ATLANTA – Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking sensed it moments after Atlanta’s 47-17 whipping of the Rams in Atlanta. There was a good deal of celebrating in the locker room, but there remained a yearning for more celebrations to come.
“I looked in my teammates’ eyes immediately after we got in (the locker room) and I could tell that we’re not full,” Brooking said after the Falcons’ thorough domination of the Rams at the Georgia Dome. “There’s still a hunger inside of us and that’s what is so great about this team.”
The Falcons will take that hunger to Philadelphia Sunday when they’ll meet the Eagles for the NFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX. It’s the Falcons’ first title game since 1998 when they upset the Vikings in Minnesota.
The Eagles, 27-14 victors over the Vikings yesterday, are favored by 4½ points, but if the Falcons play as well as they did against the Rams, they could pull the upset. Atlanta was solid in all phases. The offense rushed for a franchise record 327 yards, Allen Rossum set an NFL postseason record for return yardage with 152, and the defense shut out the Rams in the second half.
“I’ve said all year, most of our wins came by either the whole team winning, and if one part of the team was lagging, another part picked up for them,” said Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney. “We always have each other’s backs and we were able to put together a real complete game (against the Rams) and that’s a tribute to everybody in here.”
The Eagles and Falcons met in the 2002 divisional playoff game at the Vet with the Eagles emerging with a 20-6 win. But this group is a much more confident bunch, possessing the top running game in the league and a dangerous quarterback in Michael Vick. Warrick Dunn romped for 142 yards against the Rams, while Vick rushed for 119 yards and passed for two touchdowns, blinding the Rams defense with speed and power.
“It’s tough on opposing defenses when you have Michael rolling to one side and the running backs going to the other,” Dunn said. “Michael takes opposing defenders with him and that creates running lanes for the running backs.”
The Falcons defense wasn’t bad either, holding St. Louis to just 91 net yards in the second half. “We had to catch up with the rest of the guys because the special teams came out smoking and the offense came out smoking,” said linebacker Chris Draft.
Now the Falcons and coach Jim Mora Jr. will prepare for the Eagles, who will playtheir fourth straight NFC title game. “I know the coaching staff is going to do a great job of keeping us focused,” Kerney said. “We’ve known all year that if you start thinking ahead, that’ll get you in trouble. We have to put every inch of our heart and soul in doing the best we can to beat them.”
The Falcons aren’t worried about being the underdog. “It doesn’t matter what people think,” Kerney said. “It’s what we think of ourselves.”
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Second time a charm?
On Sunday, Michael Vick will play a postseason game in Philadelphia for the second time. On Jan. 11, 2003, he and the Falcons lost to the Eagles 20-6 in the divisional round. A closer look back at his performance:
PASSING
COMPLETIONS: 22
ATTEMPTS: 38
YARDS: 274
TOUCHDOWNS: 0
INTERCEPTIONS: 2
RUSHING
CARRIES: 6
YARDS: 30
TOUCHDOWNS: 0
TITLE GAME AT A GLANCE
WHO: Falcons at Eagles
THE LINE: Eagles -4.5
WHEN: Sunday, 3 p.m., FOX
