Who Won The Saints Game Today

>> thom: the atlanta falcons hosting this divisional round playoff game. they have been so

Who Won The Saints Game Today, dominant here at home over the last five years under head coach mike smith.

already the winningest head coach in falcons history. they have won 33 of the 40 games they have played here at home. pete carroll, 61 years young, grew up in san francisco.

in his third year and has turned around a veteran roster into the second youngest team in the league. he was forced to bring in a new kicker this week after the injury to steven hauschka.

ryan longwell, the long-time packer, puts a foot on it and we're under way. jacquizz rodgers two yards out of the end zone and he is trimmed up at the 25 as atlanta won the toss

and elected to receive. they are led by the number one pick back in 2008, matt ryan, and plenty of weapons all around him. >> brian: boy, do they.

roddy white and julio jones have better than 2100 yards on the year. future hall of famer tony gonzalez and jacquizz rodgers may end up being the lead back in today's

running attack. >> thom: matt ryan had his best season in the nfl, but today faces one of the most rugged defenses he has encountered all year long. going up top and

beautifully defended by richard sherman, one of the two big, tall, strong cornerbacks in this number one scoring defense. >> brian: well, they're without

defensive end chris clemons and that's going to hurt. kam chancellor may get the duty of trying to cover tony gonzalez. earl thomas holds the back end together. but richard sherman

leads this team in interceptions with eight. >> thom: sherman step for step there with julio jones. second down and ten. turner, strong running.

all the way up to the 40 yard line. that is a 15-yard run by turner, who has really been slowed down as the season has gone on. >> brian: yeah, but pete carroll told us

i'm not buying into that. michael turner is a load. if he gets into the second level, that's where some of those secondary guys start to make those business

decisions and wait for somebody else to tackle him. >> thom: well put. turner wants more. cuts it back to the inside, and this time no roochlt -- room. met by the rookie,

bobby wagner. so much talk about the rookie quarterback, russell wilson, bobby wagner, a second round pick out of utah state, set an all-time seahawks rookie record with 140 tackles on

the year. >> brian: this is a lot to put on a rookie. but i tell you what, this entire team that pete carroll has put together, he has great confidence in his

young players to step up to the task. >> thom: jacquizz rodgers checks into the backfield. wide open, tony gonzalez. 200 consecutive games with a reception,

including a playoff. of course the postseason for gonzalez, he's played in five of these games and never come away with a win. >> brian: everybody talks about with these

big corners of seattle, okay, you can handle julio jones, you can handle roddy white. the question becomes what do you do with tony gonzalez? harry douglas?

what about jacquizz rodgers coming out of the backfield? this is a lot of weapons this atlanta offense has to throw at you. >> thom: douglas in motion, and they pitch

it to rodgers. that will be a gain of close to nine. everybody talks about atlanta throwing the football a lot, brian. while michael turner individually did not have the kind of

numbers he's had since coming here from san diego, as a team they still ran for better than 1200 yards. >> brian: yeah, they're 29th in the league in rushing. they haven't run the

ball real well but that doesn't mean they're not committed to it, that's the important thing. mike smith will make sure they keep the right balance, although their

strength clearly is in the passing game. >> thom: rodgers wants more, takes the pitch, inside and is denied first down yardage. so the falcons face a third down. big red bryant, the

defensive team captain of the seattle seahawks, there to make the tackle. >> brian: third downs is obviously going to be the key. atlanta is second in the league in third

down conversion. more importantly, the atlanta defense is last in the league in third and ten. if matt ryan can steal a couple possessions, meaning extending the drive on third down,

it could be key in winning the game today. >> thom: jason snelling, 44, checks into the backfield for the first time. you get a look at fake the run, ryan

rolling and that is a catch by roddy white for a first down. >> brian: this route by roddy white, this is their wheelhouse. this comeback route between roddy white and matt ryan, i

promise you, that ball was on the way before roddy white even made his break. they make a living off this. they think and see things the same way. >> thom: atlanta has

been so good on its opening possession over the course of this season. they scored more touchdowns and scored more points than any team in the nfl. rodgers slips through

a couple of tacklers, he's to the 22. the seattle team, you may remember in the win over washington last week, it did not start well. the redskins first two drives leading to

touchdowns, 80 yards, 54 yards. but man, they clamped down there after. >> brian: we talked about confidence in this game. one thing pete carroll knows, his team is not

going to blink. we've been there, we've stood at the abyss and come back away. we were down 14-0 on the road. yeah, we don't want to give them a score

here, but if we do, we're not going to panic. >> thom: second down and five. turner looking for a cut back. there's just no room there.

>> brian: thom, we're in that territory now, we talked about the big, physical corners seahawks. and there are none bigger. these guys are all 6'2", 6'3", but this

may be the biggest receiving corps they have faced so far this julio jones, roddy white on the outside, down here we may see them challenge the bump and run of the seattle seahawks and

take a shot into the end zone. >> thom: third and three, tenth play of the drive. pump fake twice, and batted down. how about the play by sherman?

closing speed in the end zone. maybe a hair late on the throw. >> brian: it was. roddy white had this beat with a little stutter move, but matt ryan, because of the

play fake, got pushed around the pocket and the ball was just late enough for the very tall, the very athletic and the very confident richard sherman to close the distance and knock it

down. >> thom: matt ryan 33 of 38 in the regular season. he only missed once inside this georgia dome inside of 40. good snap, good hold, and the falcons come

away with points on their opening drive. >> brian: wide receiver coach is explaining to roddy white why the ball was late. he was showing that matt ryan after a

double fake had to step away from a rush on the outside, had to pump it and why the ball was late. >> thom: 3-0 atlanta. leon washington among the most dangerous kickoff returners in

the nfl. he decides to take a knee. russell wilson won his playoff debut in washington. what's in store for the richmond, virginia, native today

in atlanta? >> thom: one of the great stops here in atlanta if you're ever in town, go by the georgia aquarium. on first down, marshawn lynch looking for running room and

not much there. john abraham slowed him down, forcing him back to the inside. lynch rushed for nearly 1600 yards. >> brian: john abraham, setting that edge.

that's going to be so important in today's game. force marshawn lynch back into the teeth of the atlanta falcon >> thom: rookie quarterback russell wilson puts it in the

hands once more of lynch. and met at the line of scrimmage by the duo of akeem denting and stephen nicholas. a third down and long right from the get-go. >> brian: well, for

seattle, you've got to begin with pro bowl left tackle russell okung. obviously marshawn lynch better than 1500 yards. zach miller, watch for him on third down.

he was a big factor in the washington win and ryan longwell, tom, you already talked about it, he's here because of the 16 years experience. >> thom: great protection.

the throw is high, and it's three and out. only three plays, but a very impressive start for atlanta. especially being able to bottle up lynch on back-to-back carries. harry douglas standing

back at his own 30 yard line, and a flag. and already jawing going on. >> referee: number 64 offense, five-yard penalty. >> thom: we saw a lot of talking early

throughout the entire day, the seahawks last week. and right from the start, jermaine kearse and dominique franks giving it to each other. >> brian: they weren't

natural rivals. it was unusually chippy for two teams new to each other. i expect to see the same thing today. >> thom: short punt, and a poor punt by ryan.

great field position for matt ryan and the falcons looking to build on a 3-0 lead. this ball will be spotted at the 50 to the dismay of pete carroll. only a 30-yard punt.

>> thom: brian billick, laura okmin, chris myers, i'm thom brennaman. our entire crew watching as zach miller, starting tight end who had a couple of big receptions last

week in a win over washington, heads for the seahawks locker room. turner, already his fourth carry of the game, and he picks up maybe two. >> brian: that could

be huge for seattle if zach miller doesn't return, thom. we talked about how important he was in the third down package. two big conversions last week against

once they had gotten down 14-0 to allow them to fight their way back, he would be a big loss for them. >> thom: fake the pitch, come back the other way to julio jones.

and he's a couple of yards shy of the first down. julio jones on his way to his first pro bowl in this his second year out of alabama. they traded up to get him, and certainly a

chance to become one of the great receivers in the nfl in the not-too-distant future. >> brian: they felt like he was that last missing piece for matt when you take a

franchise quarterback with the third overall pick like matt ryan, you've got to surround him with people. they felt what they paid was well worth it to go get a julio jones, and so far they

have been right. three. bunch formation at the top of your screen. blitz coming, ryan gets it away and it's intercepted! bobby wagner at the 32 yard line, and after

getting great field position after a poor punt, ryan turns it over. >> thom: a turnover by matt ryan into the waiting arms of the rookie, bobby wagner. he had three

interceptions during the regular season. second possession for seattle. they begin from the 33. play fake, batted weatherspoon. >> brian: let's go

back to the interception. you're going to see guy and trufant come off the edge. that tells matt ryan i've got man coverage here. but then at the very

top tony gonzalez hesitates a little bit. i think it threw matt ryan off and he got out in front of him. that allowed bobby wagner to step into the interception.

