Seahawks vs. Falcons 2013, NFL Playoffs: Last-second kick sends Atlanta to the NFC Championship

“Ay breh,” he said, “Fuck with me, now.”

He was selling weed, about two hours before the Goodie Mob reunion show, walking beside me in a way that made clear this was an A-okay location for broad-daylight drug sales despite a clogged North Avenue just feet away. I don’t smoke, but had to admire the enterprise.

Miller finished the game with eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. Had Seattle held onto the lead in the waning moments of the game, Miller certainly would have been lauded as one of Seattle’s heroes.

Per the Seattle Times’ report, Miller received a painkilling shot in the locker room before returning to action.

One of Wilson’s favorite sayings during the season was “the separation is in the preparation” and judging by his actions on Monday, Wilson is already trying to separate himself for next season. He developed a reputation during his rookie season for how detailed he was in his preparation. Following games, Wilson would watch film of the next opponent and would place notes in the wide receivers’ lockers on Monday morning.

Wilson will take a break at some point, he said he and his wife will do on a belated honeymoon this off-season, but after that it’s right back to work.

Michael Turner looked like “The Burner” once again Sunday.

But as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus mentions, the line in front of him was a big reason why Turner looked so good:

For the first time in his career, Tony Gonzalez emerged from a playoff game as a winner.

Atlanta survived a furious comeback from the Seahawks. After jumping out to a 27-7 lead, the Seahawks came roaring back, taking a 28-27 lead with just 31 seconds remaining.

All week, the story was how bad a sports town Atlanta is. How Matt Ryan can’t win the big game. How Mike Smith’s playcalling hinders the team. How the defense can’t step up and close it out.

Atlanta wasn’t going to keep quiet. They were, as SB Nation’s Jason Kirk put it, uniting while everyone else piled narratives up against them.

This year’s participants in the NFC Championship game have officially been determined.

Next Sunday, hard-nosed defense will meet up-tempo offense when the San Francisco 49ers travel to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Falcons. In their respective division match-ups, the home teams escaped when the 49ers toppled the Packers and the Falcons defeated the Seahawks.

Fox really thought they were clever when they played “Black Hole Sun” as bumper music going into the break after a Matt Ryan interception that led to a Seattle touchdown. The Seahawks trail by six with just over nine minutes to play after falling behind, 20-0, at the half.

If we’re really trying to get into the Seattle music catalog, we have to do more. You could always travel further back in time with Jimi Hendrix, but if we’re sticking to the Sub Pop-era and on, we’ve got plenty of choices: Green River, The U-Men or even fake bands like Citizen Dick from Singles. Let’s go to the peanut gallery:

She’s been here before, but it doesn’t make the sting of a blown 20-point lead any easier.

This is a familar position for the Atlanta Falcons. Doubts are creeping in, and their past inability to perform in the playoffs is rearing its head yet again. They’ll need to score quickly to silence those thoughts and stop this mounting comeback from Seattle, which is playing with confidence.

Because you never know when your team is going to need you.

There’s no doubt Tony Gonzalez will be in the Hall of Fame, but there was plenty of doubt about whether or not he’d enter having won a playoff game in his career.

Gonzalez, 36, is in his 16th year and has seen just about everything in the league. He’s caught touchdowns in the postseason from three different quarterbacks, including today’s nifty score in the back of the end zone to put Atlanta up 10-0 early on against Seattle. Gonzalez has 5 catches, 32 yards and that score through three quarters.

The Seahawks are out there looking way more like Jigglypuff than a true contender. And they’re in a lot of trouble at the half after being completely dominated on both sides of the ball. You could say they’re one Falcon Kick away from being shot right off the map.

Okay, maybe that’s one too many Super Smash Brothers jokes, but it’s a 20-0 game, so where else do you think my mind is going to go?

Hey, you wanna dress up for a playoff game, then that’s your prerogative. But don’t be surprised when your mug ends up on the Internet.

Appreciate the dedication to your team and to defeating COBRA. The belt buckle is a nice touch, as is the clip-on cell phone allowing you maximum time to call for backup.

Or ‘Sister Act 3’ is finally getting green lit. Either way, we lose.

Seattle’s defense held early, but a Marshawn Lynch fumble gave the Falcons great field position, which is something the Seahawks desperately wanted to avoid. Matt Ryan took advantage, spreading the ball around, including an incredibly athletic catch by Roddy White to get Atlanta into the red zone.

A Chase Coffman grab got the Falcons to the 1-yard-line, and then Matt Ryan struck with a well-placed ball and some serious footwork by future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez to get into the end zone. This is the second straight week Seattle came out flat in the first quarter, as the Seahawks trailed RG3 and the Redskins 14-0 early before the turf and Griffin’s knee injury left the door open.

Carrying the ball 315 times in the regular season, Lynch fumbled only five times, never putting the ball on the ground in back-to-back games. In two playoff games he’s now fumbled twice, carrying the ball only 23 times.

With the Falcons and Seahawks battling between their receivers and cornerbacks, it will be imperative for Seattle to get its run game going. Lynch has had early success, averaging 5.0 yards per carry, but they’ll need him to be sure-handed to stay in the game.

After missing a possession, Miller did return to the field for Seattle’s final drive of the quarter, making an immediate impact with back-to-back catches for 31 yards. Miller went across the field and caught perfect pass dropped over the top by Russell Wilson for a big 23-yard gain. He appeared slightly hobbled getting across the field, but still had plenty to separate from coverage.

While Matt Ryan should still be able to find his receivers early and often, it won’t be for lack of trying from Sherman and the Seahawks’ secondary. Obviously, the injury to Chris Clemons hurts Seattle’s depth somewhat, but the Seahawks play fast and loose on seemingly every play, and they’re going to need that aggressive execution in the dome to set the tone early.

Sherman made a critical pass breakup on 3rd and 3 that would’ve resulted in an opening-drive touchdown for the Falcons and celebrated accordingly with his best Cypress Hill homage. Most other Cypress Hill homages would’ve involved some kind of illegal drug-related paraphernalia.

Both teams are playing physically, and on their answering drive the Seahawks were unable to make an impact, going three-and-out.

via kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com

(h/t to Mike Tunison of Kissing Suzy Kolber for the catch)

Both guys are two of the best young quarterbacks in the league. But despite White’s statement, Wilson already has one more playoff win than Ryan -- a narrative that will be hammered into your head often at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.