1998 Atlanta Falcons: The Year of the Dirty Birds

1998 Atlanta Falcons: The Year of the Dirty Birds

1998 Atlanta Falcons: The Year of the Dirty Birds

When Terance Mathis caught the game-tying touchdown with less than a minute to play in the NFC Championship game, the momentum was in the Atlanta Falcons favor. The Minnesota Vikings squandered away their 10 point lead and allowed the Falcons to send the game into overtime. The Falcons won the game thanks to Morten Andersen’s 38-yard field goal. The Falcons were accustomed to riding the momentum. They had been on the wave since the start of the 1998 season and they rode it all the way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons finished the 1998 regular season with a 14-2 record. They ranked 4th in points scored with 442. The Falcons defense also allowed the 4th fewest points in the league. Despite their stellar numbers, they were seeded #2 for the NFC playoffs behind the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings.

The Falcons offense was led by Chris Chandler at quarterback. Chandler threw for 3154 yards and 25 touchdowns. Tony Martin and Terance Mathis were Chandler’s favourite targets. Martin caught 66 receptions for 1181 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mathis was right behind him with 64 receptions, 1136 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Atlanta passing game was good, but the engine of the team was running back Jamal Anderson. Anderson was second in the league in rushing yards behind league MVP, Terrell Davis. Davis rushed for 2008 yards while Anderson wasn’t far behind with 1846. Anderson scored 14 rushing touchdowns while adding 319 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

The defense enjoyed a terrific year. They had a stout run defense that allowed only 1203 rushing yards all year which ranked 2nd in the league. The defense allowed only 7 rushing touchdowns which was tied for 3rd. Lester Archambeau led the team in sacks with 10 while Pro Bowl cornerback Ray Buchanan led the team with 7 interceptions. Linebacker Jessie Tuggle and free safety Eugene Robinson earned invitations to the Pro Bowl for their stellar defensive play for the Falcons.

After completing the franchise’s best regular season to date, the Falcons earned a first round bye and then a matchup against Steve Young, Jerry Rice and the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round. The Falcons defense forced three turnovers and the team led for the entire game. Steve Young scored a rushing touchdown with less than five minutes to play to bring the 49ers to within two points, but that was as close as they would get. The Falcons won 20-18 which set up the franchise’s first trip to the NFC Championship game.

The Vikings contained Jamal Anderson to only 67 yards on 23 carries, but Chris Chandler threw for 340 yards, 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Terance Mathis caught two touchdown passes including the clutch game-tying touchdown to send the game into overtime. The Falcons defeated the Minnesota Vikings in dramatic fashion, 30-27, to send Atlanta to Super Bowl XXXIII to face the Denver Broncos.

One of the heroes of the NFC Championship game, Morten Andersen, opened the scoring to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead. That would be the only lead the Falcons would enjoy all game. John Elway found Rod Smith for an 80-yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter to give the Broncos a 17-3 lead. Andersen added another field goal, but the Broncos answered with two rushing touchdowns to extend their lead to 25 points. Tim Dwight returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Falcons turned the ball over four times and were defeated by Elway and the Broncos 34-19. The season didn’t end the way they wanted, but it was nevertheless a memorable one for the franchise.