>> thom: zach miller injured his foot. his return questionable. anthony mccoy, his backup for the game, at tight end. play fake once more. all day to throw for

wilson. still looking around, and now he'll take off and nothing but pay dirt. a first down to midfield. >> brian: this is the ultimate in coverage

sack. obviously they have got it pinned off. they can't find the underneath receiver. the tight end will release, he's taken care of by weatherspoon.

back on the strong side they bottle up the two-man combination. how many times did we see this last night with colin kaepernick with no place to go taking off for a big

gain. >> thom: 17-yard pickup by wilson. lynch escapes one tackle and he's inside the 40. ball is loose! atlanta has recovered. that was the initial

signal given by the first official. now a second official gets it corrected, turns the other way as well. lynch, who had the fumble at the 2 yard line in washington

last week, coughs it up in atlanta territory he >> thom: second straight playoff game fumble for marshawn now ryan, perfect throw. and the catch by julio

jones to the seattle 48 yard line. >> brian: thom, i talked about the swarming defense of the atlanta falcons. look how many red jerseys are around sean weatherspoon

creating the fumble and then it looks like babineaux jumped on it. but look at all these red jerseys. this is how they live. they have got to get more people on the

point of attack, because they are undersized. mike nolan, defensive coordinator, doing a great job. >> thom: ryan looking for the home run ball for roddy white.

and it's incomplete. once more, that's richard sherman. tied for the second most interceptions in the nfl with eight. sherman, an alternate to the pro bowl, and many feel had he not

been suspended for testing positive on a drug test -- he, of course, appealed that decision, it was overturned, but many feel like had that not occurred, he would be in the pro bowl.

>> brian: he's playing at elite levels. he and browner together may be the two biggest corners in the league. >> thom: turner. he's brought down behind by wagner, and

that will be a horse collar. on bobby wagner. >> referee: personal foul, horse collar tackle, number 54 of the defense. 15 yards from the end of the run, first

>> thom: that will take it down to the 30. >> brian: this is so tough when you're trying to bring down a big back like michael turner. wagner here just

grabbing on to anything he can. unfortunately, you can't get your hand in behind the shoulder pads of a ball carrier. big penalty that now automatically puts

them at the very least in field goal position. >> thom: and actually inside the 30 at the 29 yard line, first down for the falcons. closing in on 5:00 to play in this opening

quarter, and atlanta trying to build on a 3-0 lead. rodgers with nowhere to go. let's go down tont field to laura okmin. >> laura: brian, you and i talked all week

about the big test for matt ryan after he threw his first after he did would that playoff history come into his mind. the first thing he did was break up a confrontation between

roddy white and the receiver coach who had to literally be pulled away from each other. calmed roddy down, told him to get back to calming himself down and do his job. we see what he's doing

on the field, he was leading the guys off of it. and nine. trying to fit it in to julio jones, but k.j. wright had him blanketed from behind. matt ryan, talk about

three playoff appearances, three losses, has not thrown for 200 yards in any of the three games. just three touchdowns and now five interceptions. and of course those

are nowhere near the numbers he has during the regular year. >> brian: and laura is exactly right. matt ryan has been at this long enough to know i've got to focus on the task at hand.

the big test was what am i going to do after i throw a pick? it doesn't hurt that the defense gets it right back for you by causing a fumble. >> thom: they get it off.

penalty flag will whistle it before it ever gets started. >> referee: false start, number 66 offense. five-yard penalty. still third down. >> thom: wat coleman,

our referee. you talk about a team that frequently makes mistakes like that. smart teams, disciplined teams win a lot of games. atlanta this year set a record for the

fewest penalties in a season and the fewest penalty yards in a season by any team. >> brian: and in doing so, they kept themselves out of these third and 14s that they're facing

right now because they have not backed themselves up with that type of thing. >> thom: all day to throw it. and that's roddy and he appears to have enough for a first

16 yards for roddy >> brian: you can see roddy white scraping to get to the inside. one way to stay away from these big corners outside, go into the middle of the field where now winston guy

and marcus trufant aren't quite as big as browner and sherman have to match up with the talented, athletic and big roddy white. >> thom: first down play, ryan looking to the end zone.

and it is a catch at the 1 yard line by chase coffman. there is a penalty flag down. coffman caught one pass during the regular season, one. >> referee: holding,

number 25 on the the penalty is declined. the play results in a first down. >> brian: first off, what a phenomenal catch and throw for coffman and matt ryan.

those are the type of throws you expect seen thrown to tony he doesn't have a lot of practice with coffman throwing it just that area. looks like he's got control, the foot

scrapes. i think that's a good catch. >> thom: clearly both feet inbounds when coffman made the first and goal from the 1. ryan to tony gonzalez

for the touchdown. >> brian: right on the end line. what a magnificent throw and catch. right foot down, left foot down. the future hall of famer has got yet

another touchdown on his resume. >> thom: gonzalez said they beginning of the year that he was 95% sure that he was going to hang it up at the ending of this year. mike smith told us

he's clinging to that other 5%. >> brian: hey, at least it's not 100%. i'd hold on to it. >> thom: point after by bryant is good. 10-0 atlanta in the opening quarter of

this divisional round playoff with a trip to the nfc >> thom: after the fumble by lynch, eight plays, 61 yards. gonzalez a one-yard touchdown reception. seattle fell behind

14-0 last week in they trail 10-0 in atlanta in round two. >> brian: and we talked about if that were to happen to seattle, they have been there. they're going to have

confidence in that. but obviously the cross country trip to washington, go back to seattle, the cross country trip to atlanta, this crowd needs to know they can physically wear this

seattle team out if they can keep this kind of pressure and it will show up in the fourth quarter. >> thom: washington has returned eight kickoffs for touchdowns, but two in

a row now he's been unable to bring it out of there. fox ufc returns saturday, the 26th. dimitrius johnson puts his title on the line against john dodson. rampage jackson

returns. this is not a pay-per-view event, it's live, it's free and it's on fox. january 27th -- 26th, 8:00 p.m. eastern. fox ufc saturday is back.

a pair of three-and-outs. a pair of three-play drives. wilson had a 17-yard run. now looking to throw, and the catch is made. you got it, zach

miller is okay. he's back in the game after injuring his foot on the opening drive. >> brian: they bring zach miller out of the bunch. he starts inside like

he's going to cross and then just nods and goes back to the outside. atlanta's defense lost track of the depth of the tight end, zach miller. >> thom: gain of 23,

up to the 43. wilson gets it away. once more it's miller on the receiving end. 11 quarterbacks were taken in the 2012 nfl draft. four in the first round, one in the

second round. seattle chose russell wilson with the 75th overall pick in the third round. five of those quarterbacks started their team's season opener.

wilson the only rookie playing this weekend. back in the hands of lynch, and that's a first down run. spins his way inside the 45, and we welcome back chris myers. >> chris: well, thom,

pete carroll said before the game we don't want to hear any excuses about a slow start, cross country travel and eastern time zone. but one thing that we did see, sidney rice,

nobody came over to marshawn lynch after his fumble. but after the seahawks fell down 10-0 in the score, sidney rice ran over to russell wilson and said here we go again.

>> thom: chris, thank you. great to have chris myers with us this he had seven seahawk games along with tim ryan this year here on fox. that's a gain of three

on first down. you talk about making that trip. four teams from the west coast have gone back and forth into the eastern time zone in back-to-back weekends.

the 1989 rams are the only team among the four that has won back-to-back weekends going to the eastern that's a long time ago. >> brian: and any team naturally will say we

don't want to talk about it, we don't need to acknowledge you're right. but it's like playing in the heat, playing when it's hot. you can still not think about it, but

it's still hot. >> thom: wilson rolling, and this is what he does. and just gets rid of jonathan babineaux applying pressure. third down and eight. nice job by the front

four of the atlanta falcons. you can see they're keeping eyes on russell wilson. the thing you're concerned about when you've got an athletic quarterback, you've

got to be patient with your pass rush, does not take a little off the edge? yeah, it does, but you better not lose vision on him. >> thom: incomplete with an eye on golden

tate. the seahawks will punt. seattle defense giving up the two touchdown drives last week in bear in mind the seahawks offense in that first quarter had

nine yards in the first quarter. they piled up 172 in the second quarter. >> brian: they also saw that rg3 was limping around a little bit, and that had to give them

confidence. so far i don't see anybody on that atlanta sideline limping around. >> thom: down to the 13 yard line. we'd always and will always welcome the men

and women in uniform serving around the world watching our telecast in 175 countries and aboard ships at sea. the american forces, we cannot thank you for all that you do.

god bless you all, watch over you, keep you well, representing and standing tall for the greatest country in the world. >> brian: i get to take a trip down to guantanamo bay in the

off-season, thom. i'm really looking forward to meeting the troops down there and having a chance to show our appreciation for the job that they do. >> thom: you've done

that before, though. >> brian: i have. i spent 14 days in iraq. a life-changing experience meeting our young people. >> thom: those that have served, are

serving and will serve. roddy, look at that collision and runs through the defender. and now rodgers crossing the 50, all the way to the 41 yard line.

oh, goodness, he steam rolled earl thomas. >> brian: are we sure that's jacquizz rodgers? that looks more like marshawn lynch and looks more like michael turner.

watch this. you don't expect this kind of power in this lynchesque type of he's running over people, he's running through people. this is why i said coming into the game

we may see jacquizz rodgers more in this role as the game continues. >> thom: end of the they're having to rewrap those pads on jacquizz rodgers because that rattled

him now. he kept going. i'd have to have more than my pads readjusted after a hit like that. >> thom: that is a career best run for rodgers.

