- [Joe] It's December 1st, 2002.
We're in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
where a surging Atlanta Falcons team
is locked in a tight overtime game
with the struggling Minnesota Vikings.
There is plenty of time left on the clock
but with the Falcons already past midfield,
Minnesota desperately needs a stop
to keep their hopes alive.
To appreciate what comes next,
we need to recognize how a team that had a taste of success
plummeted so quickly,
how a franchise that knew how to win
is facing a sad new reality,
and how step by step a quarterback
is revolutionizing how the position is played.
Let's rewind.
(pensive music)
Tied at 24 on Minnesota's 46-yard line,
the Falcons find themselves in a nice spot
to snatch a win on the road.
They have the pieces offensively to get the job done;
it's just those pieces are the result
of a huge fall from grace.
Historically, the Atlanta Falcons
aren't regarded as an NFL powerhouse.
Since their first season in 1966
the franchise made the playoffs just six times,
so when the 1998 season rolled around
and the team finished with a franchise-best 14-2 record
it looked to be the beginning of something special.
Behind a potent rushing attack
led by running back Jamal Anderson,
the Falcons pounded teams into the ground.
And they had fun doing it, too.
The more and more Anderson got into the end zone,
the more the team was able to capture the nation
behind his renowned Dirty Bird celebration dance.
Defensively the Falcons soared around the field
and made opposing offenses give up the ball often.
Together it was a formula for an extremely unexpected rise
that saw Atlanta dance all the way to the Super Bowl.
However, their dream season came to an end
against a just-as-powerful Denver Broncos squad.
With their main pieces intact,
Atlanta's future still looked bright.
Until it wasn't.
Jamal Anderson suffered
a season-ending knee injury in Week 2,
and as he went down,
the team's offensive production went along with him.
It's understandable to see a dip offensively
when you lose a player of his stature.
Defensively, though, with no major shakeups,
they just weren't as ferocious.
The Super Bowl hangover's a real thing
that's affected teams in the past,
but whatever the Falcons drank in the '99 Super Bowl,
they looked fatigued over the next few seasons.
Nevertheless, the 2002 season
is where the franchise and the NFL saw a bit of a shakeup.
After a short stint with an odd number of teams
the league expanded to an even 32,
landing the Falcons in the newly-created NFC South.
With a new-look division came a new-look squad.
After Anderson was forced into retirement
following a second season-ending knee injury
the Falcons acquired
two-time Pro Bowl running back Warrick Dunn,
then drafted the stocky T.J. Duckett
with their first-round draft pick.
Dunn and Duckett provided
a dynamically balanced rushing attack
where Dunn would tire defenders out with his speed,
leaving Duckett to plow right through 'em.
Defensively the team looked refreshed as well
thanks to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
With Phillips installing the 3-4 defensive scheme,
the Falcons got right back
to their ball-hawk ways of the past.
Linebacker Keith Brooking controlled things up front
and veteran cornerback Big Play Ray Buchanan
handled business in the back,
allowing the Falcons to gobble up turnovers all season.
And this game has been no different.
After a slow first drive
that resulted in an easy Vikings touchdown
the Falcons D locked in,
snatching three picks on the game.
In addition to the turnovers
they harassed the quarterback all day,
most notably sacking him twice
during the Vikings' drive in overtime.
But the biggest play came in the fourth
when their special teams
blocked a field goal by Gary Anderson,
a kicker who hadn't missed at home all season.
That kick would've put Minnesota ahead in the fourth,
making this a different game.
(tape whirring)
Instead the Vikings find themselves
here in overtime needing a huge stop,
a position that, unfortunately for Vikings fans,
feels all too familiar against Atlanta.
These two squads squared off against each other
in the 1998 NFC Championship.
While the Falcons were dangerous in their own right,
the '98 Vikings were one of the greatest teams
to touch the field in NFL history.
With a stingy defense
led by All-Pro defensive tackle John Randle,
scoring against this team was tough.
On the other side of the ball
the Vikings undoubtedly had
the best wideout duo in the game.
Cris Carter and rookie receiver Randy Moss
destroyed secondaries week after week
and constantly ran up the score against opponents.
On special teams Minnesota had the most automatic kicker
you can ask for in Gary Anderson,
who hadn't missed a field goal or extra point all season.
The team had very few flaws
and they continued their dominance
throughout the conference championship.
While the Vikings had that historic offense to lean on,
it was the defense that positioned them to win the game.
They forced two turnovers
against a Falcons team who rarely gave the ball up
and stopped four Atlanta drives
across midfield in the second half,
including what looked to be
the Falcon's last drive to tie the game,
as they failed to convert a first down
as time ticked away in the fourth.
So when Gary Anderson lined up
for a 38-yard field goal to put the game away,
his dependable leg would for sure
send the Vikings to the Super Bowl.
Except nothing is ever guaranteed
and the kicker who hadn't missed in 123 attempts
saw his kick fly just to the left.
The kick gave the Falcons new life
which they turned into an overtime W,
backed by the leg of their own Andersen.
It was a heartbreaking loss for a franchise
that's already experienced their fair share of sorrow.
Luckily the Vikings offense continued to remain consistent,
making them a threat in the NFC the following years.
But when the got back to the conference championship
even a tragic loss would've felt better
than throwing up a goose egg.
In hindsight, though,
getting whooped in the conference championship
seems a lot more appealing
than taking loss after loss in the regular season.
The Vikings just weren't the same after that thrashing.
Between the firing of longtime coach Dennis Green,
players beefing with their teammates,
and wasting the last year
of their franchise-best receiver Cris Carter,
it was an all-time low for a once great team.
