Reliving the Atlanta Falcons top moments of the decade

The legend of the Matt’s was born in this game. Both Matt Ryan and Matt Bryant.

The Falcons had floundered in the playoffs in the past three attempts. Ryan’s rookie season versus the Arizona Cardinals, his third season against the Green Bay Packers, and his fourth year versus the New York Giants. They mustered all of two points versus New York.

The cries were growing louder, that Matt Ryan couldn’t win in the playoffs. And neither could Mike Smith. It was a frustrating time to be a Falcons fan.

But then, something clicked. The Falcons, in Ryan’s fifth year, went 13-3, won the NFC South and were the number one seed in the NFC. An upstart Seattle team rolled into Atlanta.

The Falcons squandered a late lead but had a couple of timeouts, a stone-cold kicker at the time, and a man under center with ice in his veins. A couple of plays later, a 49-yard field goal was going through the uprights. The Falcons would win 30-28.

What made this even sweeter, the Seahawks called a timeout to ice Bryant, but he took a practice shot anyway, which he missed wide right.

Instead of over correcting, he placed it right down the middle. Nevermind the little flinch at the beginning of the kick that could’ve been called a false start. Instead, it was pure elation inside the Georgia Dome. One of the loudest moments in the stadium’s history.

Oh and if this moment couldn’t get any better, number 11, who was drafted in 2011, intercepted the ball on the final play of the game- a Hail Mary attempt from the Seahawks.

Like we said, Julio Jones has at times been the best player in the secondary on this team.