2005: Seahawks Stop 2-Point Conversion, Defeat Falcons to Win NFC West

The 2004 season-ending game on January 2, 2005 between the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field featured two teams assured of spots in the postseason, but it still held significance for the home team. The Seahawks, in their sixth year under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, were 8-7 and had clinched a playoff spot the week before. However, if they lost and the Rams won, they would end up as a wild card team rather than a division champion with a home playoff game to open the postseason.

Seattle’s offense featured star RB Shaun Alexander and included QB Matt Hasselbeck, still a work in progress at age 29 and in his fourth year as a starter, and WR Darrell Jackson. Anchoring the offensive line were OT Walter Jones and G Steve Hutchinson on the left side. The defense was a problem area, having been diluted by injuries.

Atlanta, under first-year Head Coach Jim Mora Jr., had far less riding on the game. The Falcons were 11-4 and had the AFC South title wrapped up. They also had injured players, such as athletic QB Michael Vick, who needed a rest prior to the postseason. Despite being a West Coast offense, Atlanta featured its ground game, led by running backs Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett – not to mention Vick, who could be quick to run with the ball. TE Alge Crumpler was his best receiver.

Following a short possession by the Seahawks to start the game, the Falcons showed that they took the contest seriously by blocking the ensuing punt. With Vick completing three passes and Dunn running for 12 yards, Atlanta went 48 yards in 12 plays and WR Peerless Price caught a two-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead.

Seattle came right back as Alexander rushed for 24 yards in a six-play, 48-yard drive that ended with the star running back scoring from a yard out. Josh Brown’s conversion tied the contest at 7-7.

The teams traded punts as the game proceeded into the second quarter. The Falcons drove to the Seattle 10 yard line thanks to the running of Dunn (back-to-back carries of 14 and 26 yards to get the ball into Seahawks territory) and Vick’s throwing. Jay Feely kicked a 33-yard field goal to finish off the 10-play series and put the Falcons back in front at 10-7. The lead grew larger five plays later as Hasselbeck was intercepted by CB DeAngelo Hall, who returned it 48 yards for a TD.

Seattle bounced back as Hasselbeck immediately connected with WR Bobby Engram on the next play from scrimmage to get to midfield and capped a 66-yard drive with a three-yard scoring pass to Jackson.

When the Falcons returned on offense, Vick had been replaced by rookie backup QB Matt Schaub. While Coach Mora had vowed to treat the contest like a playoff game, Vick was nursing a hand injury and it made no sense to expose him any further. Still, Schaub gave notice of his ability by throwing for a 26-yard gain to WR Brian Finneran on his first pass. Atlanta came up empty on the series and there was no further scoring in the first half as the tally stood at 17-14 at the intermission.

The Falcons drove into Seattle territory to start the third quarter, but Schaub was intercepted by CB Marcus Trufant, who returned the pickoff 31 yards to the Atlanta 41 yard line. Hasselbeck completed six passes for 35 yards, including a scoring throw to TE Jerramy Stevens from three yards out. With the successful conversion, the Seahawks were back in front at 21-17.

It seemed as though Atlanta would narrow the score when T.J. Duckett dashed 35 yards up the middle to fuel an advance to the Seattle 21, but Feely missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. The Seahawks went three-and-out and the Falcons proceeded to put together a long, 15-play drive that stretched into the fourth quarter and covered 56 yards. Highlights included a six-yard Schaub completion to Price in a third-and-five situation and a 17-yard throw to the same receiver that moved the ball into Seattle territory. Feely ended the possession with another field goal attempt, and this time he was successful from 40 yards to make it a one-point game.

The Seahawks responded with a long drive of their own, going 60 yards in 10 plays. Hasselbeck had pass completions of eight yards to TE Ryan Hannam, 23 yards to Engram, and 11 to Stevens to get to the Atlanta 16, and Alexander ran for 15 yards on three carries to set up Hasselbeck’s one-yard scoring carry. It was 28-20 with 4:28 remaining on the clock.