45 yards. and here we go to begin the second quarter at the georgia dome. the home team with a 10-0 lead and on the move. blitz coming.

atlanta picks it up, looking for julio and once more, it's sherman step for step. >> brian: we've got to go back to that play. jacquizz rodgers, earl thomas come up and boom!

earl thomas isn't one of the big dbs seattle has but jacquizz rodgers is 5'6". boy, when you're built that low to the ground and running with those legs, you've got to love that.

that is helping set the tone. people wondered if the atlanta falcons could truly run the ball against this big, physical seattle and so far it is the running game that has

got them with a 10-0 lead. >> thom: roddy white to the 40, gain of two. it will bring up third down and long. seattle defense, fourth overall.

defense, allowing just 15 points per game. very stingy against both the run and the pass, but already atlanta 83 rushing yards and, brian, i'm not sure anybody saw that coming.

>> brian: well, what it tells seattle is that you're going to have to bring more people down than you thought you had to bring down to account for the run. that's going to set up

the play action pass on the outside. >> thom: time-out >> thom: welcome back to the georgia dome. brian, we talked about it from the very begin, the pressure on this atlanta team.

they have won more games than any other nfc team over the last five years in the regular season. a very good start in pursuit of that first playoff win. >> brian: yeah, two

significant things. they overcame the interception by matt ryan and the way they're running the ball. i don't know that seattle really expected this to

happen. >> thom: averaging over eight yards per carry. crossing pattern, julio jones will get the first down. able -- needed to reach the 32, down to

the 30. about the downfield game of julio jones and roddy white. not the easiest thing to do to run away from these big corners. this is a big, strong receiver.

like i said, i don't know that seattle has seen a receiving corps that can match their size the way the atlanta falcons can. that's a good, solid carry on first down. he brings it down to

the 26 yard line, a gain of a little better than four. >> brian: just the sheer power. i've not seen this type of power in michael turner all season long, thom.

we had a lot of their games last year and we saw this time and time michael turner one of those backs that can wear you out, just haven't seen it much this year. boy, are we seeing it

>> thom: six carries, 28 yards for turner. this aerial attack, but really you go back to when mike smith arrived and matt ryan arrived in 2008, that's the year that turner arrived.

they fake it to him. and gonzalez makes a wow, he did, to the 21. about a half yard short of a first down. >> brian: spectacular. you hear all the time. the word in the nfl

for defenders is guys that can play long. well, this is a tight end that can play that had no business being completed but it was the long arms, the focus and the beautiful hands of

tony gonzalez that got that completion. >> thom: third and a yard. this was a problem down for the falcons they pick it up here. we talk about turner, and brian, to get back

to him for a minute. this is a guy that you brought in from san diego as ladainian tomlinson's backup. he's rushed for over 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns. maybe he's not this

year what he's been the last number of years, he has been a huge part of this atlanta franchise turn-around. >> brian: he's in his ninth year and that's typically when backs

tend to slow down. early in his career he wasn't a 300-carry guy, he was a backup in san diego. the last couple years he's been over 300 carries. that is wear and tear

on the body. >> thom: rodgers getting some of the load here again today and he's to the 16 yard line. >> brian: you have to give credit to the offensive line of the

atlanta falcons here as well. they're a group that a lot of the blame with the lack of the running game has fallen on their shoulders. yeah, they protected

matt ryan pretty well, but they have been labeled not as physical a group. but we're seeing some physicality here against a big, seahawk defense. and now he'll go wide.

chris myers. the excitement and energy on the seattle sideline at the start of the game has waned usually russell wilson is up moving, discussing, talking with players.

he's been sitting quietly and staring, mostly watching. not a lot of energy right now on this young football team. let's go back upstairs. >> brian: you know, to

that end we've talked about the travel and the back-to-back for i'm not sure the next series, if i'm atlanta, i don't come out with a little no-huddle. i'm going to increase

the pace even more. right now you are seeing a little bit of that fatigue on the part of the seattle >> thom: third down and two, atlanta four of six on third downs so far.

early movement, uncharacteristic of start, number 77 >> brian: thom, you talked about the lack of penalties has been a big part of it here for this atlanta falcons team.

a record-setting lack of penalties. we've already seen two in this game. >> thom: so third and two now goes to third and seven. rodgers will leave in favor of jason

snelling. look at that time on the field for the seattle defense, over 14 minutes. screen to the receiver white and skips out beautifully by brandon browner.

nice job. watch browner see what's going on. they see these wide screens just pulling the trigger -- >> referee: that penalty is declined. >> thom: late flag

thrown in but declined denying first down yardage. what a find he was, undrafted coming out of college. was cut by denver. spent four years in the canadian football

league. seattle brought him in last year and he went to the pro bowl. >> brian: pete carroll said he missed on him at usc and the kid ends up going to oregon state and was

beating him right and left. he said i'm not going to miss my second chance at this young man. >> thom: 37-yard field goal try by matt bryant.

and that is hammered right down the middle. 9:13 to play until halftime. all atlanta. trying to get the circumstance well -- >> brian: well, this is reminiscent of last

week with that tough start in washington. we'll see if they can emotionally rebound the way they did last week in washington. >> thom: do you get the feeling, though, brian, this is an

important offensive series if for no other reason, confidence. >> brian: they have got to show they can do something else other than hand the ball off to marshawn lynch.

>> thom: well, washington will bring it out deep from his own end zone and he spins his way up to the 30 yard line. of course next sunday, awaiting the winner of this one, frank gore

and the 49ers. and then which team will advance on to the super bowl? it's the nfc championship game, next sunday. 2:00 eastern time, only on fox.

13-0 falcons. wilson and the seahawks from the 30. miller, a huge gain down the middle of the field. brian, you thought he would be a big factor coming into this game,

and so far he has been. >> brian: well, what's happening is the entire front seven, plus the safety of the atlanta falcons, were up in the box to account for marshawn

and that's what allowed zach miller to get in behind it to that second level. that's twice now we've seen the atlanta defense lose track of the depth of the tight end miller.

>> thom: 44 yards on the catch and now wilson will throw it again on first down. all day to throw. and that's golden tate to the 20 yard line getting to the quarterback is not a

strength for either one of these defenses. right here with just a simple four-man rush, they can't get home. that gives russell wilson all the time he needs to throw this deep, long comeback on

the outside. we said they needed to besides hand off to marshawn lynch. they figured out what that something else is. >> thom: lynch cuts it three on first down.

lynch joined shawn alexander and chris warren as the only two backs in seahawks history to rush for better than 1500 yards in a season. they were not very efficient in the red

zone last week, even winning the game. >> brian: i think part of the problem for russell wilson in terms of throwing down here, i don't know that he has a go-to guy like matt ryan has

with roddy white or tony gonzalez to go to in the red zone. >> thom: screen to inside. is shoved by his own linemen. he appears to be about a yard short of a

it is third down and one. first time in a game seattle is knocking on the door. >> brian: i know you want to get that first down, and i know atlanta is going to be

coming up into the box, but what a huge opportunity to maybe make that play down in marshawn lynch is not in the game and they're in gun. >> thom: they give it to turbin, and he is

very, very close. russell wilson is saying first down. they may have to measure. pete carroll right at the top. he wasn't sure they were going to get the

playoff. carroll is not thinking why is marshawn lynch not in the game? >> thom: they have got a fourth down and pete carroll is going for >> brian: this is

confidence in your team to tell you where they think they are in this game, to have to go for a fourth down. to the young man and he is denied the first down! third and one, fourth

and one. lynch does not get the ball on either down. >> thom: what a stop by the falcons on fourth and one. so now matt ryan puts it in the hands of turner from the 12

yard line, and turner up to the 15. them plug up the inside and a free runner in william moore. if you're going to stop someone on a fourth and one,

typically it takes a free runner like this to do it. >> thom: celebrating on that falcons sideline. first down yardage and then some. he rumbles his way up

just shy of midfield to the 48 yard line. mike johnson, mike cox leading the way. >> brian: right here on the edge they go into jumbo personnel. mike johnson out at tackle lining up as a

tight end. i can't say enough about this offensive line of the atlanta much maligned for their lack of running game this season, and right now they are man handling the bigger,

what was thought to be the more physical seattle defense. >> thom: nine carries, 66 yards for turner. on first down, ryan, and a flag is thrown. kam chancellor looking around.

