Michael Vick's Historic Upset | Falcons vs. Packers 2002 NFC Wild Card Playoffs | NFL Full Game

>> Al Michaels with John Madden and Melissa Stark. Welcome to Green Bay, where 35 years ago, they played a game here when it was -17. We won't have an Ice Bowl tonight. It's not quite the Pro Bowl either, but it's 28 degrees and, all things considered, not too terrible. The Falcons come in as the number-six seed. They started the season 1-3, then they were unbeaten over an eight-game stretch, with seven wins and a tie but backed into the playoffs last week, when New Orleans lost to Carolina. Green Bay, meanwhile, the hottest team in the league after nine games. They were 8-1. But they too have staggered home a bit, and when they lost last week to the Jets, it cost them a chance to watch football tonight by the fireplace. Instead they play tonight, and if they win, they go to Tampa Bay next week in the next round. John, the stars, of course, are Brett Favre and Michael Vick. They're not playing in a vacuum. For Green Bay, what else do they have to accomplish tonight, besides Brett having a good night, to win? >> You know, I think, you know, Brett Favre is Brett Favre, and he's going to do what he's going to do, and we know what to expect there, but when the Packers play the best is when Ahman Green goes well. I think it gives them balance when he runs the ball and that offensive line gets holes for him and he runs inside and outside. And then the other thing is the Packers and Brett Favre have really changed wide receivers all year, and they haven't had a tight end. He's more comfortable as a receiver with Ahman Green than any of his receivers. So Ahman Green as a runner and Ahman Green as a receiver are big for the Packers. >> Well, there's a runner and a passer, and he's in one body for Atlanta. His name is Michael Vick. Which component of his will be most important tonight? >> Well, I look at this field, and for Lambeau in January, I'll guarantee you -- This is a fast track tonight. So we know that Michael Vick is going to run, but I don't think that's gonna be enough. I think if the Falcons are going to win, I think he has to make pass plays. I think he has to make pass plays in and out of the pocket. >> Everybody says the wheel was the greatest invention, John. No way. Thermal underwear. Beautiful sight -- Lambeau Field in Green Bay, where the Packers have never lost a postseason game. If the Falcons win, they'll go to Philadelphia next week. If the Packers win, they go to Tampa Bay. The Falcons cannot host a game in the playoffs. Green Bay could host a game if both Philly and Tampa were knocked out before the championship game, since they come in as the three seed. Allen Rossum, former Packer, in his first season now with the Falcons, is back to receive. Ryan Longwell will put it in the air on this chilly night. And this wild-card playoff game from Green Bay is under way, as Rossum takes it from the 4-yard line. Out past the play, to the 24-yard line. The ball winds up on the grass, but after it had been blown dead. On first down, they begin the game through the middle with Warrick Dunn, the ex-Buc. And he gets escorted back. And it's Bowen getting the start because of the injury to Sharper. And now it's Vick handing the ball off to Quentin McCord! And McCord, their number-four wide receiver, brings the ball out past the 40, up to the 43-yard line, for a first down. 18-yard gain for McCord. And that's Gilbert Brown who's down and hurt. >> You know, what the Packers are doing -- They have Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila here because they want to get pressure from this side on Michael Vick. You know, figuring that he runs to his left, they want to chase him from the back side. so Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila gets caught inside, and they run the reverse on them on the first play. Gilbert Brown made that play on the first down, that stop up the middle. And then we'll see him -- Right there, he gets cut right on that right knee. Gilbert's been having leg and foot and ankle problems all year. Very seldom practices. [ Crowd cheering ] But I'll tell you, he is a run-stuffer and a blocker-eater-upper. >> [ Chuckles ] >> Let's watch it again. We'll see Gilbert Brown is right there, and you see as he's coming across here, and he gets cut right on that right knee. One good thing about grass, though, is when you do get cut like that, your foot has a chance to get out of the ground. And then all the pressure doesn't go to that joint. That hit on artificial turf would have been a lot worse for Gilbert Brown. >> Big difference. He comes off, at least for the moment. He's replaced by Rod Walker. He was cut by Todd McClure on the play, the Falcons' center. Now from the 43. First down, Atlanta. As Vick sets up the screen to Warrick Dunn. And Dunn has a first down. And a good start for Atlanta. Back-to-back first downs. Into Green Bay territory. They'll spot it at the 39-yard line. Tackle by Hardy Nickerson. >> You know, the great thing about Michael Vick is he runs so well and so fast that all defenses -- Watch on this side how they wait and they wait to see what he's gonna do, because they're afraid he's gonna take off with the ball. So that really makes that defense and the pass rush soft. Here's Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. And you see that he's so worried about keeping containment on Mike Vick's left side that he really doesn't get a big pass rush. >> He changes everything, does Vick. And he gives it to Dunn here. And Dunn exploits another big hole. And that's three first downs on three successive plays. Tackled by 54, Nate Wayne. This is exactly a dream scenario for the Falcons -- coming off the bus out into the cold, get the football, and move it downfield with alacrity. >> And it's not that cold, and this is a fast field. You can just tell the way Michael Vick is running, the way Warrick Dunn is running, with the speed, that this is not one of those slow, heavy, slippery fields. >> You saw the Falcon offense, their proficiency. The Green Bay defense in the bottom half. And this is Dunn. And another problem for Green Bay, as they stop Dunn here, is that in yards per carry for the opposition this season, they were second worst. So you've already seen Gilbert Brown come off. Gbaja-Biamila -- Of course, he's more of a pass rusher, but he's had the flu. And for the update on Brown, let's go to Melissa. >> Well, Al, you saw him being helped off the field just a few moments ago. He has an injured hip. The trainers are saying that his return is questionable. But as we know, the Packers have overcome injuries all season long. >> And the Packers have done it in style -- except for the fact they can't stop the run. The opposition averaging 4.6 yards per carry. And the pass here is caught by Brian Finneran, who's become their go-to guy. Fourth-year man out of Villanova. And Finneran is taken down close to the 20-yard line by Mike McKenzie. >> And this is what Mike Vick has to do. He has to settle down early, and he looks settled down early. Again, it helps when you get some running game going. It helps when you get the screen pass going. And watch his protection here. You see he has a perfect pocket that he can just look, find his receiver, and step up and make that throw. But I think it all started with the running game and that screen pass and getting this defense off balance of the Packers. >> Vick spreading them out. Out of the gun on third down and 2. Pressure put on up the middle, but he escapes that. Coming this way. Looking to run. Picks up the first down. Picks up the first down and takes a cameraman down down with him and then checks on him and wants to bring him to his feet. Not ours. >> That's such a tough thing when you have a guy like Michael Vick who runs and runs faster than anyone else on the field. I mean, the Packers know that if he gets outside, they don't have anyone, unless they have the perfect angle on him, that can catch him. They want to rush from his right side, thinking that every time he runs, it's to his left side. Watch Gbaja-Biamila. He takes an inside move. When he takes that inside move, Vick sees it and he goes to the outside, even though it<i> is</i> his right side. >> From the 16 now. Looks like a college play here. Rolling out to his left. Seeking room. Not much there. But still turns it into about a 4-yard gain and then gets dumped out of bounds. Pushed out of bounds by Matt Bowen. >> In fact, that was like a college play. It was like a quarterback sweep. Travis Claridge is the left guard, and he pulled and led. And Mike Vick just got right in behind Claridge. >> Mike Sherman completing his third season. 8-1, as we stated at the top, earlier this year. And then they didn't quite stumble home. Dan Reeves has been a head coach in the NFL now for 22 years. And he's gonna take time-out here. He was a little slow in getting up. Play clock begins to go, and maybe he just wanted to give him an extra couple of seconds. >> The other point that you made is they haven't scored on their opening drive all year. You know, you don't get a heck of a lot of these opportunities, and when you do get one, you don't want to foul it up. >> Second down and 6. And here's Dunn. And the Falcons, with Dunn being pushed back by Hunt and Walker, not scoring any touchdowns -- They're the only team in the league not to score a touchdown on an opening possession. And in seven of their eight road games this year, they didn't even score, period, in the first quarter. >> One of the things the Packers are doing is they bring in Aaron Kampman for Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. And Gbaja-Biamila, the pass rusher, was having trouble with the run. And Kampman is the guy that they come in -- When they're having trouble with the run, they put him in there. He's a run stopper as a defensive end. >> KGB is back in, as you see. Third down and 4 now from the 10-yard line. Great protection for Vick. Slings it over the middle! It's caught for a touchdown by Shawn Jefferson! And so the Falcons, who don't score a single opening-drive touchdown in 16 regular-season games, come into Green Bay and roll 76 yards in 5:43. >> And you were right, Al. Did he sling this. Look at the pass protection there. Perfect pocket for him. He just stepped up and -- foom! He took that thing right out there. Here's Shawn Jefferson. He's on McKenzie. And you see him run a cross. It's against the zone. He gets by the corner and then in front of the linebacker. Boy, did he zip that ball in there. Whoo. >> Jay Feely for the point after. Jefferson had missed a couple of games. He's been around 12 seasons, played in a couple Super Bowls. That's his second postseason catch for a touchdown in 14 playoff games. Here's Ferguson taking Feely's kick. And then he covers up as he gets it back to the 20-yard line. Take a look at that upper-deck rim, and it's still under construction. This facility being refurbished this year. They've almost got all of the outside structure completed. Adding a few more seats. Brett Favre making his 17th postseason start -- 10 wins and 6 losses for a man who finished second in the MVP balloting to Rich Gannon this year. Joe Montana with 23, and there's that illustrious list. If Favre goes all the way to the Super Bowl, that would mean four more games. After the 16 that he had coming in, he'd get up to 20. From the 20-yard line. Favre. His first pass looked like it slipped out of his hands. Intended for Ferguson. Now here's Green, who brings it to the 23-yard line with 6 minutes having elapsed in the game. And it will be third down. Ahman Green. Another great year for him. Came over from Seattle a couple of years back. >> And he's such a big part of the running game. If the Packers are gonna run the ball, it's gonna be Ahman Green running it. But he's also a big part of their passing game, and I don't know that Brett Favre really feels comfortable with any of his receivers other than Ahman Green. >> Third down and 7. And Favre slings it over the middle. And that pass is picked off by Keion Carpenter! And then Carpenter drops the ball. And he's able to recover it himself, as Donald Driver seemed to extract the ball just for the moment, and then he fell on it himself to keep possession for the Atlanta Falcons. >> One thing about Brett Favre is you feel that when he gets behind that he feels that he has to put too much on his shoulders, that the pressure gets there and he has to do something and he has to make something happen. And I've always felt that when he gets behind, he will force passes. And that was a force. There was no way that ball should have been thrown in there. Carpenter's a free safety, and he was just sitting right there, reading and waiting for that one. >> Pass intended for Terry Glenn. Picked off by Carpenter. And now, from the 38, here's Michael Vick. Looking to set up a screen. Looking to set up anything right now. And then throws incomplete. [ Crowd booing ] >> He just couldn't find anyone sitting there to throw it to. See, the fans are starting to boo now. All the time that Michael Vick has. You know what happens? Defensively, you're afraid to be aggressive on it. You don't want to go after him because he'll make you look bad by running and getting outside of you, so what you do is you contain him on that side. So in contain, that kind of makes it soft, takes your aggressiveness away. And a lot of times, you just end up doing nothing. >> They put Gilbert Brown back in the game now on second down and 10. Favre looking at the pictures. Remember, in Brett's last postseason game, against the Rams last year, he threw six interceptions. Begins by throwing one tonight. They run a draw here. And that's Cletidus Hunt plugging up the middle to knock down Dunn just about at the line of scrimmage. >> It's gonna be tough to run in there, in that middle, with Cletidus Hunt in there and big Gilbert Brown. There's really nothing there when you do that. You can take it in there and maybe start, but with these two guys right here, it's tough to get a lot of movement. Watch that. They just take and they just hold that hole, and then the linebackers can come and fill. Because, as I said, Gilbert Brown does eat up blockers. >> Then Na'il Diggs came right in between them to break up the play. Third down and 10 now. Vick throwing off his back foot. And the pass is in and out of the hands of Trevor Gaylor. Incomplete. Never had possession. Tyrone Williams with the coverage on the play. I'll tell you, he looks like Favre with that velocity. >> Michael Vick is something. And he feels very comfortable. I mean, you can just tell that. Sometimes he would start games and you felt that he was a little jumpy, you know, a little too much energy. But in this game, he has thrown this ball perfectly. That's the one. You have to make that play. You have to get it down, and you have to bring it in. >> Chris Mohr, onetime Buffalo Bill, to punt. Eric Metcalf is back in the league. A little high, floating kick that Atlanta will down at the 5-yard line. Downed there by Kevin Mathis. >> Just one swing, huh? If they'd just give you one of Tiger Woods' swings in your life. >> That's it. That's all you'd need. Here's Tony Fisher. Up past the 10. Second down and 3. And here's Green. And he can't handle it. That defense, you'll notice, had three linemen, four linebackers. One of the few teams playing a 3-4, and their defensive coordinator is Wade Phillips, who was Dan Reeves' defensive coordinator back in the late '80s and early '90s in Denver. >> Yeah, and who's the son of Bum Phillips, who was a great defensive coach, a great head coach. And Wade is the same. I mean, Wade has been very successful as a defensive coordinator and successful as a head coach. He's seen it all. I mean, he's seen it on his dad's horse, and he's seen it on every football field. Any kind of offense you can draw up, Wade Phillips has seen. >> Three years as the head coach at Buffalo, then took last year off. As Favre, on third and 3, floats one that is knocked away. Double coverage on the play. Intended for Tyrone Davis. And Brett Favre has begun the game 0 for 4. >> Well, you know, that was one of the things that I've always felt about Brett Favre -- that he doesn't begin games strongly and, two, that if he gets behind, he tends to force things. That's the second time he's thrown into double coverage. The first one was intercepted by Carpenter. He was just sitting back there as a free safety. >> Josh Bidwell to punt. And it is blocked! It is blocked and covered up in the end zone for a touchdown! It was Mark Simoneau breaking through for the block of the Bidwell kick. And then covered up in the end zone by Artie Ulmer. And nothing but white shirts were down there, and it's a complete Disneyland beginning for the Atlanta Falcons. >> Watch Mark Simoneau here. He just smothered that ball. Watch him. He's right over the right guard. He's right here. He's gonna come in this position right here, and he's gonna get right on the foot. You see, you come there, and the guard turns out. The fullback steps in, and they leave Simoneau go. And he just takes the ball right off the foot. >> Here's Jay Feely for the point after. The Stanley Cup is actually in Green Bay. They have a U.S. Hockey League team that plays across the parking lot, and it's known as the Green Bay Gamblers. And the Stanley Cup is on display here in Green Bay, where they hope to have the Lombardi Trophy on display in a few weeks. Jay Feely's kicks is fielded by Robert Ferguson. And he brings it back out to the 27-yard line. Well, of all the ways we thought this one was gonna start, how about this? >> Well, you know, it was funny. I just felt that the Falcons had so much confidence when they came out in pregame warm-up that they just kind of carried here. They weren't worried about cold or legend or what the Packers do in the playoffs. And that's the way they started the game. >> Beautiful drive to start. Then they blocked a kick. Favre is 0 for 4. Everything going perfectly. From the 27. Green. When I said a Disneyland start, that wasn't a shameless promo. I was trying to come up with something else, like, you know, fantasyland. Green Bay, a 14-point deficit. First time in any postseason home game -- 12 here, and then they played two in Milwaukee when they were still playing games at County Stadium. >> What this reminds me a little of is that championship game -- the Atlanta Falcons, when they came into Minnesota and everyone said there's no way they had a chance against the Vikings and they really went after them at home. >> On second down and 8, that pass is caught by Bubba Franks over the middle. Out to the 36-yard line. And it's close to a first down, as Brett Favre completes his first pass of the night. During the season, the first half of the year, they won seven of those first eight games, and he had that almost four-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. And then he tailed off in the second half, and that pretty much coincided with that knee injury that he sustained against Washington in midyear. As Green plows forward for what appears to be a first down. You might recall that he was hurt against Washington and had to come out of the game. Then they had the bye week. It was doubtful he could've started had they<i> not</i> had the bye week, and that would have ended that long consecutive-games streak, and then he came back and played in the Monday-nighter against Miami. >> And the other thing -- I think last week's game against the Jets really took a lot out of him -- not only Brett Favre but this whole team. I mean, they got in a fight, and they got knocked out. And it's tough the next fight after you've been knocked out. >> Here's Green. And, of course, the Jets -- in case you're getting home from being out today or flying across the country or whatever -- the Jets with another knockout blow today. They just knocked out Indianapolis, 41-0. >> They're something, aren't they? Congratulations to Herm Edwards and his staff and his players. In the last couple of weeks -- last month, have been something. That Chad Pennington is going to be there for a long time. >> So they will go to either Oakland or to Nashville next week, depending on the outcome of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh game tomorrow. Second and 7. Favre slinging it deep down the right sideline. And it is incomplete, and the crowd looks for a flag. David Martin and Gerald McBurrows got tangled up, and there is no flag, as they're gonna rule it incidental contact. >> That was the thing that Wade Phillips was saying -- "We have to plaster our receivers," because with the arm of Brett Favre, no matter where the guy goes, how far he gets away -- Here, he's out of bounds and comes back in bounds, so that wouldn't have been legal anyway. But the thing is, no matter how far they go or what happens, you have to cover the whole length of the field any time you're playing against Brett Favre. >> Third down and 7. You know, we've grown so used to seeing Favre throw deep and throw deep efficiently. But it was a different story this season. Third down and 7. And they jumped, so this is a free play. And Favre goes deep again. And that one is incomplete. This season, on passes that were 30 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage, Brett Favre completed only two passes, and they were both in the Monday-nighter in Champaign against Chicago. This one is against Atlanta. >> And I don't know that that's as much Brett Favre as his receivers. He lost all his receivers from a year ago. >> Offside. 56, defense. 5-yard penalty. Still third down. >> They bring in Terry Glenn. That's an adjustment. Donald Driver becomes a starter, and he's played very well. But he has a bad shoulder now. That's an adjustment. You know, Bubba Franks is in the Pro Bowl, and I know that, but I don't know that he's ever become a real comfort for Brett Favre. >> Third down and 2. That penalty was on Keith Brooking. And that pass is caught by the tight end, Bubba Franks. So he goes to Franks for a first down here. He's tackled by Johndale Carty. And as John said, they revamp the receiver corps. They let Antonio Freeman go. They let Bill Schroeder go. And then Brett working with pretty much a new cast. >> Bubba Franks is going to come up here and just run an out. They have a guy short, Bubba Franks in the middle, and a guy deep. So he looks off deep and comes back to the middle guy, his tight end, Bubba Franks. >> So Brett's completed 2 out of 7, and both of them to his tight end, Franks. Now it's Davis in motion. Favre throws. And that pass is incomplete. And Donald Driver says, "I was held," and he's probably right. >> Brett Favre was seeing that all the way. >> Juran Bolden saying, "Oh, not me." Bernie Kukar says, "You bet." >> [ Chuckles ] >> Holding. 21, defense. That's a 5-yard penalty. Automatic first down. [ Crowd cheering ] >> That was Bolden. Here you're gonna see Chris Draft, the linebacker. He's coming out. And you see he was the guy that really hit him. It was the linebacker, Chris Draft. >> Now they hand the ball off to Tony Fisher, who spells Green. Fisher is an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame who really stepped up when they lost Najeh Davenport, who had been Green's backup. And Tony's done an admirable job this year. >> And Mike Sherman was saying when they lost Najeh Davenport that that was really a big loss because it was a change of pace. He could bring Davenport in for Ahman Green and let Ahman Green get freshened up a little. And when he lost Davenport, he couldn't do that anymore. But now Tony Fisher is doing it. >> Now Green, who's freshened up. Looks fresh. First down. Tackled by Carpenter. Takes it to the 20-yard line. The Green Bay Packers -- They clinched after Week 12, so they clinched very early and then played out the string here. 8-0 at home and, of course, as you know, haven't lost ever in postseason in the state of Wisconsin. 45 takeaways -- almost three per game -- and plus-17 in the turnover margin. But as we said before, only Seattle allowed more yards per carry than did the Packer run defense. And Ahman Green is tackled right there at the 20. No gain. >> The big thing with the Packer defense is those turnovers. That's the thing that -- It was their offense, and it's Brett Favre, and then it's their defense getting the ball back for them. >> Second down and 10 now. Under 2 minutes to play in the opening period, which has seen Atlanta move down the field with the opening kickoff for a touchdown and then a blocked punt recovered in the end zone for a Falcon TD. And Favre is able to slip out of the grasp of the first guy through but not the second, as Sam Rogers got there first, and then Brady Smith will get credit for the sack. >> That's one thing about this Falcon defense -- They don't have a lot of great pass rushers, but as a team, they have guys that really go after you. You see. Here's Rogers. He'll take the inside. Brady Smith goes to the outside. They get the stunt. Rogers is the first guy. Then Brady Smith, 91, comes right there and finishes it off. But they had a pass rush then because the Packers were in an offset formation where they didn't have a running back behind Brett Favre. And it's the same formation they have now, which usually means pass, so usually defensively it means big pass rush. >> Third and 19. Everybody goes into a pattern. Favre throwing deep for the end zone. And that's incomplete. Intended for Robert Ferguson. And now, because of that sack, that backed them up to the 29-yard line. Looking, obviously, at a much longer field goal right now for Longwell. This one about 47 yards. >> And I was watching Longwell in the pregame warm-up, and he was making them from 50 very comfortably. >> Very little wind tonight. And what a difference that makes when it's 28 degrees, because if it's 28 with a 20-mile-an-hour wind, it feels like it's zero. 47 officially, as Longwell tries to get the Packers on the board. And he won't. Wide right. With 58 ticks left in the opening period. >> You take a team that has never in the history of the franchise lost a playoff game at home -- How could you go any other way? >> And it's 14-0 right now, and it's been all Falcons. >> And as Michael Vick said in the pregame -- and he told us the same thing last night -- "We came in here. We know about their history. We came in here to<i> make</i> history." >> From the 37. And that's caught close to a first down by Brian Finneran, who gets pushed back by Tyrone Williams. Final minute of the period. The Falcons, as we take a look at them -- last in the playoffs in '98, when they went to the Super Bowl. And they had that eight-game unbeaten streak -- seven wins and a tie against Pittsburgh in the middle of the year. Lost here in overtime on opening day, but they were the last team to win a game here last season. And three players this year with 500 or more rushing yards -- You had Dunn, the rookie Duckett, and the quarterback, Vick. From the 49. The ex-Buccaneer, Warrick Dunn, takes it across the 50, into Packer territory, and that will end the first quarter. Historic and fabled Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin. 28 degrees at game time. [ Crowd cheering ] >> There's a shot of heat coming out of your head. They always say you lose heat through your head. Old Chris Draft is losing a lot of heat. >> Primary evidence. Second down and 9, as Vick is able to stiff-arm his way out of a sack and then throws incomplete. That was Antuan Edwards chasing him, then Michael Vick just gave him a little stiff-arm. And Vick is a little -- Well, we talked about those shoulders, and there's an example right there. >> This guy is amazing. He has two separated shoulders and he has a bad thumb. And he said that every time that he's gotten hurt, though -- And we're gonna see the blitz here. What the Packers do is they're gonna come with their corner. They come from the outside here to the side that Vick usually scrambles, and he still scrambles and gets outside. But he said every time that he's been hurt, it hasn't been from the hit, but it's been from his body hitting the ground. >> Third and 9. Slings this one. And that is incomplete. Bryant Westbrook covering Shawn Jefferson. And Diggs will take it toward the end zone, but the pass ruled incomplete, and it's fourth down. It looks like he throws harder than Favre. >> Well, you know, he throws as hard as Favre. And you can see what happened. On a hard-thrown ball, if you don't catch it with your hands out in front of you and it gets into your shoulder pads, it is going to be knocked right out of there. That's why you always want to catch with your hands out in front of your body. >> Now Chris Mohr's punt. A fair catch called for, and then the ball is loose at the 22-yard line. The Falcons think they have it. Kevin McCadam is 47. But who did it touch first? Did it touch a Falcon first? Now the Falcons are gonna get it at the 22-yard line. So the ruling is it touches a Packer. It's Eric Metcalf, who was out of football this year until Christmas Eve. And they called him in Seattle. He got a Christmas Eve flight here and joined them last week. >> You know what happened, Al? I think his own man ran into him. Watch Eric Metcalf here. It's not a Falcon that runs into him. He signals for a fair catch, and it's his own guy that is pushed right into him. >> Tyrone Williams gets pushed into him. And now the question becomes... You see, it hits -- It actually hits McCadam first. Even though McCadam pushes the Packer into Metcalf -- We'll take another peek at this. I'm a little surprised there's no challenge here. At the 21-yard line on first down. One of the reasons maybe -- Dan Reeves is 0 for 9 on challenges. >> Dan Reeves wouldn't want to challenge it anyway. >> It's Sherman's challenge. Exactly. And there's a flag down as Duckett swings to the outside. >> I think the only rule could be interference with a fair catch, and if you don't call that, then it has to be the first one to hit, and the ball would hit him first, which would be a penalty against them. >> Take a look at the play again, because if it hits a Falcon first... >> Holding. 85, offense. 10-yard penalty. Still first down. >> I think it hit Tyrone Williams right in the shoulder right there. >> We have one more angle. Here's the other angle. Now, that one looks like it hits McCadam first. >> There's about three things that happened there -- That does look like it hit McCadam. [ Crowd booing ] >> So it's first and 20 after the holding call here on Atlanta. From the 31-yard line as Vick gets pressured. They set up the screen to Dunn, who has room to wriggle free. And Nickerson finally knocks him down at the 22-yard line. >> Dunn is a very good screen runner. And the Falcons have a good line to run screens. Usually the smaller lines -- the Denver lines, the San Francisco lines, the Green Bay offensive lines, the Falcon offensive line -- smaller offensive lines are usually very good at screen blocking. And a guy like Warrick Dunn has always been a very good screen receiver and runner. >> Second down and 11 now from the 22-yard line. And that's tipped in the air. And then a great break, as Alge Crumpler, the tight end, makes the catch after Cletidus Hunt gets the assist. Hunt got his hand up and tipped it, and it's a completed pass for the Falcons. >> Cletidus Hunt and then Nate Wayne was going for a dive, and the Falcons come up with it. Right here on the line of scrimmage. You see, a passer not only needs a guy open, but he also needs a lane to throw it in. Cletidus Hunt took away that throwing lane. Nate Wayne dove for it and just couldn't reach it. >> Third down and 2 now from the 13. Duckett's in the game. And here's that big, bruising back out of Michigan State for a first down as he's tackled by Marques Anderson. And just to back up on the fair catch by Metcalf -- It was ruled that the ball hit Tyrone Williams first, which meant a Green Bay guy touches it. Here it is one more time. But this is something that I think Mike Sherman, especially under these circumstances, should've challenged, because that replay, as it hits McCadam, might have enabled the referee, Kukar, to overturn that call. First and goal at the 6-yard line. Duckett again. And Duckett moving everybody into the end zone for a touchdown! >> That's what Dan Reeves was talking about last night. He said, "We finally got Duckett back, and we're gonna use him in short yardage. And when we get to the goal line, you're gonna get a big dose of Duckett." I'll tell you, this is exactly what he does. You talk about power. They have a double lead there. And both lead blocks made their block, and here comes Duckett behind them. Watch the lead. The lead there, the lead there, and here comes Duckett. George -- not a bad play. That really takes some timing up to do that. >> George Layne and Alge Crumpler, the fullback and the tight end, doing the leading that time. Here's the extra point by Feely. The sixth seed, a team that got into the playoffs last week despite losing to Cleveland when the Saints were beaten by Carolina, lead by three touchdowns. This is Ferguson. To the 31. Now Favre from the 30-yard line. Ahman Green. You know, John, there was some talk around the country about Favre maybe retiring and all of that. I mean, it's just, as far as we're concerned, nonsense. We know he'll be back. I'll tell you what. If he retired, it would be a health issue -- It would be Mike Sherman's health. Sherman would have a coronary. >> There's no way. As Mike Sherman says, when he gets down there on that tractor in Mississippi, he thinks that he'd like to retire. He said, "But I can't see him on that tractor in Mississippi in September." >> Second and 8. And this is William Henderson. Right now all they have to think about is making sure that Brett is not on that tractor in Mississippi like Tuesday or Wednesday. Because right now they have to overcome a deficit that a Brett Favre-led team has never overcome in all of his years here -- 21 points. >> And the way you do that is you just have to get the first one -- if they can get a score and break that thing and then start to get in. But you can't think in terms -- "We need three scores. We need 21 points." You have to think, "We need<i> a</i> score." Get the first one. >> Now you got a little Packer weather here. Some flurries coming down. And a wobbly pass caught by Donald Driver on third down and 2. All the way downfield to the 37-yard line. And Driver a little slow in getting up. And he didn't practice much this week because of that shoulder. >> Yeah, and it's that right shoulder. And as Mike Sherman was telling us yesterday, he's not worried about him going up to catch the ball, but he's worrying about him landing after he catches it or holding on to it -- You know, does he have any strength in that arm? And again, it's his right shoulder. You see he gets a little push-off right there, makes a heck of a catch, and comes down right on his right shoulder. >> He comes out of the game. 25-yard reception. Favre under pressure. And the pass thrown over the middle to Ahman Green for a gain of a couple. Tackled by Keith Brooking. >> He said he has three straps. You see that helmet now? He said that's helped him. They got some new padding, and he doesn't get that nose cut every game. He says, "But I'll tell you this -- I still hit as hard." >> He and Jon Ritchie look like blood banks. Second and 2. And this is Green working his way down to the 30-yard line. It'll be third down and 3 from the 30. >> Keith Brooking is a very good linebacker. He started off as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3. Then they moved him to middle linebacker, and then Wade Phillips came in, and they moved him to an inside linebacker in a 3-4. You see here. So the last three years, he's had an adjustment and played a different position every year. But wherever he plays, this guy plays well because he has great instincts. >> Donald Driver is back in the game. That's Glenn going in motion. Favre looks over the middle. Throws. And that's Glenn who got free. And then Glenn loses the ball at the 19-yard line, and it's Donald Driver who comes over there to recover it. Catch, fumble, and a recovery. >> I'll tell you one thing. This Falcon team is hitting out there tonight. We see it on special teams. We see it on defense. And when the ball is in the air, they are going to get a whole bunch of guys there. Watch them as Glenn catches this. They come and they do a good job -- I think defenses are getting better in the trailer, the guy coming from behind, making that hit, knocking the ball out. >> That was Juran Bolden on that occasion. From the 19. Green Bay in the red zone right now. And the pass caught at the 11-yard line. Breaking free and taking it to the 1 is Javon Walker, their number-one draft choice from Florida State. [ Crowd cheering ] >> And this is what the Packers need right now. You know, Brett Favre has taken a couple shots, though, Al, on these last couple of plays. But here's Walker. He's gonna be the inside guy. You see Davis starts out. He comes in motion. Walker becomes the outside guy. He just runs up, and he's running an option route. He can go in or out, depending on where the defense is playing. He goes out. But that's the second time in a row that Brett Favre ended up in that position. But this is what the Packers need. They need a drive and they need a score right here. >> First and goal from the 1. Favre wheeling left and then throwing it out of the back of the end zone. Good, tight coverage on Franks, a guy he looks to over and over and over again when they get this deep into opposition territory. >> If you look at all the touchdown passes that Bubba Franks has, most of them are inside that 5-yard line. So I think defenses know that and everyone knows that. But the best time to throw down here is on first down because you can play-pass, they do have to honor that run, and then the other thing is, like that last play, if you don't have anything open, don't force anything. Just throw it away. >> Packers very pass-oriented in the red zone. But this time they're gonna run it with Green. And he's not gonna get in. >> There's something wrong with Ahman Green, Al. He's not the same tonight. You know, you're running him in and out of there, and the way that he runs -- This just isn't Ahman Green. Whether it's his knee, whatever it is, he runs with a lot more burst and a lot more power. You see there he tries to turn it up, and he just didn't have anything to turn up. >> He missed a couple of starts this season. >> I was gonna say, the Falcon defense had something to do with that, too. >> That's Henderson in motion. Favre rolling. Throwing. And it is Franks who has it broken up in front of him by Keith Brooking. This is a pretty interesting little decision here right now. When you're down 21-0 and it's fourth and goal, this is not an automatic 3 here. >> I know what I'd do. I'd kick the field goal. But I don't think the Packers are gonna do it. Years and years and years ago, I learned that from George Blanda. He would always say that the toughest points are the first ones. Get those on the board any way you can and build from there. >> But not Sherman here. Fourth down and goal. [ Whistle blows ] >> Reeves' Falcons leading 21-0, and Mike Sherman's gonna go for it. It was first and goal. It is now fourth and goal. In the flurries in Green Bay, 6:37 to go in the half. >> This is a passing situation here. I mean, I think this has to be just drop back or roll. I don't think the play-pass is gonna be effective. Or a run. >> And a run is absolutely ineffectual, as Ellis Johnson stops Ahman Green on a most curious call. Night of the Pro Bowl. Well, the flurries started coming down, the Packers moved down the field. It's almost as if it presaged something good. They got to the 1, and then they couldn't get it in in four downs. And here's Duckett, who gets shoved back by Cletidus Hunt. Meanwhile, Gilbert Brown was wheeled back to the locker room, so he's out. >> Let's look at that fourth-down play again. And watch Ellis Johnson here. He makes a heck of a play. Flanagan comes down and tries to cut him. He jumps right over him and comes right down here and tackles Ahman Green. Watch him jump right there and then flatten out right down the line of scrimmage. But that play didn't have a chance anyway. Even if Ellis Johnson doesn't make that play, that wasn't gonna be a touchdown. >> And that play call came after a time-out and with a guy like Brett Favre. >> That's why you pay Favre all that money. You put it in his hands in those situations. >> And here Atlanta coming out of the shadow of the goal line as Duckett takes it out to about the 19-yard line and is down, they say, by contact. >> Thing about Duckett is you want to run it out the same way you run it in. You know, they saw him down there in the other end zone when he was in there in goal line, the way he ran it in. And then, as you're coming out, you get out of trouble, you're coming off your own goal line, you have to run the same type of offense with the same type of players. >> First and 10 from the 18-yard line. Dunn again. Big hole through the middle. And that Green Bay run defense, as it's been all year long, so vulnerable. And here come the Falcons from their 5 all the way out to almost the 40 after a 21-yard run. >> And listen to these people boo here. They came, you know, Lambeau Field, January, playoff, Packers. They didn't expect this. And then the Falcons have come in here and they've taken it to them in every way. They've taken it to them defensively. They've taken it to them offensively. The running game. They're just gashing them every way you can be gashed. >> 6.3 yards per carry for the Falcons tonight. >> These fans come here ready to go crazy. >> Here's Dunn. And the other thing, John, too, is that -- I mean, it's an easy second guess for us, but I think Sherman had to have challenged that punt play. Because had he won that challenge, and he very well might have, it would have been dead at the spot where it hit the Falcon instead of a fumble and Atlanta got the ball and go in. >> And he would have had a chance to stop the avalanche, because then it was 14 points, and because the Falcons get the ball here, they get another score. >> If Bernie Kukar saw that, it would've been Green Bay ball. Second and 7. Vick. How do you stop him? How<i> do</i> you? >> You don't. He's gonna change all defenses because I think speed -- If you're gonna play against Michael Vick, you have to get more speed on your defense, because he's faster than anyone you have. So you have to get more linebacker/defensive guys that are close to being as fast as he can. You just see him here. He goes out to his left. And you know you have to contain him on the left side, but how about this right side? He just brings it back here. I've said this before about Michael Vick, and I'm sure when he was a kid and played tag in his life, he was never it. >> [ Chuckles ] First and 10 at the 46. Swing it out to Dunn. Dunn for a gain of 3. Let's check out the situation on the field. Melissa? >> Al, we reported at the beginning of the game that Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, their leading sacker, has a stomach flu. He took an IV before the game. Told me he was okay, but he doesn't look okay. Every time he comes to the sideline, he sits down on the bench and hangs his head, takes oxygen, something team officials said is highly unusual. Looks very weak. And as for nose tackle Gilbert Brown -- inside the locker room right now undergoing X-rays on his hip. They hope to work on it and have him back in the second half. >> Kabeer's not even in the game. Jamal Reynolds is in. Rod Walker is in. So they go to the second unit up front. Second down and 8. Dunn to the outside. And Warrick Dunn, who figured he'd be in Tampa for a long time, and he was surprised and very disappointed that they opted to keep Mike Alstott, bring Michael Pittman in. And Warrick winds up signing with Atlanta. >> As bad as he felt about his leaving, I don't think he felt too good about the way Tony Dungy left there either. >> No -- He made that pretty clear to us last night. As we come up to the 2-minute warning. Mike Vick told us yesterday he loved the 49ers, loved Steve Young when he was growing up. >> Right, and if there was a quarterback that he always wanted to emulate, it was Steve Young. He has a lot of the same tools that Steve Young has. Including this. >> Yeah. What they call the old escapability. >> [ Laughs ] >> To the 28-yard line. Turns a loss into a big gain as Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila couldn't knock him down. Winds up as a 10-yard gain. >> You know, that's the thing. And that was the thing that Mike Sherman was talking about, is you can do everything right and still be wrong. Gbaja-Biamila has control of him. He has containment. He has everything. Michael Vick just straightens out his face mask, gets his helmet back on right, and goes back the other way. They think that because he holds that ball out there that they're gonna be able to knock that out. He does that for balance. He puts it away when you get close. >> Here's T.J. Duckett breaking tackles. And finally ridden down by Williams inside the 15. And all I can picture right now, John, is that in Philadelphia, the defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, saying, "You know what? Forget about those Giant tapes. Forget about those 49er tapes. I got to start looking at the Falcons." >> That's exactly what they're doing. >> Because they'd go to Philadelphia next week if they win here tonight. >> There's Ed Donatell. He is really upset with his defense, 'cause when they run on you like that, you're not working as hard as you can. >> And that's Duckett taking it to the 3-yard line -- Excuse me. To the 8. >> Duckett isn't in there. They have three wide receivers, one back, that one back being Warrick Dunn. >> Second down and 4, from the 7. Vick to the end zone. And that's incomplete. In and out of the hands of Quentin McCord, who's covered by Bowen. And it will be third down with half a minute to go. >> You see what that running does and that speed does. It just takes all the aggressiveness out of the defense. I don't know that the Packer defense came out here and was going to be aggressive anyway tonight, but I think part of it is they're back on their heels. Maybe from last week, in the Jet game, they didn't recover. And maybe it's Michael Vick. He starts running, making things happen, and you're just all waiting to see what he's gonna do to them next. >> Third down and 4. Vick throws. Caught. 1-yard line. First down. Brian Finneran. First and goal, and time-out is taken here by Atlanta. No! They were calling for a time-out and don't get it and spike it instead. It looked as if one of the Falcons had signaled they wanted the time-out and Vick said, "No. Let me spike it. Let me save the T.O." And he does. >> Watch here. We'll see he had the three men out there. And he has one going on a cross, one going on an in. And then the one he tries to hit is Finneran. He's watching. He has the three receivers there. And he really does gun that thing in there. That's Gbaja-Biamila here. You know, you worry so much about the containment, like I said, that you just forget to rush and you lose all your aggressiveness, and you don't do anything. >> Second and goal now. And they give the ball to Duckett, and he can't get in. At the 4-yard line. And now they're gonna have to take that time-out. And they do. So what you'll have now is a third down, a chance to run a play, and then if it goes to fourth down, to bring in your field-goal kicker. The most points ever overcome to win a postseason game -- that unbelievable game, Buffalo against Houston, a 32-point deficit overcome by Frank Reich because Kelly was hurt in that game. And that's the biggest deficit ever overcome. Right now it's 21. The Falcons hope to make it 28 or at worst 24. Third down and goal. Without a time-out. From the 4. Vick rolling. And Vick then throws and throws it away. And there are 3 seconds remaining. For just a moment it looked like he'd go down, and that would've been the end of a field-goal attempt. And now they can bring Feely in to try to tack on 3 more. >> That's the good thing about running and getting to the sideline -- that once you get outside the tight end, the quarterback can throw the ball away. So that's the option he has. He's either going to run and find someone open in the end zone or just throw it back to the line of scrimmage. >> Jay Feely attempting a 22-yard field goal. Chris Mohr to hold. And that one is good. Just inside the left upright. [ Crowd booing ] And two zeros now on the clock. And that's a sound you almost never hear at Lambeau Field -- the Packers getting booed going to the locker room. It's 24-0 Atlanta. Tonight, 24-0, Atlanta, in the snow flurries as we start the second half. Robert Ferguson back, and Jay Feely to kick off. And the Packers begin with Ferguson taking it from the 5-yard line. And Ferguson brings it back out to the 28-yard line. And let's check in with Melissa. >> Al, Mike Sherman absolutely furious at the half. He said, "We're not playing well on offense, defense, or special teams." I asked him if Ahman Green was okay. He said, "No one's okay. We're not playing worth a lick." I asked him why he didn't challenge that play where it looked like the muff went to Eric Metcalf. He said the officials told him it was not a challengeable play. Injury updates -- wide receiver Terry Glenn out for the rest of game with a concussion. Nose tackle Gilbert Brown out for the rest of the game with that hip injury. >> Very interesting, Melissa. And we're gonna follow up on that in a second here -- from the 27-yard line -- because Sherman was given wrong information. Here is Favre. And that's through the hands of William Henderson. Go back to the play. And we were talking about the fact we were surprised that Sherman didn't challenge it. Mike says he was told by the official it's not a challengeable play. It<i> is</i> a challengeable play, and it's been confirmed by Mike Pereira, who heads the officials in the National Football League, as to who touched it first. And that's the play where if a Falcon had touched it first, the ball was dead at that spot and Green Bay would've had the ball instead of Atlanta getting the ball and moving in for a touchdown. >> But I don't know that Mike Sherman challenged it. I didn't see him challenge it. >> I didn't see him challenge it either, but he was saying -- as Favre is about ready to get sacked, and then he'll move out to his left and throw across the field. And he does that so effectively. And he does it again here, and Driver makes the catch and takes it to the 48. It sounded as if, from what he told Melissa, he wanted to challenge it and then was told it was not a challengeable play. >> Yeah, but I think you have to challenge it first and then be told. I don't know that he did challenge it. This is something. I mean, Brett Favre -- You know, we know about his strong arm and all the things he can do, but his body's strong, too. He is awfully difficult to tackle. >> First down at the 48. Here's Green. And the Packers come out on fire here in the second half. To the 35 as Sam Rogers makes the tackle. And let's take a look at the numbers through the first 30 minutes of play. The two turnovers -- huge. And double the amount of yardage for Atlanta. And tracking the stars. Favre -- very ordinary half. Green -- very below ordinary half. And Driver caught just one ball for 25 yards. From the 34 on first down. And that's Ferguson making the catch. And just to put to bed the challenge -- If Mike Sherman had said to the official, "I want to challenge," and the official says, "I can't challenge. You can't," then he has no other recourse at that point. >> Yeah, but I wonder when he said he wanted a challenge, because I didn't see a red flag come out on the field. >> Right. >> They have that buzzer where they buzz the official. I didn't see the official go over to the sideline. If the buzzer doesn't work, then you throw the red flag out. So I'm not exactly sure when he asked for the challenge. >> Second and 7. And this is given to Fisher, and Fisher takes the ball close to a first down, as he gets inside the 25-yard line. And right now Ellis Johnson is down. So he is hurt. And they measure, and Bernie Kukar says that much for a first down. Third down coming up. >> You know, and we questioned why they didn't challenge that play. The other thing I question is when they got down there on the goal line, I still say they should've taken the 3 points. >> Or run a different play on fourth down. >> Right. >> Remember when the Packers had first and goal at the 1? Well, since Favre got here in '92, 49 times they've had a first and goal. They had 48 touchdowns and a field goal. And tonight they turn the ball over. >> And that stat should've been 49-2. >> Or 50-1, because they had four chances. As Tony Fisher, on third down and 1, is close to a first down. And we'll probably call for a measurement. Here it was again. This was after a time-out. This was fourth down. >> And you think -- You know, and it was fourth and what? >> And 1 to begin with, and it was close to 2 at that point. >> When you get down there on fourth down, that's long yardage. That's a passing situation, and that's why if you're going to go for it -- and again, I question whether they should've gone for it -- but if you're gonna go for it, that's a passing situation where you put that ball in Brett Favre's hand and let him make the play. >> Instead, a slow-developing run to the right that made them lose 3. First down here. 23-yard line. Favre hits Ferguson. Ferguson spinning away from the defensive end -- or outside linebacker, Rogers. And he's out of bounds near the 14. >> It's the kind of start that the Packers were -- I'm sure when you envision the way the game's gonna go and you have pictures and that whole thing you do in your mind, I'm sure that this is how the Packers <i> thought</i> they were gonna start, not the way they did start. At halftime, when you're a coach, you always tell them, "Okay. They scored 24 points on us in the first half. We can do it to them in the second half." >> And this is Fisher going nowhere. Stopped by Chris Draft. And clearly, while you could do it, obviously, but I would have to think it's really gonna be now or never. If the Packers can't cash in off this drive, then forget about it. >> Like I said earlier, the toughest one is always the first one, and you have to break that plane and get that first one. And I still say there's something wrong with Ahman Green. I mean, Tony Fisher is a nice player, but he's getting way too many carries and way too much play in a game this big for there nothing to be wrong with Ahman Green. >> That shot spoke to what you're talking about. As it is incomplete. Intended for Donald Driver. He tried to squeeze it in, did Brett, between Carpenter and the other defensive back. Third down and 11. >> Donald Driver again -- We see him. He's gonna be the outside guy here. Comes up. Runs a slant to the inside. And he has to catch that ball. I mean, that's the place that you want to throw that slant. You want to throw it down where only he can get it. There's no way the defender can get to it. But Donald Driver has to come up with it. That was a perfect throw on that play in that position by Brett Favre. >> Tried to get it between Carpenter and Buchanan on the play. Third down and 11. Favre guns it to the end zone. Caught! Driver. Touchdown. And that shoulder is killing him. >> I'm sure Brett Favre told him, "Just do the same thing, and I'll do the same thing, or Donald Driver said, "Give me that one again, the same play, and I'll get it this time." And he had to gut it out. He had to have a meeting with himself as he was going in there and say, "Look. I'm gonna catch this one, but it's gonna hurt." And he knows it. Right here. I mean, as that ball is coming in there, you know that he has that bad right shoulder. Donald Driver knows it. And he knows if and when he catches it, it's gonna hurt. [ Crowd cheering ] That's that meeting that players have with themselves -- you know, "Do I just want to wave it beyond or do you want to make that play?" And Donald Driver wanted to make that play. >> And Favre went down there to escort him back to the bench from the end zone. As Longwell tries to tack on the seventh point. And does. In the snow now, 24-7. And Longwell sending down the kickoff to the 14, into the arms of the ex-Packer, Allen Rossum. And he gets taken down by David Martin up at the 21-yard line. Back to the TD. >> Let's watch Donald Driver. He's here. He starts here. He's gonna come in motion all the way across the formation and then come up here and run a post on Bolden. You see he comes all the way across in motion here. They have two receivers on this side already. That makes it three. He comes up, and then just as he takes the inside, Brett Favre hits him. That hurt. >> That drive took 4:30. 73 yards in 10 plays. Favre stirring up the crowd. From the 22. >> The old fire is burning in his boiler. >> Yeah. Dunn. And look at that. Keeps the legs going. Out to the 28-yard line. Let's check in with Melissa. >> Al, Dan Reeves said his approach in the second half -- that the score is 0-0. He said, "They have Brett Favre over on the other side. This is way too good of a team to think that they are not going to come back on us." We have to stay after it." Michael Vick, as he was walking off the field at the end of the second half, had obvious severe cramps in his right thigh. He was treated for them at the half. So something to keep an eye on. >> Yeah. Cramps. Two shoulders. Thumb. Second down and 4 at the 28-yard line. Dunn to the outside. Holliday is able to take him down, but a penalty. >> I think that this Packer defense early was so worried about Michael Vick and his running that I think that took, as I said earlier, all the aggressiveness out of them. And that first half, they just didn't play. They didn't make plays, they didn't tackle, they didn't do those things. Now they're starting to. >> Offside against Green Bay. And that's gonna be close to a first down here. So Vick in the first half -- 73 yards through the air. Dunn with 45 yards on the ground, and Finneran was the leading receiver, with three grabs. Vick also rushed for 31 yards in the half. That penalty gives them a first down up at the 33-yard line. >> And T.J. Duckett came in and made some big runs for them, too, especially when they were getting out of trouble and when they were going in. >> He's a stud. That was the first penalty of the night against Green Bay. From the 33-yard line. Vick flings it. Caught over the middle. It's Brian Finneran. You know, we're talking about Duckett, John. That's thunder and lightning, when you've got Warrick Dunn and Duckett. If those two guys can combine over the next three or four years -- and Vick in the backfield. Wow. >> And what they need is they need a speed receiver. That's the thing. If you gave Michael Vick a speed receiver along with these two backs, and the tight ends that they have are going to be okay, and then you give him a real top-notch receiver, this could be a heck of an offense. >> Second and 1 from the 42. 8:30 left in the third. Dunn. Skimming and can't go anywhere. The footing will get a little more treacherous, obviously, because of the snow, as Nickerson makes the stop. >> I think this is the thing that the Packers have to do is defensively, they're gonna have to make some aggressive plays. They're gonna have to blitz. They're just gonna have to go after him and then hope that they can all just chase Vick and make a play on him. They can't worry about what he's gonna do and wait for him to do something. They have to go defensively and make something happen. >> Spread it out on third down. From the gun. Third and 3. >> Four-man Packer rush. Vick. Opening through the middle. There he goes! Into Green Bay territory. To the 38-yard line. >> It's patient, but I think it's that same thing -- I think they worry, they all want to stay in their rush lanes, they all want to keep containment on him, they want to keep him under control. But if you just give him a little gap, he's just gonna run right through it. Watch this. Here's their four rushers -- one, two, three, four. And you see they all have nice control. They all have everything under control. And he just fakes to the right, and that opens up the middle, and then he takes it in the middle. If you say, "How would you defend him?" I wouldn't know how I'd do it. >> Everybody else looked like they were in slow motion in green shirts. From the 38-yard line. That pass is incomplete. Intended for Finneran. [ Crowd cheering ] Think back to when Randall Cunningham came into the league. As Vick, on second and 10, throws. And that's caught. And out of bounds goes number 89, Reggie Kelly. They referred to Randall when he broke into the league as the ultimate weapon. And, of course, Randall had a real nice career and did things that nobody else did, but this guy is -- I mean, this is the double ultimate weapon here. >> He can do all the things that Randall could do but run a heck of a lot faster. If you said, "Who's the fastest player in the whole league?" Not fastest quarterback. Fastest player in the whole league -- It's Mike Vick. So you know that you have to contain him, and you can do all those things and still be wrong because he can make everyone miss. >> From the 23 on first down. This is Dunn. Well, Dan Reeves is gonna be a lot younger because he gets to coach this guy. And here's what Dan had to say about him. >> There's so many times I've seen him where someone has just a complete open shot and they don't touch him. He has unbelievable quickness to combine with the speed he has. He gets away from people in a small area better than anybody I've ever seen. He has just unbelievable control of his body to make people miss who have straight shots at him that maybe come through completely free. >> He's still the youngest quarterback in the league -- He's only 22½. Second and 7 from the 20-yard line. Dunn. Inside the 15. Inside the 10. Forced out by Bowen. It'll be first down and goal. And Atlanta answering that Green Bay drive, that critical Green Bay drive, with a big drive of their own. >> And watch this pass rush. I don't know if these guys are just worried about what Michael Vick is going to do or if they're just tired. But they're sure not getting close to Michael Vick. Here's Gbaja-Biamila. I mean, he's their big pass rusher, and you can see he's so worried about Michael Vick running with the ball, he's not putting any pressure on him as a passer. >> First and goal. From the 9. Treacherous footing. You saw Finneran slip. And Dunn goes down. Dan Reeves -- You talk about coaches and burnout and all of that. Well, he's been with three teams, but he hasn't had a year off as a head coach in 22 seasons. Twelve in Denver, four with the Giants in New York, and now this is six years here in Atlanta. And when you have Michael Vick, as you look at most regular-season games as a head coach and the championships -- he's fifth -- when you have Michael Vick, you may want to coach for another 10. >> I'm sure he does, and I'm sure he will -- or will want to. But, you know, he said that he learned so much with John Elway when John Elway was young -- that he handled him wrong and he wasn't gonna make those mistakes with Mike Vick. >> Second and goal. And that pass is dropped by the fullback, George Layne. Third down and goal. >> Sometimes you get a young quarterback and you expect him to know everything right when he comes in. And it just takes awhile. Michael Vick, even the things that he can do and is doing now, and he's in the Pro Bowl, he's gonna get a heck of a lot better in the next three years. >> Only played two years in college. He was such a great athlete. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in baseball even though he hadn't played that since the eighth grade. Grew up in Virginia, in Newport News, and went to Virginia Tech. >> The Packer defense needs a big, big play here if they're gonna stay in this game -- or get in this game. >> Right. Vick. To the 5-yard line. So they can't get it in, and Feely will come out to try to tack on 3. >> It was interesting talking to Michael Vick last night. I asked him if he ever second-guessed his decision to come out after his sophomore year. He says, "Yeah. My first year, when they gave me that playbook and I looked at the playbook and I thought, 'How the heck am I gonna learn all this stuff?'" He said, "I thought I made a mistake." He said Chris Chandler helped him, and he said he kind of got through that first year. He said there was no way that he could've played last year. >> 23-yard attempt for Feely. Chris Mohr to spot it. And they pick up 3. >> Flying around in a single-engine? [ Both laugh ] >> Eric Metcalf. And he brings it back out to the 25. [ Crowd cheering ] Pass is in and out of the hands of Bubba Franks. Second down. Let's check in with Melissa. >> Al, the injuries just keep piling up for the Packers. Running back Ahman Green bruised his left knee. He is on the bench. He's been on the bike, trying to loosen it up. They say they expect him to return. And wide receiver Donald Driver reinjured his right shoulder on that touchdown catch. His return is questionable. But remember, they're already without wide receiver Terry Glenn, who has the concussion. >> So minus three key figures. It's Ferguson now and Karsten Bailey who are the wideouts. And so Favre, down by 20, 18½ minutes to go. They also have Javon Walker in the game. And Brett launches one. And it's intended for Ferguson, and it's incomplete. And again they're gonna rule incidental contact. Ashley Ambrose with the coverage on the play. >> Again, we watch Robert Ferguson right here. And I think all these Packer receivers know that with Brett Favre's arm, don't worry -- You can't run out of range. Just keep going, and he's gonna get that ball out there to you. Watch Brett Favre. When he know that he has to unload it, he'll wind it up, and that right leg follows through and kicks back. Looks like Roger Clemens throwing a fastball. >> Third down and 10 from the gun. Slung over the middle and caught up at the 35 by Walker. And Walker fights his way for another 3 yards. Up to the 38 before Buchanan stops him. >> Don't you feel that it's been all on Brett Favre's shoulders tonight, that part of it had to be the running game and Ahman Green had to do that and get those check-downs and get a balance? And now Melissa was just saying that Ahman Green is out of the game. But there's been something wrong with him all night. And he didn't have that, so then they became one-dimensional. Then they get behind, and then they're even more one-dimensional. >> Only 55 yards on the ground for them tonight -- 3.4 per rush. That's not gonna get it done. Favre throws. And then it's dropped. Ferguson trying to stay in bounds and make the catch and couldn't do it. Second down and 10. Favre in NFL history at home -- Well, you know he hasn't lost here. And in the regular season, 86% at home. Bradshaw, Staubach, Elway completing that list. And then in postseason, of course, 6-0 here at Lambeau Field. This year, 8-0 with the Packers in this stadium. That guy, of course -- Well, you think about the Ice Bowl when you think about Bart Starr on a night like tonight. Second and 10. And that's caught. Making the catch is Walker, who gets by Buchanan and then is dragged down from behind at the 25 by Gerald McBurrows. Big, much-needed play at this juncture for Green Bay. >> Again Brett Favre's offensive line does a nice job for him. We talk about not only protection but then also giving him a lane. You see the lane that he gets, where he can throw that ball right through here. They packed everyone in the middle, then he can come off and just step and throw that ball right to Javon Walker. Ray Buchanan can't move either. He has an abdominal problem, and you can just see that he can't make that quick turn and twist. >> That was a 37-yard gain. And then Fisher makes the catch, and he gets corralled by Rogers at just about the line of scrimmage. >> You get the feeling that Brett Favre doesn't even know some of the guys that are in there sometimes. Donald Driver is hurt, and he's out, and Terry Glenn is out. They just bring guys in and put them in in positions, and you wonder if the guys that they're bringing in and changing position even know their assignments. >> They could even bring Eric Metcalf in the game at some point. Second and 10. They put a few plays in for him. >> You give Brett Favre time, he is gonna find someone. >> That one is high, sailing on him. Intended for Walker. And a Packer is shaken up. That's Flanagan. And remember, this is a team that, among other things, has lost both tackles this season -- Mark Tauscher early on, about Week 3, and then Chad Clifton, of course, in the Warren Sapp incident in Tampa. So both starting tackles gone. >> Mike Flanagan has done a heck of a job. He's their normal, regular center, and when they lost Chad Clifton, then he had to go out and play left tackle. And he's done a pretty good job out there. >> Third down and 10. Favre for the end zone. And knocked down at the goal line by Keion Carpenter, who had an early interception tonight. [ Crowd booing ] Walker the intended receiver. The crowd doesn't like this call at all, as they send the field-goal team in. >> Well, they went for it before, and they didn't get that, so now they're gonna go for the field goal, which I thought they should've done that first time. >> Yeah, this is curious. In a sense, it's a 45-yarder in the snow. And even if he kicks it, you still need three scores. You're gonna be down by 17. >> I don't know that they really felt that they had a real good chance of getting fourth and 10. >> And right now, they won't even get the 3. Third quarter winds down after the missed field goal. 35-yard line for Atlanta. They came out and sprayed some of the field during the commercial. As Vick throws. And the catch is made for a short gain by Reggie Kelly. John, the interesting thing was -- Remember in the snow-plow game in New England a few years ago, they came out<i> before</i> the field goal to scrape the field. Here, they missed the field goal, then they scraped it. >> Yeah, and they scraped the field right where he missed that field goal. I think what they tried to do was clean off the hash marks. You can see those lines going straight down the middle. That's the hash marks on this side. The crew on the other side didn't do as good a job. And here this is a guy on the sideline. So they tried to clear the sidelines and the hash marks. >> Second and 9. We're at what should be the final play of the period. And Mike Vick is looking and realizing that he has to run a play or take a time-out. Well, that's kind of a wasteful time-out. If you just run the play, the quarter ends anyway. So I think Mike may have thought the game clock had less time on it than did the play clock. And let's check in with Melissa. >> Al, you were just talking about the snow. Well, since the third quarter began, it's coming down a lot harder. The wind has picked up as well. Visibility is getting pretty poor, and the field is actually pretty slippery at this point. We also have an injury update for you on Packers running back Ahman Green. That bruised left knee -- He has it elevated, ice on it. His return is doubtful. >> So Green gone. Gilbert Brown gone earlier tonight. Driver hurt, hurting. >> And if Melissa keeps standing in the snow, she's going to become a snow person. >> Snow angel. >> [ Laughs ] Just one of those scarecrows with the thing and you put a broom in their hand and stuff. Is that what they do? >> Uh... >> What do they do when they make the snowperson? I can't say "snowman." They put something in their hand. >> We're gonna call research during the commercial break here. Second and 9 from the 36-yard line. Vick. They can't take him down. Until he picks up about 3, to the 40. And that's the end of the period. On to the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Temperature is in the mid- to upper 20s. Not according to that fella. That's what a little slivovitz will do for you. Third down and 5. As Vick to the air. Throws. It's caught by Trevor Gaylor, who has a first down up at the 47-yard line. So the Falcons trying to win the playoffs for the first time since '98 and earn a trip to Philadelphia. A team that gets in last week despite a loss, when New Orleans loses to Carolina. With Mike Vick in his first year as a starter with a team that comes into a situation where the opponent has never won a postseason game in the state of Wisconsin, where Dan Reeves is in the playoffs, and a guy who's lost four Super Bowls trying to get to and win a fifth. And here they are on the cusp last week and looking dominant tonight. First and 10 from the 47-yard line. Dunn. Taken down by Bowen, but not until he picks up a first down. And, John, I keep thinking about -- You go back about seven days, last Saturday night, the Jets look desperate. They need all kinds of help to get in and beat Green Bay. Green Bay looks like they'll be home by the log this week and have home games all the way to the Super Bowl. And now look at what happened. >> Yeah. I mean, that's the National Football League. I don't know if that's parity or whatever, but the Jets are playing very, very well. The Giants played well last week. The Packers haven't been playing well. I don't know that they've played well the last month of the season. But the Falcons really didn't play well the last part of the season either. So something had to give here. And the thing that gave, I think, is the Green Bay Packers. >> From the 40-yard line. Vick. Nope. Forget about getting him. Forget about chasing him. And then finally Wayne shoves him out of bounds. You know, one of the amazing things is through the course of history in the NFL, veteran QBs, guys who have started 10 or more postseason games, have made a lot of starts against quarterbacks making their first postseason start. Well, look at this. Pat Haden over Roger Staubach in '76. Pastorini beats Griese in '78. And down the line you go. Wade Wilson over Montana in a playoff game in '87. Brunell over Jim Kelly in '96 in Jacksonville's second year. Chris Chandler over Steve Young in '98 on Atlanta's way to the Super Bowl. They're 10-5. The postseason rookie beats the fabled veteran two out of three times. >> I don't know that there's been one like this guy, though. I mean, the things that he can do. And I don't know what you do defensively. You say, "Well, you have to keep him contained." But if you do that, you take all your aggressiveness out. You have to go after him, and if you do and he gets by you, then there's nothing else I mean, obviously the answer is mixture -- try and confuse him, don't let him know what you're doing, do different things. But he still gets away and runs out of that. >> He will be a major headache for a lot of defensive coordinators for a lot of years. >> He has been a major headache for these guys wearing yellow helmets tonight. >> Third down and 3 from the 34-yard line. And bulldozing straight ahead is T.J. Duckett. You look at the Falcons, too. You go back to that Super Bowl year in '98, when nobody expected them to get there. It was almost like a false positive. They come out of nowhere. They get to the Super Bowl. Then people expect them to continue on, but then Jamal Anderson gets hurt in the second game the following year. Three sub-.500 seasons, and now they're back. >> Right, and the way they're playing tonight reminds me of that year, because I was there for the championship game in Minnesota. And it was like the Falcons coming in here to Green Bay. There's no way the Falcons can beat the Green Bay Packers here in Lambeau. It was the same way in Minnesota. They were all talking about, you know, they're going down to the Super Bowl -- The Vikings were before the game. And then Dan Reeves brings his team into Minnesota, and he does the same thing to the Vikings that he's doing here to the Packers tonight. You know who has to be a happy guy, too, is the new owner of the Falcons, Arthur Blank. >> Definitely. Got to meet him before the game tonight. Talked to him at Home Depot a few years back. New York guy. Grew up in Queens and now lives, of course, in Atlanta. It's a lot of fun. You own a team. You go to the playoffs. You're on your way to knocking off Green Bay in Green Bay. You've got Michael Vick. Life's good. >> You know, and he said -- Warrick Dunn was telling us last night that it was Arthur Blank who recruited him. He said he was the one he talked to on the phone and he was the one that got him to come up there. He said he took him over to his house for dinner. After dinner, they went to a room where he has, like, a theater, and he said he puts the screen down, and there's all the highlights of Warrick Dunn. >> People say -- You know sometimes you turn on your television -- "I've got snow"? We tried to show you Blank. That's what you get. Here's T.J. Duckett for a couple. To the 26-yard line. >> You know, he put some juice back in that franchise. He went in there and talked to the players and asked the players what they wanted. And they said they wanted the fans back, and he went and lowered prices. Who does that anymore? When is the last time you heard anyone lower prices to get the people back? He did that. He got the fans back. And then with Michael Vick, there are all these things. They have something going here in Atlanta now. >> He recruited -- In his own way, he recruited Warrick Dunn, did Arthur Blank. On third and 7. And that is incomplete. And no flag, as Quentin McCord was the intended receiver and he was covered by Bowen. But when Dunn knew he wasn't gonna go back to Tampa Bay and he was a free agent and he's looking around, Blank brought him to Atlanta, brought him to his house, brought him into his screening room, and put up video of Dunn. >> Dunn said, "If a guy is that interested in me, this is a place that I want to come." So Warrick Dunn became an Atlanta Falcon. But he also recruited -- How about this? He has Bobby Beathard there as a consultant, who was with the Washington Redskins. And he has Joe Gibbs, the great Redskin coach, as a part owner. >> Here's Jay Feely to attempt a 45-yard field goal. And that is no good. 9:42 to play. Atlanta leading 27-7, trying to advance, trying to earn a trip to Philadelphia next week. Green Bay trying to get to Tampa. But first they've got to knock off Atlanta. They're down here by 20. And Keion Carpenter nearly had another pick, which would've been his second. Second and 10. >> Keion Carpenter is one of those guys that Wade Phillips brought over from Buffalo. He has him and he has Sam Rogers in there, a couple guys that he had at Buffalo that know, that understand this defense -- the three-man line, the coverages, and those kinds of things and can kind of make the calls and get everyone in the right place for him. Carpenter's put himself in the right place a couple times tonight. >> Second and 10 from the 25. Flag. Offside. Defense. So that's an interception by Bolden. It's not gonna count because Sam Rogers was across the line. >> You just get the feeling that Brett Favre has just been throwing them up there all night and trying to get them in some pretty tight spaces. But in his defense, he's had to. I mean, he's had nothing else. There's been no running game. There's no one else making big plays for him. His defense hasn't gotten him the ball. His defense hasn't done anything. >> Now you have offsetting -- holding Pack, offside Atlanta. >> Offside. Defense. Holding. 62, offense. Penalties offset. Replay the down. Second down. >> What a year. John, before the season, most people think the Rams are great. They end the season -- Ugh. Midway through the season, everybody thinks Green Bay's great. They're on their way to ending the season -- Ugh. >> Well, that's the thing. When you really have no dominant team, then you have to try and manufacture one. And when you manufacture one, you're going to be wrong a whole bunch of times. >> That's incomplete. Intended for Walker. It's third down and 10 now. >> That's like, you know, the old bandwagons. Remember in the middle of the season and even towards the end, people were getting strained groins and high ankle sprains jumping on and off bandwagons. I think they're still doing it right now in the playoffs, because there's not that one team out there that you have to say, "This is the team you have to beat." So therefore, the thing is wide open to a whole bunch of teams. >> There were questions about everything. How about Philadelphia with McNabb? Does he come back? Will he be effective? Third down and 10. And that's caught on the run by Walker. Up to the 41. And speaking of McNabb, the way it's shaping up, you could have McNabb against Vick next week. >> Here's Javon Walker. You see he gets up, he takes the inside, and then he just comes square across and gets right in front of that safety. I'll tell you, there's Brett Favre's fastball. We've seen Mike Vick's fastball tonight, and we just saw Brett Favre's fastball. >> And that's another fastball taken in by Walker. So the number-one draft choice out of Florida State with two big catches, as the Pack still breathing, trying to get back in it. >> This is kind of when the Packers are really at their best, when they're going no huddle and just getting up to the line of scrimmage and playing. >> Fisher on the ground, with Green on the bench, to the 26-yard line. [ Crowd booing ] >> The fans are thinking, "You're down by 20 points. We don't need runs now. We have to get back there and throw that thing." >> "We don't even want to see Jim Taylor running right now." There's Donald Driver. >> And he would be a big part of what Brett Favre would be trying to do right now. >> And on second and 8, going deep and just off the fingertips of Ferguson. And, boy, would that have been big. >> He's been trying to get that one all night in there. They're playing that cover 2, where they have the corner shorter and the safety coming over deep. You see as Ferguson starts out here. He's been trying to hit it between the short guy, the corner, and the safety coming over. You see that gap or hole right there? That was a pretty big gap or hole. He's been throwing it in there all night. And if he keeps going, he's gonna get one of those. And he should've had that one. You've got to catch that. You have to run right to that. You