| Charles Evans | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ||||
| Tony Martin | 5 | 129 | 0 | 70 |
| Terance Mathis | 6 | 73 | 2 | 19 |
| O.J. Santiago | 3 | 54 | 0 | 26 |
| Jamal Anderson | 6 | 33 | 1 | 11 |
| Ronnie Harris | 1 | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Brian Kozlowski | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Harold Green | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Ed Smith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| MIN | ||||
| Randy Moss | 6 | 75 | 1 | 31 |
| Cris Carter | 6 | 67 | 0 | 17 |
| Matthew Hatchette | 4 | 34 | 1 | 14 |
| Andrew Glover | 4 | 34 | 0 | 11 |
| Leroy Hoard | 3 | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| Greg DeLong | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| David Palmer | 2 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Charles Evans | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Robert Smith | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
Atlanta Falcons defeated Minnesota Vikings 30-27 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the NFC Championship. The final scoring play was Falcons: Morten Andersen 38 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; Atlanta Falcons won by 3. Top line of the day: Chris Chandler: 340 pass yards on 27-of-43, 3 TD, 0 INT. Atlanta Falcons advance to the Super Bowl.
Atlanta Falcons walked out of Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the team that survived an NFC Championship Minnesota Vikings will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 30-27. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Falcons: Morten Andersen 38 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Atlanta Falcons are bound for the Super Bowl.
Atlanta Falcons 30, Minnesota Vikings 27. Round: NFC Championship. Attendance: 64060. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 3 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Chris Chandler: 340 pass yards on 27-of-43, 3 TD, 0 INT - Robert Smith: 71 rush yards on 21 carries - Tony Martin: 5 catches for 129 yards
NFC Championship, played at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Final: Atlanta Falcons 30, Minnesota Vikings 27, with Atlanta Falcons taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Falcons: Jamal Anderson 5 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick) - Vikings: Randy Moss 31 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick)
**Second quarter**
- Vikings: Gary Anderson 29 yard field goal - Vikings: Randall Cunningham 1 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick) - Vikings: Gary Anderson 35 yard field goal - Falcons: Terance Mathis 14 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick)
**Third quarter**
- Falcons: Morten Andersen 27 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Vikings: Matthew Hatchette 5 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) - Falcons: Morten Andersen 24 yard field goal - Falcons: Terance Mathis 16 yard pass from Chris Chandler ( Morten Andersen kick)
**Overtime**
- Falcons: Morten Andersen 38 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Chris Chandler: 340 pass yards on 27-of-43, 3 TD, 0 INT - Robert Smith: 71 rush yards on 21 carries - Tony Martin: 5 catches for 129 yards
A 3-point margin in NFC Championship is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.