as gonzalez hit the deck. >> brian: just working down the field, and they almost -- it looks like they kind of get tied up with one another. >> referee: prior to

the pass, holding number 31 defense. automatic first down. >> brian: i'm not sure who's holding who there, but when you're on the way to the hall of fame, you're probably going to get

a few calls your way. i'm not saying anything. >> thom: yes, you are. >> brian: okay. >> thom: of course you are. >> brian: yeah. it does buy you a

little cache. >> thom: gus bradley doesn't want to hear that. >> brian: no, no. that's not going to be fair to him. >> thom: defensive coordinator, he's

already interviewed for the philadelphia eagles head coaching job. he told us yesterday he will interview for two other head coaching vacancies. wouldn't say which

teams. looking for roddy touchdown! 47 yards scoring stripe, ryan to roddy and now a point after away from a 20-0 lead. boy, you get that huge stop.

brian, you talk about momentum and emotion all the time in this game of football. third down and one fourth down and one you get a big carry by turner and then, bang. >> brian: let's back

it up even further. the big penalty on the atlanta offense that forced them to go for three points. then seattle goes the length of the field. and for the defense to respond the way they

did and then matt ryan and this offense to come in and respond to that, it's going all atlanta's way right now. >> thom: of course they review every scoring play, and

they're just making sure that white had complete control of the football, which he did. they're >> thom: well, we wondered what would matt ryan do following

a turnover if he had pretty doggone good. >> referee: the ruling on the field is confirmed. the receiver the possession going to the ground, touchdown. >> thom: confirming

what you saw. walt coleman throws an exclamation point on that 47-yard touchdown catch, and pete carroll's team looking for something, anything. and he'll smile about

pete's a loose guy. >> brian: oh, yeah. like we said, the difference is when they started to see washington struggle a little bit, that gave them the confidence to come back.

there's nothing -- no struggle in this atlanta falcon team right now. to do it on their own. i'm talking about the seattle seahawks. >> thom: bryant with the point after.

4:16 until halftime. >> brian: well, matt ryan took his shot and it was beautifully thrown down the middle of the field. watch kam chancellor at the top. we saw it last night

in the baltimore ravens/denver broncos how does the deepest center field player, in this instance kam chancellor, let roddy white get in behind him? you have got to stay

as deep as the deepest. matt ryan had to say, boy, just let me get this ball up and down. >> thom: a chance for the seahawks to get a little momentum in their favor.

4:16 to play until couple of time-outs. they had a good drive the last time they had the football. but could not convert on third down. and then pete carroll elected to go for it

on fourth down and a and washington will take a knee. brian, i must ask you, there are many seahawks fans that are asking the question, as you take a look at what's transpired so

far, lynch the early turnover, tony gonzalez with a touchdown reception, that fourth down and one, ball given to michael robinson. they take advantage of that and a scoring

strike. i know a lot of seahawks fans are saying how do you have a third and one, how do you have a fourth and one and you don't give it to a guy who had almost 1600 yards

rushing. is that a fair question? >> brian: yeah, it is. with the sheer size of it you want to obviously go against tendency and you want to do it with your

entire team, but i'm with you. at least one of those don't you want to give it to marshawn lynch. >> thom: turbin up to the 25. now, it should be noted there was a lot

of concern and a lot of alarm about marshawn lynch not practicing wednesday of this week. pete carroll said, look, he has not practiced on wednesdays over the

entire second half of the season. he has been bothered with a tender right foot. but he didn't look like anything was wrong with him last week in d.c.

promise you, there's no player on any football team that takes more beating than a running back. no running back takes all the snaps this late in the season. >> thom: golden tate,

he brings it up for a first down to the 38 chris myers to the sideline. >> chris: thom, the noise here has had an effect. the offensive linemen of the seahawks

complaining they had trouble hearing. they missed an alert on that third and one and fourth and one so russell wilson during that last defensive possession for the seahawks talked to his

line and said they're going to have to go with more hand signals or tapping the linemen so they get the right play to the right people. 3:07. and this is lynch.

that's a gain of a yard. >> brian: thom, we talked about in the open we've been in this building many times and these are great fans, but sometimes it takes

them a while to get cranked up. you got the sense this week being in town that there was a little bit of, well, we want to see how they do. i know it's the

divisional round. we want to see them win that playoff game. this mmentum is building. if this should hold through and atlanta should go to the championship game and

have san francisco come here, this building will be rocking from day one. >> thom: lynch appears to be a little tender. nursing that right foot some. wilson being chased,

won't get got and he is very close to a that may take us down to the 2:00 warning. it is a first down. wilson trying to get them up to the line of scrimmage. >> brian: not going to

>> thom: nope. 2:00 warning. >> thom: pete carroll's seahawks with the football at their own 48 yard what a turn-around carroll has orchestrated, along

with general manager john schneider. second youngest team in the league. and the hottest team in the nfc. they have dug themselves a 20-0 hole.

marshawn lynch, there to meet him. lynch eight carries, 28 yards in the game. >> brian: there again, you can see with just a standard box and now they're going to get william moore in there

look at all the bodies. look at the red shirts swarming to the tackle. they knew that was going to be the key in stopping marshawn >> thom: there would

have been a lot more yardage on that throw to miller if he didn't have to leave his feet to catch it, but it is a first down. clock down to 1:25. ball at the atlanta 32.

leon washington into catch, and it is another first down. that's sidney rice, his first reception of the game. we're under 1:00. >> brian: clearly atlanta is playing not

to give up the touchdown. at this point they're inside field goal range so they'll give up just about anything underneath but just can't give up that shot into the end

zone. >> thom: wilson just throws it away. about the difficulty of a four-man rush getting home on russell wilson when you have to constantly spy as to where he's

at. we really haven't seen a lot of pressure on him, but part of it is they kept him pretty well contained. of course we're looking at john abraham who had that

ankle injury to finish you wondered how that was going to affect them. they may be saving him for later in the game right now and not wanting to waste the reps early.

>> thom: second and ten. it is miller again. that's a gain of nine. >> laura: you were just talking about the status of john abraham who came in with that ankle injury.

right now he is questionable, reinjured it. he is right now questionable to return. >> thom: cliff matthews takes his place.

it's third and one. quick slant with the catch made by golden tate and that's enough seattle with one time-out remaining. and they will spending their final time-out. it's first and goal.

and while we have a moment, let's send it back to los angeles to curt menefee. >> curt: coming up on the visa halftime, our guys will break down the first half from hotlanta like no one

else can and we'll have an exclusive interview with a quarterback one of these teams will face next sunday, 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick. it's all coming up on

the visa halftime. see you then. >> thom: first and goal for seattle. 25 seconds remain. the seahawks are out of time-outs. pretty evident zach miller has been his

security blanket in this game. >> brian: yeah, 10 and 10 for ten completions. five of them were to zach miller. right now you're going to see zach miller on

they may be looking to try to get that one-on-one matchup on the outside with zach >> thom: trying to get it in the back of the end zone to rice. outstanding coverage. asante samuel.

in the postseason very few cornerbacks have played better than samuel. >> brian: he doesn't necessarily like to be on the inside. they got him there by putting zach miller on

the outside, but asante samuel, as good as second guessing, and i mean that in a complimentary way, due to his film studies, he knows when to guess and when not to. >> thom: and atlanta

is going to have to call a time-out. unable to get it. oh, they did. apparently mike smith is screaming from that they had a man uncovered all the way to the far right side

of that spread formation. talk about samuel playing in his 20th postseason game. of course many of those with new england. seven playoff

interceptions and holds the all-time record with four of those returned for a touchdown in the playoffs. >> brian: i had fun listening to him out at practice the other

day. he was coaching them all up. he was getting after the offensive coordinator every yeah, i like that one. no, no, no, i don't want to see that one.

he was telling michael turner after a play, hey, you get in the end zone like that, that's 23 hamburgers. he said, oh, by the way, that's not a bounty. >> thom: well, you've

got to entice the big fellow. >> brian: that's right. he used the right incentive as well. now seattle looks confused. >> thom: seattle does

not have a time-out. cliff matthews is replacing john abraham. start, number 76 still second down. >> thom: he saw okung move. >> brian: and you see

kroy biermann moving around russell wilson and offensive line trying to account for that movement. we talked about this undersized atlanta falcon defense that has to scheme its way

into certain pressure, and clearly right there that brought about the penalty as they were trying to sort out the goal from the 11. that had no chance from the start.

visa halftime coming up. curt, terry, howie, michael and jimmy will break it down from the first half here. an interview with colin kaepernick. my, oh my, was he

sensational last night. 49ers for a second straight year will play in the nfc championship game. big play here, third and goal from the 11. wilson is sacked!

by babineaux. and now they have to hurry. they're going to go for it. they won't even get a snap off! >> brian: wow. >> thom: they throw it

to the end zone. now we wait -- no, unable after the sack to get the field goal unit out. out of time-outs. an already difficult opening half for seattle ends in bitter

fashion. >> brian: that is a rookie quarterback in a stressful situation with a tired football team that's been worn out by the team on the field and the fans in the stadium.

that was a tough way to ending the half for the seattle seahawks. >> thom: 20-0 at the nfl on fox will continue with the visa halftime repor >> thom: just about to start the third

quarter. 20-0 atlanta. follow your favorite team all season long. just go to itunes.com/nfl. yesterday here at the dome, 40 young athletes competed in

the nfl punt, pass and kick national finals. five different age divisions. nfl punt, pass and kick began celebrating its 51st anniversary. dan marino and our very own troy aikman

competed in the competition as youngsters. troy said he didn't do very well. i find that hard to believe. >> brian: i used to love the one time in

baltimore i came out and watched those kids throwing. i got excited until i realized about half of them were better than the three guys i had playing for me so then i got depressed.

