Atlanta once again blew a large initial lead at home, this time dropping a 28-24 decision to the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco is headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time in almost two decades, while the Falcons will have to wait at least one more season before making their second ever big-game appearance.
Atlanta got off to a 17-0 lead, marking the second game in a row that it had a three-possession advantage before the opponent ever registered a point. The 49ers overcame the second-largest deficit en route to a victory in NFL Championship Weekend history. The Falcons' 13-point comeback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 is now the third-highest. Only the Indianapolis Colts' 18-point comeback against the New England Patriots in 2006 was greater.
Matt Ryan set the franchise record for the most passing yards in a playoff game with 396, but ESPN pointed out that three of the top four Atlanta playoff passing days were defeats. Only Chris Chandler's 340-yard effort in the '98 NFC Championship against Minnesota was a victory.
Ryan was not flawless in the game, though, as a fumbled snap gave the 49ers the ball, and he also threw an interception to Chris Culliver.
The Falcons led 24-14 at the half thanks to a late touchdown drive culminating in a ten-yard Tony Gonzalez touchdown catch. It is believed Gonzalez will announce his retirement sometime this off-season.
The 49ers scored the only touchdowns of the second half, notching one in the third to pull within three points and adding the last score of the game halfway through the fourth. In both championship games, the losing team led at halftime and was held off the scoreboard in the second half. (The New England Patriots led the Baltimore Ravens 13-7 at the half, but Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense scored three TD's in the second half to win 28-13, setting Ray Lewis up with a potentially much happier ending to his career than Gonzalez.)
Atlanta scored on four of its five drives in the first half and went 0-for-5 in the second. San Francisco had 160 total yards in the opening half and 209 in the second. Meanwhile, the Falcons had 297 yards in half one and 186 in the second.
This defeat was the fifth-straight time and the sixth time of seven in the playoffs that the Falcons have lost to a Super Bowl contestant, dating back to the Super Bowl loss to the Broncos.