ABSTRACT:

It is the unrelenting nature of the playoffs that immediately after one game has expired, even before the blood and sweat have been showered off, there are questions and images of what happens next. In the NFL, that means a contest ending minutes ago is resigned to history, replaced by the upcoming challenge arriving the following week.

So it was this past Saturday with the Falcons, who barely had time to delight in their 20-18 NFC divisional playoff victory over the 49ers when they were confronted – some would say hounded – by the menacing specter of the Vikings….