love to see these kids competing. >> thom: it was the end of the first quarter that the seahawks got it turned around last week. many are wondering did they get the play off

before the game clock expired. it should be noted, a, they did not get it off and, b, it is not reviewable under the current replay system. we're going to visit with mike pereira back

in los angeles on that topic. we understand a lot of you were curious. so too is the seahawks media relations staff as to whether or not that play got off before the end of the

half. and mike pereira, how about it? what happened here at the end of the half? >> well, as you saw when they actually superimposed the game clock on the screen,

you can see that. but even if they would have, seattle was not set and that would have created a ten-second runoff. they did not have a time-out left, so the half would have been

over either way and you wouldn't have had a play. >> thom: always great to have our good friend, mike pereira, joining us from back in los angeles. long-time head of nfl

officials. so here we go in the third quarter. can seattle get it turned around, trailing 20-0? and wilson to throw it he's done a lot of that in this game

today, and that has not been the m.o. when the seahawks have been unbelievably successful over the second half of the it's been primarily due to the best rushing attack in the

nfl. >> brian: which leads to the typical play action pass shot down the field. having to do it from almost a straight dropback every time >> thom: ten-yard

reception by sidney rice to begin the second half. they give it to lynch. it's a gain of two. let's check in from the atlanta sideline with laura. >> laura: thom, if

anyone is surprised by the 20-0 score, they're not alone. no fewer than five players walked off mouthing wow to me. they said don't look at that scoreboard, be more aggressive and

we'll keep doing that by having our aggressive play calling mixing it up and running this half. >> thom: seattle rushing for just 57 yards in the first wilson to throw it on

second down. and now he'll run it. still on his feet, close to midfield and that's a first down up to the 49 yard line. their best runs have come from the quarterback wilson.

>> brian: they have, because again, you're going to see this is just a four-man rush. they're kind of spying, trying to watch and make sure russell wilson doesn't yet outside.

unlike colin kaepernick last night that we saw in the san francisco game, so far this has been the lesser of a couple of evils. they haven't given up those big passing

plays down the field. >> thom: john abraham to begin this second half, cliff matthews fills in for him. an eight-yard game by turbin. let's go to the seattle side line with

>> chris: pete carroll said he wasn't going to deviate much from his original game plan even down 20-0. but they have to gamble to put more pressure on matt ryan on defense.

he said russell wilson made a mistake not getting rid of the ball on third down, taking the sack. he said marshawn lynch is fine but we may see more read option with russell wilson in the

second half. >> thom: thank you, chris. thank you, laura. gain of seven on first it's second and three. lynch very close to a first down, needed to get to the 41.

maybe just short. lynch, 132 rushing yards last week in nine for 28. and again on a third down and a yard as he was on the last third and one, lynch is standing on the

seahawks sidelines. >> brian: and they empty the backfield with no one back there with russell wilson, unless they wedge it just like this and it works. that, at least, made

sense in terms of if you're going to run the quarterback wedge. marshawn lynch out of the game, make them think you're going to do something other than the quarterback wedge.

it doesn't do any good to have marshawn lynch standing behind you if you're going to wedge the ball. it's a unique look. it's their version of the pistol offense. >> thom: fake the run.

wilson moving around. still moving. he's caught from behind by vance walker. >> brian: mike nolan is going to be needing to rotate these defensive linemen

through because they're going to wear down a little bit. nice job down the field with no place to go. zach miller on the this is where russell wilson has usually

pulled it down and made some good he tried to find someone to dump it off to and then went vertical. darrell bevell trying to create something down the field to get

that one big play they can hang their hat on. and 18. and a quick hit and that is a first down reception on a second down and 18 on a catch by miller. who has been by far

the best seahawks offensive player in this game today. six receptions for 113 >> brian: that's got to be a blown assignment. this vacated area right here.

someone needs to buzz to that. it looks like william moore played too far inside before he buzzed out to the tight end that allowed the wide-open zach miller to get the big

>> thom: wilson to throw it on first a wide open golden tate inside the 5 and he'll tiptoe into the a touchdown for the opening drive of this third quarter, and the seahawks finally reach

>> brian: well, thomas decoud comes out underneath. this is a free safety that's buzzing that allowed dunta robinson to rotate over the top to where normally a safety

would be, and basically a miscommunication. you've got dbs in unnatural positions with the corner going to the hash safety and the safety going to the flat, not really

conversant as to where they needed to be to execute that defense. by ryan longwell is good. so life on the visitors side. >> thom: nice of the staff at the georgia

aquarium,brian, be part of the billboards waving the nfl on fox sign. >> brian: here you can see smith talking to decoud about where he needed to be. obviously russell

wilson excited about having that nine-play 80-yard drive to start the half. >> thom: this is rodgers from the 3 and he is leveled at the 20. mercy.

jeremy lane the big hit. now hoping to make playoff 20 points the largest road deficit for a comeback win in the history of the nfl when detroit did it

out in san francisco, going back to 1957. first down, they pitch it to michael turner, who had an outstanding first half. and that's a gain of six. >> brian: well, we saw

seattle emotionally respond to being down 20-0 at half, coming out, going the length this is a spot the atlanta offense can come out, maybe redial up that opening sequence where they

were able to literally run down the field with michael turner, jacquizz rodgers, with a couple of shots down they would like nothing better than to run the ball down the throat of the seattle

seahawks right here to respond to that score. >> thom: they call it a gain of five by this time it's rodgers, and he lost a half yard. brandon mebane coming down the line to get

him. >> brian: obviously seattle thought the same thing. we're not going to let you get this running game cranked up on us. got an eight-man box with a nice job of

mebane closing from the back side preventing any kind of gain from rodgers. >> thom: so very important third down for this seahawks atlanta four of seven converting on third

downs so far. and the catch is made by gonzalez, and that appears to be a first needed to get to the 30. and that's right on it, just beyond it, first down.

>> brian: that's why we put the highlighter on tony gonzalez. matt ryan talks about how he had to get used to the fact that he could throw the ball just about anywhere to tony gonzalez.

but to get on the same page as to where gonzalez, even though covered, might anticipate where that ball might be thrown, that's why he goes to him in such critical situations,

particularly in the third and medium and third and short. >> thom: they set up a screen to rodgers and seattle saw it coming. alan branch, k.j. wright. maybe a yard.

>> brian: even though that didn't get a lot of yards, matt ryan talked about how he really enjoyed this year infusing the screen game. that was kind of devoid of the offense

last year and the ability to get the screen game cranked that's the first screen we've seen today, maybe we'll see more. >> thom: they scored six touchdowns off the

screen this season, by far the most of any great reception. catch and a first down by julio jones. brian, we brought up earlier no chris clemons. the seahawks d had 36

sacks with clemons. we have not called bruce irvin's name all day today. >> brian: that has been a factor in these completions down the field because this route takes a while to

crank up. nice job of -- look at the eyes on the ball, looking at to the particularly going across the middle when you know you're apt to get lit up. >> thom: close to the

50. justin blaylock lost a helmet there. this guy never missed a start in almost five years since coming to the falcons. >> brian: he's been a nice anchor for them.

sam baker the left tackle has been in and out of the lineup with injury over the last couple years. todd mcclure may be on the back end of his career. they really like their

rookie right guard who's done a nice job for them. >> thom: to the far side, the catch is made by harry douglas. first time we've called his name today, and that's a first

down to the 44 yard >> brian: watch the backfield pick up this pressure, this blitz. you don't see a lot of blitzing from seattle. they got a hat on a hat and there again, thom, giving matt ryan

a chance to come out late to harry douglas. >> thom: douglas on a lot of teams would be catching 50, 60, 70 passes a year. when you're playing on the atlanta team that has two 1,000-yard

receivers, a tight end with 93 receptions, it's tough getting the football. looking for douglas. and could not hang on. sherman step for step, but looked to be a catchable ball.

there's always a question. it's like a three-legged sack race who pushed who, who does what. they're going to let him play to a degree. harry douglas, this

really isn't his deal being that outside they leave that pretty much tojulio jones douglas got away with just a little bit of a push there. and ten. jones inside the 20,

all the way to the 22 >> brian: just a quick little inside slant, a very nice play design by dirk koetter, the offensive coordinator. taking underneath coverage away from it, giving matt ryan an

easy completion to the 6'3", 220-pound julio >> thom: tenth play of this drive following the touchdown by the rodgers for a yard. about the emotional response of the atlanta falcons after

seattle went the distance. this is just the kind of drive head coach mike smith wants, because not only has it put them in scoring position, but it's chewing down some big

clock here as we're down coming under 4:00 of the third quarter. that's just the kind of drive he wanted to orchestrate. >> thom: i don't think anybody saw this coming.

you know, you sit around and you talk about games and how they should play out each and every week. if somebody would have said to you before the week began that in the third quarter one team

would have nearly double the rushing yards of the other, and this is incomplete. brian, i think you would have said and i think everybody would have said seattle

would be the team who's rushed for 142 yards by this point in that belongs to atlanta. >> brian: and what a boost for them after the three playoff losses over the last

mike smith with the bye had to change something out. even if it was just for change sake, to give the players good to hang their hat on and say, okay, we're going to be okay now.

clearly they felt like they could run the ball, and it's played out beautifully for them today. >> thom: blitz coming. ryan delivers, and look at the strength of tony gonzalez.

he just rips it away from winston guy. >> brian: once again, we see seattle is having to bring more pressure to try to get to matt ryan. that creates one-on-ones down the

winston guy at 6'1" is no match for the bigger, more athletic >> thom: what a player, what a player. going to his 13th pro bowl. this has been one of his best seasons of

his 16 years. throw to rodgers and he's down to the 6 wrapped up by wagner. >> brian: you know, matt ryan down here, a big part of their confidence in matt ryan is he is very

sound in the red zone in terms of understanding the pace of the game. right now three points would be huge because it takes it to that three-score differential.

knowing that to come away with any points at all responding to seattle's drive is huge, i don't see him taking an unduly risk in terms of putting the ball in the end zone.

>> thom: it would be the first time in his fourth career playoff ryan has 200 yards passing and it's snelling who finds the end zone! >> brian: dirk koetter, the offensive

coordinator, loving that play. you know this is one of those plays you might practice and practice and practice for weeks without calling it. calling it at just the

right time to get the score. all they're going to do is bring everything out to the right and trail jason snelling with a little shovel pass, really getting the seattle seahawks

to close. great response by the atlanta falcons. >> thom: you took the words right after my mouth. after a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to get some

momentum the seahawks' way, matt ryan and company. that one is blocked by and i've got to believe he started too early, didn't he? >> brian: no, they got >> referee: offsides,

number 25 defense. half the distance to the goal. retry. >> brian: he didn't have -- he got offsides so quickly, he didn't have a chance, didn't have

the time to pull the flag. >> thom: snelling for six years has been a backup here in atlanta. we were here for his career day a couple of seasons ago and

wondered if the former georgia cavalier would ever get a chance to be an every down back. he's battled through injuries the last couple of seasons but has been rock solid. so the point after is

snelling the touchdown, 27-7. that five-yard penalty will be assessed on the kickoff. the extra point is >> thom: well, there are 80-yard drives and there are 80-yard

drives but when you have 14 plays and chew up 7:36 to make it 27-7, that is an 80-play drive. after the penalty, ryan will particular it through the end down by 20.

pressure of the >> thom: 2:11 to play here in the third seattle from its own 20, trailing by 20. side, it's a gain of five. when every play matters, and it does

right now, turn to nfl mobile for coverage of every nfl game. call star star nfl to get it for just $5 all month long. >> brian: we've seen a few of these read options by russell

he has yet to keep i don't know whether that's by design or they're just saving it for the right moment. but i would think now would be about that right moment. >> thom: fakes the run

and now looking to fires down the middle. tate came back to get the ball and tate up that will be a first >> brian: and this is what has happened. as the dbs fall out, he scrambles around,

the linebackers are gobbled up with the potential of russell wilson pulling it and again, the big plays we've seen by are on plays where the linebackers have to settle and that second

level receiver has gotten in behind him. >> thom: golden tate had a game-winning 24-yard touchdown as time expired against green bay in week now wilson fires and it's caught by rice.

that's a first down at the atlanta 40. their last drive 80 yards after just getting 193 over five possessions in the a scoreless first wilson looks down the and there's miller

left alone once more. and he's out of bounds at the 13 yard line. nine seconds left in the third quarter. seahawks in business. it's that intermediate level, about 20 yards deep.

as the dbs fall off taking away the big play, the linebackers getting gobbled up underneath by the play fake. the shallow receivers. that's three times now we've seen zach miller

get into that 20-yard area with throws in behind the linebackers. >> thom: that will be the final play of the 27-7 atlanta. continue after a break from your local fox

stations. >> thom: so we're set to begin the fourth brian, mike smith, you've known him well, known him a long time. he's standing on that sideline with a 20-point lead, that

clock, i would imagine, can't tick quickly enough. >> brian: just starting the fourth quarter, but it is a factor in the play calling both offensively and

defensively as we progress to the end of >> thom: a rough time in the red zone for these seahawks, even last week. these two guys hit one another, these teammates.

that is one violent collision. watch this. >> brian: sean weatherspoon kind of misses, and now is straight up trying to come back into it and asante samuel comes

back in and just pops weatherspoon, who didn't quite get to it, but just popped him with a big hit. >> thom: turbin down to the 1 yard line. the book would say if you don't get it here

on third down, you kick the field goal to bring it to a two-score differential, but the way this game has gone i'm not sure pete carroll is not going to go for it on fourth

down if they don't get it here. excuse me, first down. he got the first, my mistake. >> thom: lynch. and no signal given yet. nope, he's down short

of the goal line. >> brian: i'm still thinking about that 20 points. i lost that touchdown by the falcons, that last one. that changes it. that's clearly down

here, and obviously he'll have a couple goes at it, but he's going to have three more shots because kicking a field goal here does him no good. >> thom: then you're still down to three

scores. >> brian: absolutely. >> thom: they fake it to him. and wilson will run it in for the touchdown. so now a point after away from trailing by 13.

>> brian: that was a tough one for them. they sold out on the you're going to see it all crash down in here to stop marshawn lynch, which left nobody on the outside, as russell wilson

pulls it down for the i don't know if you can call that a block as much as it is a fetal curl-up and let them tackle me. >> thom: of course it was wilson who made the big block in front

of lynch last week in and the point after by longwell is good. so with 13:00 to go, >> thom: trying to defy postseason odds, pete carroll and the seahawks, teams trailing by 20 or more

at halftime, the results are not good. >> brian: right now seattle is not thinking about that. i'd just as soon not be the one. i'd be saying let's make history now.

there's sheer odds somebody is going to do it. >> thom: rodgers will >> thom: russell wilson has been able to put up a pair of touchdowns here in the second half, after

getting blanked in the but needing the ball back at least twice more. what an outstanding game turner has had. and i'm not sure anybody thought this might be coming.

in fact there was some falcon fans we ran into at our hotel last night that said please tell me we're not going to see michael turner and the old three yards and a cloud of turf, if you

will. well, turner pretty good today. 12 rushes, 83 yards. >> brian: when we asked dirk koetter about the plan for michael turner, he kind of burred a

little bit like i don't care what you're hearing, this guy can still bring the load and we're going to count on him. >> thom: gain of nine on first down and now gets it on second down

and that will be good enough for turner. tell me what's going on on fox. >> brian: it's almost that time of year and i'm talking to you, thom brennaman, tv's biggest phenomenon.

"american idol" is back for an all-new season of talent and judges. america's number one show, "american idol" remere -- premieres this wednesday. >> thom: keith urban,

i wish he'd take time on every show and do a guitar solo. play fake, it's the edged around to julio and that did not fool leroy hill. k.j. wright there as >> brian: he did a

nice job of chasing this down from behind. branch keeps it from going to the outside, allows that rush from the back side to catch up to it. >> thom: wright another one of these

young dynamic defenders. only his second year out of mississippi state. they need one of these young, dynamic defenders to make a play.

trailing 27-14 and ryan throws it down and it's intercepted! or was it out of bounds? no, it is an interception a second straight week for earl thomas.

you wonder about that decision by matt ryan. that had no chance of being caught. so we talked about a defender making a seahawks get the ball >> thom: the takeaway by thomas and the

matt ryan, his second interception of the game, third time in his four postseason starts he's thrown two or more interceptions. idney rice has it and steps out of bounds at the atlanta 38 yard

>> brian: seattle continues to make hay with those deep to intermediate passes. here rice just gets in behind that linebacker and second level of the secondary because of the play fake,

because of the way they have to account for russell wilson. we've seen a number of plays hit at this level for big plays for the seattle >> thom: 24-yard reception.

under 11:00 to go and they hand it off to inside the 35 down to the 33. have to go back to last year. an eerily similar here earl thomas coming under pierre

garcon in a big play that helped turn the tide for the seattle seahawks against the washington redskins in the same fashion, earl thomas over the top coming up with the big interception to give

seattle a chance now inside the 50 to come away with another >> thom: the crowd trying to get behind its falcons defense. seattle on the move. turbin cuts it back to the inside.

inside the 5 and run out of bounds at the 3 how about the moves by the rookie out of utah state! and now with 9:42 to the seahawks inside the 5. >> brian: just a

little dump-off here. steven douglas, poor job of wrapping up. just trying to take him out with just a he needs to form tackle and wrap up to bring down robert big mistake now going

to put this falcon defense at risk inside >> thom: play action wide open, and an easy touchdown to zach and don't look now, here come the seven of his 16 seattle games this

year, his team had a chance to win with under 2:00 to go in the fourth quarter. they won four of those games. three of them on touchdowns by wilson in wins over green

bay, chicago and new and look at the numbers for wilson here in the second a stunned crowd in it was 27-20. now >> thom: all of a sudden things have

tightened up considerably here in four plays in under two minutes to go 62 yards after an and the seahawks trail by six. what was a 20-point spread.

