The Falcons lost the NFC championship game to the 49ers during the 2012 season after running to a 17-0 lead and piling up 477 yards of offense. Quarterback Matt Ryan passed for nearly 400 yards and wide receiver Julio Jones had 182 yards receiving with two TDs in that game,

The Falcons are riding a high-powered offense led by Ryan and Jones into the championship game again, this time against the Packers on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. Jones said this time feels different.

“We are a complete team now,” Jones said Thursday. “Then, we was good, (but) it was just, ‘Oh, we are here! We are here!’ We really didn’t know how to handle it. All along (coach Dan Quinn) has been doing a tremendous job of preparing us, (telling us) we are a great team. You’ve’ got to know you are a great team.”

The Falcons are favored by 4 1/2 points over the Packers. They are seeing their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Jamal Agnew fumbles the ball against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Adam Hunger/AP)

Credit: Adam Hunger/AP

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS