Falcons Rush Past the Rams in Team Effort

In a copycat league where most teams rarely deviate from the letter, or letters, of traditional Xs and O’s, the Atlanta Falcons don’t so much dare to be different as do what comes naturally.

That would be to run.

Then set up to pass and take off and run.

And when all else fails, run some more.

Those Falcon feet didn’t fail them in a 47-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Saturday night before 70,706 at the Georgia Dome in an NFC divisional playoff game.

Michael Vick set an NFL playoff record for a quarterback with 119 rushing yards, and tailback Warrick Dunn and punt returner Allen Rossum showed that the Falcons are more than a one-Vick pony, setting records of their own.

Dunn’s 142 rushing yards and the team’s 327 rushing yards were Falcon postseason marks. Rossum set a league record with 152 yards on three punt returns.

The Rams were helpless against the infantry onslaught. Holes were huge. When they had their hands on a runner, they missed the tackle. They admitted they were out-schemed and didn’t need to admit they were out-run. That much was obvious.

“Ain’t no science to it,” Ram defensive end Leonard Little said. “We just couldn’t stop it. They really had their thing going today.”

One victory stands between the Falcons and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1999. They will face the winner of today’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game.

But the Falcons (12-5), who orchestrated a dramatic turnaround from a 5-11 season in 2003, stopped short of sounding arrogant, instead giving the impression they are, well, grounded.

“I don’t want to talk about the Super Bowl,” said Vick, who broke Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb’s playoff record of 107 rushing yards set last season against Green Bay. “Having the opportunity is a blessing and we just want to seize the moment.”

First-year Coach Jim Mora, a 43-year-old wunderkind, appeared almost sheepish.

“We ran the ball pretty well tonight, I guess, huh?” he said, letting out a bashful giggle.

Dunn scored on a first-quarter run of 62 yards and a second-quarter run of 19 yards. Vick broke off a 47-yard dash on the third play from scrimmage, escaping trouble in the backfield before knifing across the grain and outrunning Ram defenders until he trotted out of bounds before getting hit.

T.J. Duckett, a power runner,had 66 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in 15 carries, helping chew time off the clock and keep the potent Ram offense off the field. The Falcons controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes.

“In all phases of the game, we got whipped,” Ram safety Antuan Edwards said. “To a man, every person in this locker room is a little stunned. We are sick right now.”

Running through large holes, the Falcons scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and were well on their way to a fourth when Vick, holding the ball like a Palm Pilot, stumbled and fumbled without being touched at the Ram 19 late in the half.

The Rams couldn’t get anything going, though, and their punt coverage team showed as much tackling prowess as their defense, which is to say none, during a 68-yard return by Rossum for the fourth Falcon touchdown of the half. Rossum didn’t need to be fancy, staying between the hashmarks while Rams flailed and fell around him.

A 55-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins on the last play of the half pulled the Rams within 28-17. So despite 239 yards rushing by the Falcons -- including 126 by Dunn and 79 by Vick -- the Rams remained dangerously close.

However, the third quarter quickly proved that the Rams were a danger only to themselves.

Halftime adjustments? Few were apparent. Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Rossum returned a punt 39 yards. Vick ran 14 yards and passed to Peerless Price from six yards for a touchdown for a 35-17 lead.

Another Rossum return, this one of 45 yards, led to a field goal less than four minutes later. Until late in the third quarter, the only Falcon drive that didn’t end in a score came on the Vick fumble.

Marc Bulger, playing with a sore thumb and missing injured receiver Isaac Bruce, sailed several passes high in the first half, but he did connect on two big-play touchdowns, first to Kevin Curtis from 57 yards in the first quarter and then to Torry Holt from 28 yards in the second.

The Falcons, who led the NFL in sacks during the regular season, began pressuring Bulger in the second half. After getting to him for one sack in the first half, they notched three in the second, including a safety by Brady Smith in the fourth quarter.

Next up for the Falcons is the NFC championship game.

“It feels great,” defensive tackle Rod Coleman said. “That’s one step away from what everybody’s shooting for. We’re going to go out there and just treat it like a regular old game and just handle our business.”