rodgers two yards out of his own end zone. and a good return. up to the 24. >> brian: well, you're going to see here just zach miller is going to run a crossing route.

he gets dropped in coverage. this happens on the goal line more often than not. linebacker just doesn't recognize that he's got miller in behind him.

this is a pretty easy throw for russell wilson to zach miller >> thom: so now the pressure clearly, as if it wasn't there already on this atlanta team to get a playoff win, this

series a microcosm of the pressures that they have felt since being eliminated last year by the new york giants. play action. ryan, incomplete. >> brian: roddy white

had beat richard sherman across the matt ryan just a little bit off. that would have been a big play with a big chunk of yardage to punch a hole in it. matt ryan is likely

going to have to make the throws to get them going in this drive, because right now the running game has dried up just a little bit. >> thom: second down, they fake it one way and then they throw it

to jones. and that was snuffed out beautifully by k.j. wright. that's a loss back to the 20 yard line. third down and 14 coming up. >> brian: that's twice

now that we've seen these quick screens blown up. first by chancellor, now by wright. they're all over it, doing a nice job avoiding the pulling linemen to put atlanta

in a third and 13 >> thom: ryan steps up and pulling it down is bruce davis and look at that seattle springing to its feet collectively after yardage, and the seahawks will get the

football back. >> brian: they're certainly not feeling that back-to-back cross-country flight they have been re-energized in the now it's going to fall on the atlanta defense

to spark atlanta and keep seattle from marching right down the field like they did the last two times. >> thom: matt bosher stands at his own 12. leon washington

waiting at the 20. very, very short punt. savvy move by washington to come up and get it, and he brings it back to the 39 yard line. boy, that is a rock saurld veteran play by

so now wilson >> thom: what an amazing turn-around. atlanta pitching a shutout in the opening half, had a 20-point lead here in the third quarter and now you're on the ropes.

>> brian: yeah, this is the place the atlanta defense has got to step up. they have kind of clamped down on the run, but they may have to back off a little bit and let seattle

run the ball a little they can't afford these throws down the field anymore. >> thom: they miss on a chance to sack the rookie wilson and he slides for a nine-yard gain on first down.

pressure on this atlanta team. are they feeling it even more now, brian, on the sideline? >> brian: yeah, they are. we wondered how they would handle adversity

early in the game. it's been atlanta up to this point. now the adversity is coming late. we'll see how atlanta responds to that because that's where this history of losing

the playoff games start to begin to creep in your mind. lost very early on reinjuring his ankle. second down and it's although he was hit right at the 50, that appears to be enough

big hit by depending on the spot, we'll see whether or not he got a first we're waiting. and it is a first let's check in with >> chris: russell wilson said he enjoys

playing in a close anybody can win in a blowout. darrell bevell said if lunch doesn't run well we're not afraid to throw it 50 times with we have faith in him. it seems as the game

gets tighter, the seahawk team gets even more loose. >> thom: play fake to lynch, and now wilson looks down the field and it is batted away. closing quickly on sidney rice was

decoud. >> brian: where russell wilson makes his money deep down the field is just that kind of play, down the middle of the field. not much of a streak or go thrower on the

because of the play action fake they hope to move the safety. there thomas decoud wasn't moved enough and was able to recoup his position to knock the ball down. looking for the screen

and sniffed out. corey peters, a defensive lineman, tracking turbin out of the backfield and they tried to set up that screen. look at the last three possessions, and more

importantly the >> brian: where they have been making their most money is in that intermediate area between 15 and 20 now, that's going to be tougher because this defense is going

to be jumping anything that goes deeper than the first down marker. but on first and second down, that's where that depth of route has hurt the atlanta falcons. >> thom: and the

falcons will ask for time-out. third and one they couldn't convert, fourth and one gave it to michael robinson down inside the red couldn't get off the final play of the

first half after wilson was sacked. they were out of time-outs. and they couldn't get -- forget about getting the field goal unit after the sack, they couldn't get off

another snap. >> brian: and if just one of those can convert and even just a field goal, that would currently make it a 27-24 game. now you're talking about a three-point

that changes the entire dynamic of what you might call. is zach miller the guy you' lookin for? >> brian: it has been. it was last week and has been a couple times today.

>> thom: by far the best game of his season for the seattle tight end. >> brian: zach miller on the left side. >> thom: three-man rush. and wilson looking for

an open receiver. flag down and rice dropped it. now we wait on the foul, chop block, number 60 on the fourth down. >> thom: that's max unger, the all-pro

center. just on the outside making sure you can see here on the edge. they're not going to let russell wilson come around. right there you saw max unger chop

babineaux late in the that's a dangerous play with regard to injury, but a huge play in terms of making them punt. >> thom: big stop by this atlanta defense, and that punt is out

of the end zone. went beyond the goal 27-21 atlanta, 5:32 to next sunday right here on fox, the nfc will it be russell wilson? will it be matt ryan playing at home?

we'll know shortly. we also know it begins at 2:00 eastern, next sunday. the nfc championship, >> brian: we're in a classic 4:00 territory even though we're sitting here at 5:32.

what atlanta wants to do is buy down the clock, run the ball. seattle knows that too. they're a tough big defense to run the ball against. obviously atlanta has

run the ball very well, but not so much in the second half. >> thom: well, they threw it three times on their last possession. culminating on a matt ryan interception.

turner off the right side. 12 for michael turner. who's knocking on the door at a 100-yard rushing game. >> brian: you've got to watch the feet of michael turner for a

big man. watch how he side steps this. he's got great feet for a big man with just enough acceleration to bounce to the outside. jump cut, and now

those quick feet that belie a big man like they're going to need a lot of him in this drive and they're not going to give the ball back to the seattle seahawks. >> thom: turner only

has two 100-yard rushing games, the last coming the first week of november against dallas. rodgers met at the line of scrimmage, picked up perhaps a red bryant there as

the clock continues to roll, closing in on 4:30 to go. >> brian: and matt ryan will orchestrate these huddle calls in a way that brings the clock down almost to just one or two

seconds before he gets the snaps off. right up here, here's the play clock. you can watch that as matt ryan will bring as much play clock down as he can, getting one more first

down would be huge for this team. they want a lot more, but right now one more first down, just one first down at a time. >> thom: the pitch by what a job by the browner the first man

there to spin him so a very important, very important third down coming up. >> brian: this comes out of the playbook from last year. this is a classic mike mularkey/pittsburgh

steelers style of play with that quick flip to the bunch side. seattle doing a nice job of holding up on the edge and not getting him outside. >> thom: well, this could be, could be the

biggest down of the i mean obviously there have been scoring downs, scoring plays, but as you said, brian, they get a first down here and seattle is in a world of trouble.

>> brian: you always want to know where tony gonzalez is in this situation. and eight. they need to get to the 42 yard line. and will not do it. incomplete on a throw

to roddy white, and once more matt ryan and the falcons offense cannot sustain a drive to put this game on ice. >> brian: matt needed to keep this throw a little high and

that's a tough catch, even for a roddy >> thom: that's where he had to throw it, though, wasn't it? >> brian: if he had kept it high and outside it would have been a lot easier.

obviously with a trailing defender, you don't want it to trail at all. high and outside would have been safe and a little easier catch. >> thom: leon another very short

punt by bosher, and washington up to the 49 yard line. that's where the last seahawks drive began. we invite you to stay tuned following our coverage here on fox from atlanta for the

broken city postgame show. >> brian: i want to see, again, if atlanta is going to take care of that intermediate area, that 12 to 20-yard area behind the linebackers in

front of the free safety, because that's where seattle has been making their money. they didn't in the last series. i'd be surprised if they don't come back to it.

>> thom: a very, very quiet day for marshawn we said it a moment ago. seven times this year seattle had a chance to win with under 2:00 to go in the fourth we're under 3:00 now.

seven games. three of them against green bay, chicago and new england on russell wilson touchdowns. wilson looking around.â–  the catch is made. trying to get to the first down stick at

the 49 yard line and it is very close, right on it. >> brian: change on that side. they did not, it looks like, and the chains are on that side. it's easy to see.

this thing come down to the 2:00 warning. >> referee: that is the 2:00 warning. >> thom: 2:00 to go. does russell wilson wilson this year the first rookie quarterback.

three game-winning touchdowns in the fourth quarter or overtime. most since the merger in 1970. can he do it here in the postseason. 2:00 to go in atlanta

and seattle down by wilson looking and he finds in the middle of the field golden tate, who spins off one tackle and has the first down to the 32 yard line. >> brian: that's that

intermediate area i'm talking about, in this is what has been killing atlanta of nice job keeping it alive. instead of scrambling, looking down the field, it is that 15

to 20-yard area that right now has been a real vulnerability for >> thom: under 1:30. wilson a pump fake, looking and now he'll run it. he dives ahead to the 27 and quickly try to

get his team up to the line of scrimmage. three time-outs remaining, 1:10 to go. one can only wonder what is going through the mind of mike smith right now. huddling up.

yeah, i don't know why. at the very least use one of those they have got three of they let a lot of clock run off in that series. >> thom: there's 56

wilson down the middle, and it's threw it in between miller and mccoy. his two tight ends. >> brian: now on third down if they don't convert here, you're in that distance where

you could think field goal, onside kick, but i don't think that's going to be the case. i think you're in four-down territory here unless of course you get sacked. it's likely four down

territory. wilson escapes a will get the first down and then some. he's run out of bounds at the 5 yard line, the ball at the 4 yard 34 seconds remain. >> brian: russell

wilson escaping to the outside and just dropping it off to look, they bring the pressure and now just the athleticism of stepping away. that had sack written all over it.

with sean weatherspoon almost getting home to russell wilson. >> thom: ball inside the 4. >> brian: he has yet to pull the ball out in the read option and keep it.