And as they looked to start anew in the 2002 season
their problems only continued.
They opened up this season with four straight L's,
and although their offense
seemed to be getting back on track
the team's defense was awful.
They entered Week 13 with only three wins.
Given their porous defense,
facing a Falcons team
that was hitting their stride offensively,
the Vikings needed all the help they could get.
Whether it was being energized by the sold-out home crowd
or recognizing the importance
of how getting their second win over a winning team
could build momentum going forward,
the defense came to play.
They came up big by snagging three takeaways,
keeping them in the game,
as their offense managed to keep stride with Atlanta.
(tape whirring)
Right now this defense needs one more enormous stop
to try to steal a win from a playoff-hopeful team.
To do that they need to contain a player
who's unlike anything the NFL has ever seen.
(upbeat music)
The day before the 2001 draft
the Falcons struck a deal with the San Diego Chargers
for the first overall pick.
Their choice was obvious: Michael Vick.
The electrifying left-handed quarterback
had a rocket for an arm
and led his undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies
to the BCS National Championship Game
as a redshirt freshman.
Not only was Vick extremely efficient through the air,
but he terrorized opposing defenses on the ground.
With lightning-fast speed
and the reflexes of a "Jeopardy" champion,
Vick either scooted past defenders
or just juked you right out your cleats.
Before Vick, mobile quarterbacks had succeeded in the NFL
but they were few and far between.
Scrambling Fran Tarkenton helped establish the blueprint
of what a quarterback can do with their legs.
While Fran could sling the rock with the best of them,
he was an innovator of his craft,
rushing for an absurd amount of yards throughout his career.
Steve Young expanded on that blueprint,
showing the skills to maneuver out of the pocket
and extend plays that otherwise looked dead.
Randall Cunningham was the embodiment
of a true dual-threat QB.
He torched defenders whenever he got free on the edge,
but if you tried to keep him in the pocket
he shredded you over the top as well.
By the time Vick entered the league
it wasn't a strange sight
to see quarterbacks be effective with their legs.
But Vick's combination
of his arm strength plus pure athleticism
made him the most dynamic dual-threat quarterback
to step into the league.
Vick saw limited action in his rookie season,
but with every opportunity
he sparked new life into a franchise that needed excitement.
This season, in his second year,
the Falcons fully turned the team over to Vick
and he made his presence felt from the jump.
The Falcons started off the season slow, going 1-3,
but they rolling through an undefeated seven weeks.
During that stretch
Vick continued to show his efficiency through the air,
but his nose for finding
the end zone on the ground stuck out.
He made defenders look silly
in their pursuit of taking him down,
and often they couldn't.
And the red-hot Falcons
look to keep that success headed into Minnesota.
The Vikings were well aware
of Vick's abilities as a runner,
but there's only so much game planning you can do
to combat his skillset out of the backfield.
Minnesota's defense did a good job
of slowing Vick down early,
but with speed like his you can't hold him down forever.
With the game tied at 7 in the second quarter
Vick put his shiftiness on display,
ducking from a sack
and showing just how dangerous he can be
in the open field.
As thrilling as Vick's been with the ball in his hands
throughout his career thus far,
this also came with some turnover issues
and today we got the full experience, good and bad.
Like how he can zoom past defenders
on that 40-yard scramble
then somehow throw the ball
directly at T.J. Duckett's feet
on what looked to be a routine handoff the very next play.
Or a few drives later
where he just does too much to extend the play,
eventually resulting in his second lost fumble of the game.
But he immediately got right back to doing his thing
and followed that up
by effortlessly floating a deep ball
with pristine precision for a touchdown.
He may be careless with the ball at times,
but the Falcons rely
on Vick's playmaking abilities to win games.
The offense goes as he does,
and in the second half Vick put on a show.
Down 21-14 late in the third,
Vick called his own number
and drove the Falcons down the field by himself
in just six plays,
capping off the drive
with a smooth 28-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
Vick entered the fourth quarter
with a career-high 117 rushing yards,
and with his legs again,
kept the pivotal Falcons drive alive
for them to take the lead
with 3:33 left to go in the fourth.
But just as the Falcons looked to put Minnesota away,
the Vikings offense exploded late thanks to Randy Moss.
On a third-and-16 play that looked dead in the backfield,
Dante Culpepper found a streaking Randy Moss
wide open down the field to keep the drive going.
Randy really did it all
and for a moment he looked to finish things off,
not with his reliable hands
but through the air on a trick play
finding Culpepper for a touchdown.
Except for that moment quickly vanished
as the play was overturned
for an illegal formation penalty,
forcing the Vikings to settle for a field goal
and send the game to overtime.
Which brings us here.
The Falcons have a quarterback phenom under center
ready to close this game out,
but Vick hasn't been perfect
and one more big stop
can immediately swing things back in Minnesota's favor.
A stop that can inspire hope in a franchise
that's lately looked lost.
For the Falcons it would be another win
for a team finally heading back in the right direction.
Next score wins. All eyes on Vick.
Welcome to a moment in history.
- [Announcer] Vick, play action.
Rolling to his right.
And he's running! 45, 40!
35, 30! Back to the middle!
20! Breaks a tackle!
And he is gone! Ballgame!
Michael Vick with another spectacular run!
- [Joe] Oh, well look at you.
You made it this far.
To congratulate yourself
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If you're a fan of the Minnesota Vikings
and you don't like seeing your team
on the losing end of things,
well, check them out pulling off a miracle.
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