That was enough time for the Falcons to put together a closing 15-play drive following CB Allen Rossum’s 23-yard kickoff return. Atlanta moved methodically down the field, converting two third downs, the first with Schaub carrying for eight yards on a third-and-one play. In a third-and-17 situation from the Seattle 28, Schaub completed a pass to Finneran for 16 yards and, following a timeout with 18 seconds left, the rookie quarterback out of Virginia completed a swing pass to FB Fred McCrary for a nine-yard gain on fourth-and-one. After a near-interception by CB Ken Lucas, Schaub was successful on a three-yard scoring toss to Finneran on a crossing pattern at the back of the end zone with no time remaining in regulation. That set up a two-point conversion attempt to try and tie the game and send it into overtime. However, the Seahawks held on for the 28-26 win when Schaub rolled to his left and gave the ball to Dunn on a counter play that barely came up short under a pile of Seattle defenders.

The Falcons had more total yards (354 to 253) and first downs (22 to 21), and of that yardage figure, 204 came on the ground (to 83 for the Seahawks). Atlanta drew far more penalties (8 for 53 yards to just one for five yards on Seattle). Each team turned the ball over once.

Matt Hasselbeck completed 21 of 27 passes for 191 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Shaun Alexander ran for 80 yards on 19 carries that included a TD. Bobby Engram (pictured below) was the team’s top receiver with 6 catches for 79 yards.


For Atlanta, Michael Vick was successful on 6 of 7 throws for 35 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. Matt Schaub went to the air 22 times and completed 14 for 133 yards with a TD and one picked off. Warrick Dunn was outstanding with 132 yards on 25 carries and three receptions for 20 more. Peerless Price pulled in 7 passes for 46 yards and a TD and Brian Finneran gained 45 yards on his 3 catches that included a score. Of the seven sacks the teams combined for (four by the Falcons, three by Seattle), DT Roderick Coleman accounted for two.

“I knew I wasn't in,” Dunn said of his run on the two-point conversion attempt at the end. “It was just one of those plays that we thought was going to be there and it wasn't. They played it well. I was trying to squeeze myself into a small crack and get in.”

“To come up short like we did is not acceptable,” Coach Mora said in summing up. “But to run for 204 yards, to have drives with a rookie quarterback to win, and to stop the run? That was outstanding.”

The Seahawks faced their division rivals, the Rams, in the Wild Card playoff round. St. Louis had swept the season series and made it three-for-three with a 27-20 win at Seattle. The Falcons, who had a first-round bye, went deeper into the postseason as they then thrashed the Rams, 47-17, but lost the NFC Championship game at Philadelphia.

Thanks to the Falcons holding onto the ball so long at the end of the game, Shaun Alexander ended up losing the NFL rushing title by one yard to Curtis Martin of the Jets. Alexander ended up with 1696 yards on 353 carries (4.8 avg.) and scored 16 touchdowns. He led the league by scoring a total of 20 TDs and was selected for the Pro Bowl.

Warrick Dunn (pictured below) finished five spots behind Alexander among NFC rushers with 1106 yards on 265 attempts (4.2 avg.) and 9 touchdowns. Matt Schaub made a favorable impression in his rookie season and stayed for another two years as Vick’s backup before being dealt to the Houston Texans.

2005: Bucs Score 10 Points in Last Two Minutes to Beat Falcons

The game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on November 20, 2005 featured two teams with 6-3 records that were jockeying for position in the hot NFC South race.

The visiting Buccaneers, under the guidance of Head Coach Jon Gruden, had gone undefeated in their first four games and then endured a 1-3 slump before narrowly defeating the Redskins the week before. Rookie RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (pictured above) had been a big part of the fast start, rushing for 434 yards in his first three games, but he had run into injury problems, and QB Brian Griese was lost for the season in Week 6.

Atlanta, coached by Jim Mora, Jr., featured run-oriented QB Michael Vick; 30-year-old RB Warrick Dunn, still highly effective running the ball; and TE Alge Crumpler on offense. The defense was vulnerable, particularly against the run.

Tampa Bay took the early lead as Matt Bryant kicked a 31-yard field goal to cap the first possession of the game (Williams burst up the middle for 30 yards on the initial play from scrimmage). Shortly thereafter, with Vick on the sideline after being hit hard on a sack at his own one-yard line, DT Anthony McFarland fell on a fumble by backup QB Matt Schaub in the end zone for a touchdown and the Buccaneers led by 10-0 after one quarter.

Bryant kicked another field goal, of 45 yards, to extend the lead to 13-0 in the second quarter, but the Falcons came back with a 10-play drive, highlighted by a 35-yard pass completion from Vick to WR Roddy White, that concluded with a 31-yard field goal by Todd Peterson.

Atlanta’s next possession, following a 49-yard Josh Bidwell punt, covered 83 yards in 10 plays. Vick hit White for a 54-yard gain just prior to the two-minute warning and, on a third-and-seven play at the Tampa Bay 15, Vick connected with Crumpler for 14 yards to the one. From there, RB T.J. Duckett ran for a touchdown and the Bucs’ lead was cut to 13-10 at the half.

On the first possession of the third quarter, the Falcons put together another sustained 10-play drive with Vick throwing for back-to-back 20 yard gains to WR Brian Finneran and Crumpler. With third-and-goal at the Tampa Bay four yard line, Vick tossed a touchdown pass to Crumpler and Atlanta took the lead at 17-13.

The Bucs came right back, however, with a drive highlighted by a 27-yard pass completion from QB Chris Simms to WR Michael Clayton and a 16-yard run by Williams. FB Mike Alstott put Tampa Bay back in front with a one-yard run for a TD.

Atlanta’s Peterson kicked a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 20-20. On Tampa Bay’s second play following the field goal, Simms was intercepted by Falcons LB Keith Brooking near midfield. Atlanta capitalized, converting two third-and-nine plays and scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vick to WR Michael Jenkins to re-take the lead at 27-20.

With time winding down, the Buccaneers drove from their own 29 yard line following the kickoff. Simms was successful on three of four passes, including an eight-yard pass to Williams on third-and-six to the Atlanta nine, and Williams ran five times for 32 yards, including the nine-yard touchdown run that, combined with Bryant’s extra point, tied the score at 27-27 with just under two minutes left to play.

Atlanta had another shot, but the biggest defensive play of the game occurred when blitzing LB Derrick Brooks forced Vick to fumble and LB Shelton Quarles recovered for the Bucs at the Atlanta 34. Four plays later Bryant kicked a 45-yard field goal. While the Falcons made a last-ditch effort in the final seconds, Michael Koenen’s 55-yard field goal attempt on the final play was wide to the right and Tampa Bay came away with the hard-fought 30-27 win.

Atlanta led in total yards (443 to 258) and first downs (26 to 15). The Falcons converted 11 of 17 third downs along the way. However, their two turnovers resulted in 10 points for Tampa Bay, while the lone turnover by the Bucs led to seven.

Cadillac Williams ran for 116 yards on 19 carries with a TD, and also had the key eight-yard reception as one of his three catches for 13 yards. Chris Simms, improving as Griese’s replacement, completed 11 of 19 passes for 118 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Michael Clayton was the most productive receiver for the Bucs with 48 yards on his three catches.

Michael Vick (pictured at bottom) completed 21 of 38 passes for 306 yards with two TDs and none intercepted. It was the second 300-yard passing performance of his career, and a change from his usual pattern as his rushing total was light, with 17 yards on four carries. Roddy White caught four passes for 108 yards while Michael Jenkins had 5 receptions for 69 yards and a TD and Alge Crumpler contributed 5 catches for 49 yards and a score. Warrick Dunn led the club with 82 yards on 18 carries.

The win put Tampa Bay in a tie for first in the division with Carolina, while the Falcons fell a game back. The Buccaneers, with the league’s best defense to complement the conservative offense, won four of their last six games for an 11-5 record that still matched the Panthers, but they won the NFC South title thanks to a better division record than Carolina’s. The Bucs lost to Washington in the Wild Card playoff round. Atlanta lost its last three games to drop out of the running and ended up third in the division at 8-8.

Cadillac Williams ended up with 1178 yards on 290 carries (4.1 avg.) and six touchdowns. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

Michael Vick’s passing statistics were fairly average, as he threw for 2412 yards with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but he led the NFL in average gain-per-carry rushing (5.9) for the second straight season with 597 yards on 102 attempts and was named to the Pro Bowl for the third time. However, his frustration with the offensive system and overall failure to progress as a passer (despite the performance against Tampa Bay) were considered significant factors in the team’s letdown at the end of the season.

2006: Saints Defeat Falcons in Return to Superdome

When the New Orleans Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons at the Louisiana Superdome on September 25, 2006, it marked not just the first home game of the season for the Saints but a return to a city and stadium that the franchise had been forced to abandon for a year due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The aftermath of the powerful storm in September of 2005 had, of course, been devastating for the city as a whole. The Superdome had sustained significant damage, and there were questions as to whether the Saints would return. For the team, it had meant a season on the road in which home games were split between San Antonio and Baton Rouge. They went 3-13 in ‘05, losing 11 of their last 12 games, and finished at the bottom of the NFC South.

The club that took the field in 2006 had been transformed in the offseason. There was a new head coach, Sean Payton, replacing Jim Haslett. There was also a new quarterback, Drew Brees, who had been signed away from the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. Star RB Deuce McAllister, who had been lost five games into the 2005 season with an ACL injury, was back healthy and joined by the Heisman-winning first round draft pick out of USC, Reggie Bush.

The Saints were already 2-0, having beaten Cleveland and Green Bay on the road, as they took the field for the Monday Night Football contest before a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 70,003 at the refurbished Superdome. They were hosting their arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, who had also won their first two games in impressive fashion under third-year Head Coach Jim Mora Jr.

It didn’t take long for the Saints to take command. Atlanta had the first possession of the game and went three-and-out. The ensuing punt by Michael Koenen was blocked by safety and special teams standout Steve Gleason (pictured above) and recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by CB Curtis Deloach. It was the first touchdown given up in the ’06 season by the Falcons.

Atlanta followed up with a nine-play drive that yielded a 26-yard field goal by Morten Andersen. But after the two clubs traded punts, the Falcons gave up another TD when the Saints went 80 yards in eight plays capped by a double-reverse in which WR Devery Henderson ran for an 11-yard touchdown. New Orleans was up 14-3 at the end of the first quarter and in command the rest of the way.

John Carney kicked field goals of 37 and 51 yards in the second quarter, while the closest Atlanta came to scoring was a 25-yard field goal attempt by Andersen that was blocked. Carney booted a 20-yard field goal to cap the Saints’ first time-consuming possession of the second half, and that provided the final margin of 23-3.

The New Orleans defense didn’t let the Falcons offense get closer than the 31 yard line during the second half. They sacked Atlanta QB Michael Vick five times and held the Falcons to 229 yards (the Saints rolled up 326).

Drew Brees had a solid if unspectacular outing, completing 20 of 28 passes for 191 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Deuce McAllister led the running game with 81 yards on 19 carries while Reggie Bush ran the ball 13 times for 53 yards. Marques Colston was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 97 yards.

For the Falcons, Michael Vick was held to just 12 completions in 31 attempts for 137 yards, although none were picked off; Vick was also Atlanta’s leading rusher with 57 yards on six carries. Alge Crumpler led the receivers with 5 catches for 49 yards.

Afterward Brees said “From the moment I signed with the Saints, I was looking forward to this. It was a great night. It was something we’ll never forget.” Owner Tom Benson, who had taken heat for suggesting that the Saints might relocate, danced off the field with parasol in hand to the strains of “When the Saints Go Marching In”. A game ball was dedicated to the people of New Orleans.

The Saints went on to win the NFC South with a 10-6 record and advance farther into the postseason than any preceding team in franchise history, finally succumbing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game. Atlanta dropped to 7-9 to finish third in the division, costing Mora his job.

New Orleans led the NFL in team rushing with 6264 yards as McAllister ground out 1057 yards on 244 carries (4.3 average) with 10 TDs and Bush added 565 yards on 155 attempts with six scores. Bush also caught 88 passes for 742 yards and two TDs and averaged 7.7 yards on 28 punt returns with another touchdown.

Drew Brees (pictured below) led the league in passing yards with 4418 and had the best passer rating in the NFC (96.2). His 26 touchdown passes ranked third in the NFL, as did his 8.0 yards-per-attempt.

Michael Vick became the first quarterback to rush for a thousand yards (1039) with a league-leading 8.4 yards-per-carry.

2005: Eagles Win NFC Title on 4th Try, Beating Falcons

By the 2004 season, the Philadelphia Eagles were becoming regular participants in the NFC Championship game, but had yet to win under Head Coach Andy Reid. Since the 2001 season they had made it to the conference title game in three consecutive seasons - in ‘01, traveling to St. Louis where they lost a hard-fought battle to the favored Rams; in 2002, the final season at Veterans Stadium, they hosted Tampa Bay and were humiliated, 27-10; and in ’03 it was the Carolina Panthers coming to Philadelphia and winning, 14-3.


The Eagles had boosted their heavily pass-oriented West Coast offense for 2004 with the addition of WR Terrell Owens to provide QB Donovan McNabb (pictured at left) with a proven All-Pro target. The brash wide receiver didn’t disappoint, catching 77 passes for 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns before being sidelined late in the season by a high ankle sprain. McNabb had his best season, throwing for 3875 yards and 31 TDs against just 8 interceptions; his 104.7 passer rating was his career-best. RB Brian Westbrook was an exciting all-purpose talent who ran for 812 yards in 12 games and had another 703 yards on 73 pass receptions. The team rolled out to a 13-1 start and rested its starters in the final two games - once they had locked up the highest seed in the NFC playoffs - ending up at 13-3 atop the NFC East. They handily defeated Minnesota in the Divisional round, with Owens still sidelined, as he would be for the conference title game.

The team they faced for the NFC Championship was the Atlanta Falcons, who went 11-5 in winning the NFC South under Head Coach Jim Mora, Jr. QB Michael Vick had his detractors as a passer, but was a dangerous runner who accumulated 902 yards on 120 carries. Together with RB Warrick Dunn, who ran for 1106 yards, they spearheaded the top rushing attack in the league. Pro Bowl TE Alge Crumpler led the club with 48 pass receptions, while the defense featured DE Patrick Kerney and LB Keith Brooking.


The weather at Lincoln Financial Field was bitterly cold for the game on January 23, 2005 with a wind chill factor between zero and five below. The Eagles scored on their second possession, after Atlanta’s Chris Mohr punted into the gusty wind for just eight yards. Following a 36-yard run by Westbrook (pictured), RB Dorsey Levens plowed four yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

Atlanta came back with a 17-play, nine-minute drive to the Philadelphia two yard line, but the Eagles defense refused to yield as 254-pound RB T.J. Duckett was thrown for a loss on first-and-goal, Vick was sacked by DT Hollis Thomas on third down, and the Falcons ultimately had to settle for a 23-yard Jay Feely field goal. The Eagles responded with a 45-yard pass play from McNabb to WR Greg Lewis down to the Falcons four yard line. From there, TE Chad Lewis (pictured at top) made an outstanding catch of a high throw in the corner of the end zone, just keeping both feet inbounds to score the TD and extend Philadelphia’s lead to 14-3.

The Falcons came back strong as they drove 70 yards in five plays capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Dunn with just over two minutes left in the half. The 14-10 score stood at the intermission.


The first half had been highly competitive, but the Eagles dominated the second half. David Akers kicked field goals of 31 and 34 yards in the third quarter, the second following an interception of a Vick pass by FS Brian Dawkins, who returned the ball 19 yards to the Atlanta 11. The Falcons couldn’t get the offense going even after getting the wind advantage in the fourth quarter as the Eagles defense stacked the line and forced Vick to pass from the pocket.

With 3:21 left in the game, McNabb threw another TD pass to Lewis, this from two yards, to thrill the hometown crowd of 67,717 and sew up the win. It was costly – the tight end sprained his foot and was lost for the Super Bowl. But the Eagles had finally won the NFC Championship in their fourth try by a score of 27-10.

Donovan McNabb completed 17 of 26 passes for 180 yards and two TDs with none picked off; he also ran for 32 yards on 10 carries. Brian Westbrook led the team both in rushing, with 96 yards on 16 attempts, and pass receptions with 5 for another 39 yards. Greg Lewis led the team in receiving yards with 65 on two catches.

The Eagles defense effectively hemmed Michael Vick in and sacked him four times – DE Derrick Burgess (pictured above left) had an outstanding game, accounting for two of the sacks. Vick completed just 11 of 24 passes for 136 yards with an interception. After the two solid drives in the first half, the Falcons running game was ineffectual; they were outrun by the Eagles, 156 yards to 99. Warrick Dunn led the team with 59 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. TE Alge Crumpler was Atlanta’s top receiver with 4 catches for 49 yards, although most memorable was a crunching hit he took from Dawkins after one of them (pictured below).

Terrell Owens was back for the Super Bowl, but Philadelphia fell short against the New England Patriots. The Eagles were mired in controversy in 2005, as the mercurial Terrell Owens wore out his welcome in Philadelphia and Donovan McNabb went down with an injury; they would return to the postseason in 2006. Atlanta dropped out of playoff contention the next three seasons, and Michael Vick’s career was derailed due to legal problems. Coach Mora was gone after the ’06 season, and there would be two more coaching changes before the Falcons returned to the postseason.