It was January 13, 2013 three years ago today when one of the most exciting wins in Falcons history took place. Take a ride through that history with us.
January 13, 2013: It's a little after 5 p.m. After two straight crushing playoff losses the previous two seasons, the Falcons had moments before watched Seattle make a 20-point Atlanta lead disappear...
January 13, 2013: ... Making good on his previous three field goals on the day, Matt Bryant eyes up what's next: a 49-yard field goal with 13 seconds left that would give the Falcons a two-point lead over the Seahawks in the NFC divisional round...
January 13, 2013: Holder Matt Bryant takes the perfect snap and places the ball on the ground. Bryant takes a swipe at it and gets all of it...
January 13, 2013: All we could do now was watch as the kick sailed through the air...
January 13, 2013: But we didn't even need to see the ball split the uprights. We already knew the kick was true...
January 13, 2013: The sideline erupted...
January 13, 2013: We got a little excited...
January 13, 2013: OK, we got a lot excited...
January 13, 2013: Our fans almost blew the roof off the Georgia Dome...
January 13, 2013: We congratulated the guy with the sure foot...
January 13, 2013: But it wasn't over yet. We all held our breath as the Seahawks gave it one last effort and @juliojones_11 took to the sky to come down with the game-winning interception...
January 13, 2013: Emotion poured out of @TonyGonzalez88 as he earned the first playoff win of his storied career...
January 13, 2013: The rest of the team, including longtime veteran Todd McClure, went nuts...
January 13, 2013: And we made the boss pretty happy...
January 13, 2013: And the hero took his bow as the celebration came to a close, marking one of the most thrilling victories in Falcons history.
Stats of Note: Ricardo Allen's three interceptions led the team.
Chosen to fill in for the injured William Moore, SS Kemal Ishmael was productive when given the opportunity. His 3.0 Pro Football Focus grade is tops among Atlanta safeties; his pass coverage mark (1.6) is fourth on the defense.
How the Falcons Rank: Overall the Falcons ranked 18th in passing yards against per game (242.2)—a drastic improvement from 2014, when they finished last (279.9). In cumulative PFF grades, Ishmael and Allen ranked 30th and 50th among safeties, respectively.
Standout Player: Allen. After getting cut last season, his first in the NFL, the 2014 fifth-round draft pick revived his career as the Falcons' No. 1 free safety. While he had some tough learning moments, Allen evolved into an effective option, one Dan Quinn and his staff could trust to play middlefield.
Potential Draft Target: Darian Thompson. The redshirt senior out of Boise State is an athletic, well-rounded strong safety who doesn't have any big holes in his game. Good against the run and the pass, he tallied eight pass deflections, seven interceptions and five tackles for loss in 2015.