>> thom: timeout is called. a flag down, i beg your pardon. a penalty flag down. or was time-out called before the flag? >> referee: 12 men on the goal.

>> thom: so that takes it from inside the 4 to just outside the 1. look at these numbers for wilson. his team shut out in the first half. 378 passing yards. a postseason seahawk

franchise record. and now with 34 seconds left trying to get to the end zone. to get into the read option and keep the this would be a heck of a place to do it. >> thom: they just

give it to lynch, who fumbled the ball but then it's picked up by urng. -- unger for a seattle touchdown! and now the officials are conversing over they will gather.

at the 1 yard line. boy, marshawn lynch, was he already in before the ball was jarred loose on the hit by william moore, eventually landing in the arms of unger. that ball crossed the

plane before it started to move. either way, seattle gets the ball. >> brian: there's a whole bunch of difference between a touchdown and seattle having to do it again.

right there, i don't know if we see the ball coming out before it crosses the plane. >> thom: and when it lands like it did, you ask yourself is seattle indeed the team of destiny in

>> thom: mike pereira, this was a rule they put in after the dave casper fumble many years ago. tell us what's going on here? >> remember, inside of 2:00, only the

fumbling player can recover a football in front of the fumble spot. so if they rule this a fumble, they would have to go back and give seattle the ball at the spot of the

fumble. personally, i think the ball broke the knocked loose. >> thom: so walt coleman with the verdict. >> referee: after reviewing the play,

the ruling on the field is confirmed. plane of the goal line prior to coming loose, so touchdown. >> thom: so it was a touchdown for marshawn and that pretty much tells you the

overwhelming feeling here in atlanta. a point after to give seattle the lead. ryan longwell just brought in this week after the injury to steven hauschka has not really been a

factor at all. has not attempted a field goal in the but now the point after from a kid who grew up rooting for the seahawks as a kid in seattle. and it's good.

stunned disbelief here in >> thom: 31 seconds left, 28-27 seattle. no one, starting with mike smith, could have seen this coming, up by 20. seattle to respond

emotionally, let alone the execution on the field, after what happened in the first half, we talked forever about going west coast to east coast for the washington game,

having to go back, coming to the east coast again for the atlanta game. you could have understood seattle not having the energy to finish this off, but right now kudos to the

seattle seahawks for fighting back and taking a one-point lead. atlanta has two time-outs left and here's jacquizz he's got across the 15 to the 20, the 25 and

out to the 37. so 27 seconds remaining. matt ryan has two time-outs left. we saw them pull off one of their great comebacks in franchise history with under a

minute two years ago against chicago. tony gonzalez, never with a playoff win. matt ryan, 0 for 3. likewise for mike smith. this their third straight time to the

playoffs in his five years, their fourth time overall. >> brian: the time-outs allow them time to go to the should they choose. otherwise you're looking at deep

outside routes. >> thom: ryan steps up, throws and the catch is made by harry douglas, and that's to the 48 yard line. and a time-out. exactly how they came back in the chicago

game with a deep outside throw. i believe it was to michael jenkins before, and now they're within 15 yards of a makeable field goal with one >> thom: stay tuned,

following our game coverage for the 19 seconds left. career long for matt bryant is 62 yards. that means you'd have to get roughly to the 45 yard line. but let's be honest

about it. 62, the chances are pretty slim. >> brian: and i say again, with one time-out, it leaves you the option of throwing the ball in the middle of the

field should you choose, rather than having to make the outside throw like we just saw. >> thom: bryant's season long is 55. ryan finds gonzalez. well within field goal

range now. one time-out left. ryan trying to get them to the line of nope, they're going to call time-out. leading by 20, atlanta has the lead get away from them.

seattle goes up by one with less than a minute and now matt bryant will have a chance to send atlanta to the nfc championship game. >> brian: and, thom, if matt bryant makes

this field goal, how much will this do for this franchise and matt ryan. we've talked about the pressure on matt ryan. if they had just kept this thing going and made it a rout, sure

it would have made it a great win. how about if they can pull this off with matt ryan making two big throws to bring them back and win this game. >> thom: keep an eye

on red bryant, number 79. he has five blocked field goals in his this one will be from 49 yards away. >> brian: and he has sliced up the middle of this field goal

team or p.a.t. attempt twice already. he hasn't gotten home, but he sliced through pretty good. >> thom: josh harris the snapper. the holder is his punter, matt bosher,

and time-out was called before that kick got away. timeout was called by pete carroll. pete carroll is looking around saying who called time-out. >> brian: somebody

called time-out. again, a veteran kicker will tell you if you're going to let me get the kick off, thank you. because you just gave me a mulligan. you just gave me a

chance to size it up. you want to get that thing called so they don't actually get it snapped and kicked. right now pete is wondering who called the time-out? >> thom: well, i don't

know, it looks pretty straightforward there unless he whispered i'm not calling a forget it. >> thom: here we go 13 seconds left. 49 yards away for matt from the right hash.

good snap, good hold and it is good! >> brian: wow! folks, that -- you look at mike smith there, that's why that hair is that color. you last long enough in this league, what a

comeback. what a game. and as i said, it would have been one thing to run them out of the house. but boy, i tell you what, to bring it back this way.

now, we've still got eight seconds on the board. but boy, what a sequence of events for the atlanta falcons, for matt ryan, for mike smith, arthur blank and what that

will do for this franchise if they can hold on to the win. >> thom: 49-yarder by we had a lengthy visit with him the other day and talked with him about being cut loose by tampa bay.

went and played in the usl, hoping to get another chance. and since coming to atlanta, he's been money. you've got to give kudos to the seattle seahawks now.

they could have been out of this game a dozen different times. both these teams responding in a championship caliber way. regrettable only one can win.

>> thom: but still not eight seconds remain. to squib this one. you don't give leon washington a chance to crank this one up. doug baldwin and golden tate up in front of him.

robert tubin there as a very short kick that is knocked down by the front line of seattle and now all of a sudden you have six seconds left. holy mackerel. who has the football

is where we start. >> thom: but now all of a sudden seattle is conceivably a pass reception away. what happened here, brian? >> brian: well, i can't imagine this was

the plan, because you've got to be around the 50, the 45 to even think about drying the hail mary. otherwise you're just out of plan. i can't believe the plan wasn't to kick

that a little deeper. i said it was going to be a squib, but you want it to squib down around the 30 out of range with six seconds left to not give them a chance at this hail mary.

atlanta -- brian, do you not have time enough to run say a sideline route and a chance for a field goal? i mean it's only a field goal from winning.

>> brian: yeah, yeah, you do, but in six seconds you're going to cut it awfully close and atlanta recognizes anything in field, it's done. you've got no chance of coming up and

running a play. julio jones all the way back, and they complete a pass and out of bounds with two seconds left is baldwin. that would still be, what, a 65-yard field

goal try for longwell. his career long is 55. they needed to get more yardage than that if that was their only shot before a field goal. >> brian: this makes it a little easier to

take a shot at a hail mary. you know what the odds of that are, but of course this team has lived it on the reverse side of it. wow. >> thom: the miracle

win over green bay during the regular now the throw to the it's intercepted by julio jones and the atlanta falcons will championship game for the first time since 2004.

and for mike smith, matt ryan, tony gonzalez, collectively, individually, their first postseason win. >> brian: and that win, this win right here, legitimizes the

seattle seahawks as the number one seed and makes them the team to beat. >> thom: let's go downstairs to laura. >> laura: thanks, thom. all right, matt ryan,

for almost four years you've had to answer the question what is it like to never win a how much better do you feel right now with that monkey off of your back? >> i feel good.

that was a wild game, it really was. russell wilson played unbelievable. he played so hard. our guys, we just didn't quit. we just kept playing and made some plays on

that last drive. >> laura: we talk so much about the pressure that came out of the last playoff losses. what came out of it good that you took today.

>> i think everybody has a thicker skin. today we got out to an early lead. they battled back and we just kept fighting and found a way to win. >> laura: how long do

you celebrate and then turn your attention to san francisco's defense? >> soon, soon. we'll enjoy it for a little bit but get back to work. we've got more work to

matt. congratulations. thom, back to you. >> thom: well, brian, you have known mike smith for many, many years.

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on Google+

Share on LinkedIn

Subscribe to receive free email updates: