No player faced more pressure going into the 2012 playoffs than Matt Ryan. The Falcons were the number one seed for the second time in three seasons. They were in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. It was the first time in franchise history that they had become a perennial playoff team. For all their success, they had nothing to show for it in the playoffs.
Nobody could be critical of them falling short to the Cardinals in the 2008 wild card round after a memorable first year for Ryan
and Mike Smith. Being annihilated by the Packers and Giants in their next two playoff appearances left deep scars.
Successful teams can’t be blown out on the biggest stage, yet the Falcons were left soul-searching at the end of the previous two seasons. Playoff success was desperately needed for a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game since 2004.
Squaring off against an ascending Seahawks team would prove to be a daunting challenge. While the Falcons were 7-1 at home in the regular season, Pete Carroll’s surging young squad was ready to win, led by a ferocious defense and a composed rookie Russell Wilson.
Most playoff matchups are highly anticipated, but this one felt like a championship battle, especially as a feud emerged between Roddy White and Richard Sherman.
Sherman was on a warpath with an itch to start chaos, especially after Trent Williams punched him in the face following Seattle’s win over Washington in the wild-card round. Two things were certain. Ryan wasn’t going to shy away from Sherman, no matter how special he was. White was going to make Sherman feel what it’s like to go against a four-time Pro Bowler who wants all the smoke. What was a colossal divisional round matchup proved to be an absolute classic.
Aggressive and dangerous
When you have a quarterback who played at a top-tier level all season with three exceptional pass catchers, no defense is going to dictate the terms of how you operate. The Legion of Boom’s emergence put the league on notice. That didn’t faze Ryan in the slightest.
With Dirk Koetter at the helm, who once upon a time was one of the most forward-thinking offensive coordinators in the league, the Falcons were in attack mode from the first drive. While Sherman produced two pass breakups, including one to prevent White from getting in the end zone, it was full speed ahead for the offense.
Despite throwing an ugly interception intended for a well-covered Tony Gonzalez on the second drive, Ryan immediately responded with a scoring drive, which started with White on an impressive 3rd and 14 conversion.
On the next play, Ryan delivered a pinpoint back shoulder throw to Chase Coffman, where only the unlikely pass catcher could get it. That led to a one-yard touchdown pass to Gonzalez, where Ryan rolled to his left and quickly set his feet to place the ball over Kam Chancellor while being hit by an unblocked rusher. Ryan was locked in.
Chancellor would be on the receiving end of another big play, which was Ryan’s emphatic 47-yard touchdown to White. There’s no disputing Sherman’s role in it as White blew past him vertically. Identifying Chancellor’s lack of range in coverage helped Ryan take the shot downfield, where only his beloved receiver could make a play. It was arguably the greatest shared moment between two Atlanta all-time greats.
For the Falcons to have a 20-point lead going into halftime was mesmerizing for fans. After two straight playoff implosions, they were ready to go from the start. This was Smith’s most talented team ever. They were well-equipped to make a Super Bowl run. They set the tone early against a brash Seattle team.
As was the case in many instances during Smith’s tenure, the big lead wouldn’t last. Late-game heroics from his franchise quarterback would be required to earn the long-awaited playoff win.
Overcoming the storm
As was the case for Ryan in every playoff game until 2016, the defense was torn to pieces during long stretches. The Seahawks scored four touchdowns on five drives in the second half. From blown coverages to missed tackles to generating no pressure, Mike Nolan’s overachieving unit couldn’t do much right in defending the lead.
Unlike the defense, Ryan showed up in the third quarter to lead a 14-play, 80-yard drive ending in a cleverly designed shovel pass to Jason Snelling for a touchdown. He did get rattled a bit after that.
Throwing his second interception in a congested area where his intended target had no chance to catch the ball was costly. The decision to take another shot downfield to White was well-telegraphed by Earl Thomas. After the next two drives ended in punts, the pressure was intensifying for Ryan, as he watched a helpless defense allow countless first downs and easy touchdowns.
Facing a 30-28 deficit with 25 seconds left after holding such a commanding lead would be demoralizing for most teams. Not a battle-tested squad that has endured its share of playoff misery.
With two timeouts to work with, Ryan had time to rectify what had transpired in the fourth quarter. Pinpointing the spaces in Seattle’s zone coverage and using the middle of the field to his advantage would be the recipe to give Matt Bryant the chance to be the hero he always was. A 22-yard completion to Harry Douglas put them within striking distance, as Ryan stood tall in the pocket.
On the next play, Ryan recognized a rookie Bobby Wagner shadowing a Hall of Fame tight end. With Seattle rushing five, Jacquizz Rodgers made a key blitz pickup to give Ryan the half-second he needed to connect with Gonzalez for a massive 19-yard gain.
That was all Bryant needed to hit the biggest game-winning kick of his career to help secure one of the most gratifying wins in franchise history. The Falcons avoided disaster, as Ryan earned his first playoff win. Outside of two puzzling interceptions, his decision-making was on point. There was true conviction in where and how he was throwing the ball.
Avoiding getting sacked against that caliber of defense is a testament to how well he managed the pressure. There were going to be setbacks against a stellar defense with All-Pro talent on all three levels. Those setbacks weren’t going to determine how the game was going to finish. Ryan’s poise, resilience, and accuracy would decide the game in leading the Falcons to a victory that they desperately needed.
