Atlanta Falcons

The Green Bay Packers have a third-and-26 playoff nightmare to remember.

Now, the Atlanta Falcons have a third-and-16 play in their playoff history that they will want to forget.

Despite being outplayed, the offense had closed the lead to six points, 30-24, with 4:15 to play at Arizona in the wild-card round.

All the defense needed was a stop to get the ball back to rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. But Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner found tight end Stephen Spach for a 23-yard gain.

"They completed the ball," defensive end John Abraham said. "We just didn't make the plays that we should have made. We had some good opportunities to get the ball back and some good opportunities to stop them, but we kept letting them go."

The Falcons under first-year NFL...

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Michael Vick would have to keep a court official informed about his attempts to be reinstated by the NFL after his release from prison, under a revised bankruptcy plan proposed by his lawyers. The amended Chapter 11 reorganization plan was filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News. A committee representing Vick's creditors endorsed the plan and urged the creditors to vote for its...

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Mike Smith says Matt Ryan's rookie honors grow more prestigious all the time. Pro Bowl alternate? Smith was impressed. NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year? A huge accomplishment, said the coach. Then, after the Falcons' surprising 11-win season ended with a wild-card loss at Arizona, Ryan landed another honor that blew away his coach.

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The Cardinals and Chargers proved that regular-season marks and what we think we know can be irrelevant.

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Mike Smith won't let his Atlanta Falcons forget all the great things they achieved this season. Even after their first-round playoff loss to Arizona, Smith urged the Falcons to concentrate on the positive -- which, of course, included his earning The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award. "This is all part of the process," Smith said of the 30-24 defeat against the Cardinals.

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AFC second-round playoff breakdowns They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and it couldn't be a truer...

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Honorable Mention: Matt Millen . I don't know that Matt Millen actually deserves an award, but it's got to be a...

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Honorable Mention: 3conomics . I don't get the commercials, Wendy's. I know that you have three sandwiches that...

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Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith acknowledged that the franchise has some issues to address in the offseason.

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Do the Arizona Cardinals a favor this week: Don't say a nice thing about them. Tell them they were lucky to beat...

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