The Falcons. Super Bowl. Same paragraph. Get comfortable with that remarkable arrangement for two more weeks.
For only the second time in their oft-painful 51 seasons, the Falcons are bound for the game of games, taking their title-starved city with them to a place where it’s all excess and exclamation points. And theirs is just the offense for such a setting.
Inside a riotous Georgia Dome Sunday, oblivious to the tornado warnings outside, the Falcons claimed the NFC Championship in no-doubt, no-prisoners fashion, putting a 44-21 beating upon the Green Bay Packers.
Pick your favorite plus-sized adjective.
Poetic: The grandest Falcons home victory ever was reserved for the final game at the Dome before it is to be razed in favor of bigger, newer and more retractable.
Bordering on legendary: An offense that led the NFL in scoring and a quarterback who became the league’s presumptive MVP was better than all that Sunday. Unstoppable is very hard to beat.
There was one quarterback in the building who was making winning plays with both his arm and his legs — and it wasn’t Green Bay’s nifty Aaron Rodgers. Matt Ryan threw for yards and touchdowns, as well as running one in from 14 yards. For the game, the Falcons offense outgained the Packers 493-367.
Just a little bit frightening: Oh, this team has a defense, too? Feeding off two first-half turnovers, the Falcons young defenders held Green Bay scoreless for close to 36 minutes while their brothers on the other side of the ball stockpiled more than enough points.
The Falcons. Super Bowl. Houston. Feb. 5. Kickoff at 6:30 p.m. And it was never in doubt.
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