The Falcoholic
The stage was set for the Falcons to make a Super Bowl run for the first time in four years. As was the case the last time they were built to win a championship, they had to beat the Seahawks at home to play in the NFC Championship.
This was a Super Bowl-winning, battle-tested group filled with stars on both sides of the ball. While the Legion of Boom wasn’t as dominant as it once was, Russell Wilson’s ascendance into becoming a top-tier quarterback gave them plenty of firepower to win another Super Bowl.
The Falcons were drastically different, with a new coaching staff, identity, and growing nucleus of young talent. Although the quarterback was the same in Atlanta, his progression into becoming the NFL’s MVP made everyone across the league recognize the Falcons were a force to be reckoned with.
Leading a historically great offense in the regular season, Matt Ryan was ready to prove that all the months of mastering Kyle Shanahan’s system and taking his game to new heights would pay off in the playoffs. The potential final game ever played in the Georgia Dome also loomed over this matchup. What better way for Ryan to send off the place he revitalized in 2008 to playoff glory in 2016?
The Falcons felt like a much different team from the one that fell short against the Seahawks in October. Several players emerged as difference makers on both sides of the ball. Ryan and Shanahan were fully in sync as the orchestrators of an electrifying offense. The only lingering aspect from the previous matchup came within the trenches.
Michael Bennett was vocal about his displeasure with Jake Matthews’ cut block in the first meeting. While this wasn’t going to turn into a public feud like Roddy White and Richard Sherman, it was something to monitor, given Bennett’s ruthless style of play.
Both teams produced touchdown-scoring drives that went for seven minutes and 13+ plays to start the game. To nobody’s surprise, Ryan targeted Sherman without hesitation, like in the playoff meeting back in 2013 between these teams. Julio Jones caught both passes against the stellar corner for first downs, using his powerful frame and blistering change-of-direction ability in winning the matchup.
The success culminated in a seven-yard touchdown to Jones that completely caught Seattle off guard. With Sherman playing seven yards off coverage, the seven-time Pro Bowler cut inside behind Mohamed Sanu to accelerate into the end zone. Shanahan was two steps ahead of most opposing coaches during the season. That transferred over into the divisional round.
He was becoming known for tearing apart defenses that primarily play Cover 3. Understanding where to attack and capitalize on schematic flaws gave Ryan the platform to succeed with quicker passes toward the middle of the field. A 37-yard dart to Taylor Gabriel, who was bursting off a slant, set the tone through the air.
From Gabriel catching the pass in stride past DeShawn...