don't leave your feet on that as a receiver. You just run right through it. >> Third down and 8 from the 26. [ Whistles blowing ] Favre frustrated because the play is blown dead by Bernie Kukar, who has reffed two of the last four Super Bowls. >> False start. Number 52 of the offense. It's a 5-yard penalty. Still third down. >> I was just gonna say -- Excuse me, Al. But when you get in the playoffs, you have all-star officiating crews, and they're not the crews that work together all the time. They're the individuals that get the best grades, and they make up crews. And I think this group has done a pretty good job tonight. >> They have. Third down and 13. Led by Bernie Kukar. >> But if anyone told Mike Sherman that he couldn't challenge that, that was a mistake. >> I've been thinking a little bit more about that. Third down and 13. Here's Favre. Caught. And going out of bounds at the 20-yard line is Karsten Bailey. They'll have to go for it here on fourth. I have too much time on my hands. I've been thinking more about that, John, and if he was told he couldn't challenge -- Sherman might have said, "I want to challenge that Metcalf was interfered with." Now, that would not be challengeable. Had he said, "I want to challenge that the ball hit a Falcon," that was challengeable. So it could've been a matter of semantics. >> I still don't think he said anything, because I didn't see the referee go over there, nor did I see a red flag. >> Fourth and 2. And Favre throws. And that's incomplete, and there's no flag. And Favre is now gonna race over to the official and say, "He's grabbing the jersey!" It was Ray Buchanan with the coverage. Now Atlanta from the 20-yard line. Playing a little clock ball. And they'll start here with Duckett, who gets bunched up at the line of scrimmage. >> You know, a guy who played well tonight for the Falcons is Bob Whitfield, their left tackle. He's an amazing guy. He plays left tackle. He's blind in his right eye. You see he wears that shield there. When they go on a silent count, he has to look in at the ball, turn his head all the way in, like he is right there, and then snap it back to get outside. >> Stanford guy. A number-one pick in '92. And this is Duckett, their number-one pick in 2002. Up to the 25-yard line. Tackled by Nickerson. >> We talk about old Bob Whitfield, and then he pulls on the play that we're talking about. He's done a heck of a job of pass protection, and here you see him pull. See him right there? Number 70. He'll get out in front, get a little block right there, and Duckett runs right off it. Here's another look at Whitfield coming out here. To be a linebacker, you see that, get hit in the snow and slid in the snow. >> Talk about that three-headed rushing monster for Atlanta -- the three guys over 500. You look at them tonight -- Vick, 67 yards rushing, Dunn, 64 yards rushing, Duckett, 55. And the Falcons have rushed for 204 yards tonight. Will they get 5 more and a first down? Yep, they will -- from Quentin McCord, the wideout, to move the chains. No, he's gonna be a little bit short. Sorry about that. A little bit short. >> You know, it was interesting. They end up here with that, and that's the same type of play they started the game with. >> That's the lousiest call I ever made. [ Chuckles ] It's the snow. I can't see the yard lines. Fourth and 4. Chris Mohr to punt. Eric Metcalf back. And they rush, and even Metcalf came up that time, so there's nobody back to field it. They're gonna let it roll, and it's gonna stop in the snow at the 39-yard line. [ Chuckles ] The booth is not<i> that</i> cozy. >> Ah, we're out here in the elements -- team against team, man against man, even man against the elements. >> Here's Fisher. As I mentioned at the time, John, what better invention in the history of the world than thermal underwear. Meanwhile, AFC playoff picture -- Cleveland and Pittsburgh meeting tomorrow. Of course, the Jets won today, so the Jets will go to Oakland next week, and then, if Pittsburgh wins -- If Cleveland wins, they go to Oakland and the Jets would go to Tennessee. So again, the six seed would be Cleveland. They'd go to the top seed. But if Pittsburgh wins, reverse it. Second down and 9. The snap through Favre's legs. And... the Atlanta Falcons are gonna recover the ball at the 25-yard line by Patrick Kerney. And Green Bay is down to needing a miracle in this one, as Atlanta has it at the 25. Warrick Dunn is stopped there, and Green Bay is gonna take a time-out, use their first. Assuming Atlanta wins, in the NFC it would look like this -- The Falcons would go to Philadelphia, and then the winner of tomorrow's game between the Giants and the 49ers would go to Tampa. And that's a shock, because as we said before, the Eagles, you would have to expect, all week long were sitting there going over Giant and 49er tapes, assuming that Green Bay would win the game and they would go to Tampa Bay. >> And that's why in this league and this year, you can't assume anything. I would bet, just knowing Andy Reid and the way he prepares and thinks of detail and everything that they have worked on the Falcons also. >> But if you had to break it down and say, "You've done this percentage on this team and that team," what would you have figured it would've been with the Falcons, about a fifth? >> Yeah. About 10% is what I would figure out. Because you know that you should do it, and your mind tells you, "No, we have to prepare for everything," but you put that one as a lower priority. >> Second down and 10. And that pass is incomplete. Off the fingertips of Alge Crumpler. >> But the Eagles are gonna have their hands full. And Jim Johnson, the defensive coordinator for the Eagles, is a heck of a coordinator, a very bright guy, and always has a plan, but I don't know what his plan is going to be for Mike Vick. >> There's Arthur Blank coming down onto the field. Not to report any scores, as he did last week, when he told Dan Reeves before the game was over, "We're in the playoffs." Third down and 10. And that pass is incomplete. And let's check in with Melissa. >> Al, with the other NFC matchup tomorrow between the Giants and the Niners, I talked to Giants running back Tiki Barber, who had a career day last week -- 203 yards but three fumbles. After the game, he received a call from Giants legend Frank Gifford, who himself had a three-fumble day, in the 1958 NFL championship game against the Colts, often referred to as The Greatest Game Ever Played. Gifford told Barber that in that game, his offensive coordinator, who happened to be Vince Lombardi, pulled him over and said, "Get over it, kid. We rode you all season long. You're the only reason why we got here. We're not about to give up on you now." And Gifford told Barber that's exactly how he should feel. >> That field-goal attempt by Feely is no good. So what ever happened to Gifford, John? Did he ever recover from that? [ Chuckles ] >> Yeah. [ Laughs ] He did recover from that. He recovered from that very well. >> Our man Frank. [ Laughs ] Yeah. I think he did pretty well. Great career, Hall of Fame, of course, our broadcast partner for a lot of years here on Monday night. Dan Reeves on his way to a win here tonight. And for Dan, it's another return visit to Lambeau Field. He's made several. He was part of the fabled Ice Bowl. As Tony Fisher takes it out to the 43-yard line. And the Packers going without a huddle. But before this night is done, we'll do a little flashing back with Dan Reeves on the Ice Bowl. First and 10 from the 43. And that is... The head linesman is standing right there and looking for somebody with a better view, and the umpire comes over and says, "Didn't catch it." Incomplete. >> That's the problem with not having your regular crew. He's looking for help, and he couldn't find any help. What Vince Lombardi told Frank Gifford, though, is -- I think what all football players have to have -- and probably all athletes -- is you have to have a short memory. If you really do something well, you have to forget about it and go on to the next play. If you do something poorly, you have to forget about that and go on to the next play. I've always said that corners, defensive backs or corners, have to have the shortest memories of anyone on the field. >> They're in the sights on every play. As Robert Ferguson makes the catch for a minimal gain. Up to the 47-yard line. >> Did that look like a whirling dervish? >> Mm, a bit of one. >> Yeah. [ Laughs ] I've heard that word, "whirling dervish." I never knew what the heck it was, but I think maybe that may have just been one. >> Mini. Third down and 6. And that is incomplete. Fourth down and 6. >> It was funny last night when we were talking to Michael Vick and he said he knows all about the history of the Packers and the history of never lost a playoff game here and Lambeau and the weather and Brett Favre and all that stuff. And he said, "But tomorrow night" -- you know, talking about tonight -- "we're gonna make history. We're gonna shock the world." I don't know if they shocked the world, but he was very, very prophetic. Did you believe him when he said it last night? >> You know, I thought if he was gonna say something like that, I wouldn't believe him, but then he said it, and I began to believe him. I figured he'd come in with some confidence. And there's action up front. You know, you never expect a quarterback or a coach to come in and say, "You know what? We have no chance." >> 84, offense. 5-yard penalty. Still fourth down. >> So you know you're gonna get that, "We've got a chance," and, "We're gonna do this," and, "We got a good week of practice," and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and you go, "Yeah. Sure." But the way he said it, I began to think, "You know, maybe<i> I'm</i> crazy. Maybe he's right." >> He said, "We're gonna make history," and he was so confident about it. I'm not saying, oh, yeah, I knew at that time and I believed him, but it<i> was</i> interesting that he said that and then came out here and backed it up. >> A fourth and 11. Favre throws. Tipped and intercepted. Picked off by Carpenter. That's his second. And then he almost had a third. And so for Brett Favre, his season two years in a row will end with that kind of look, because last year, he had that six-interception day against the Rams. >> They have the three wide receivers out here, and that's that thing where they run short, medium, and deep. He throws to the medium guy again, and it gets tipped and picked. But the Falcon defense, they don't have any dominant players or any great players. But I think Wade Phillips has done an excellent job of getting them to play well together. To mix up defense, they've done a lot of, you know, five defensive backs, six defensive backs, a little blitz, a little back off. And they've really given Brett Favre a lot of looks tonight. >> Here's Duckett, picking up 5. >> He said it's great now. He said they have that play and they replay that now, and he said his grandkids can watch that. >> Neat. Second and 5 from the 45. T.J. Duckett. Third down. >> I mean, he's kind of everything that I thought he would be. And I think he's one of those guys that you can throw stats out. You know, say 52% completion, and maybe this guy got 60% or 61%. But this guy that has 60% or 61% I'll guarantee you is not Michael Vick. >> Yeah. I think what you said about throwing the stats out is 1,000% right. Because when you complete 13 passes out of 25 for 117, that's not gonna dazzle anybody. Eight rushes for 67 -- That's pretty good. But it's not a Canton kind of night. It's not gonna get you to the Hall of Fame, just looking at the figures. Duckett. And they try to strip it and almost do, but he holds on. But then, when you watch the game and you see what he does, you realize how important he is and how much fun he's gonna be to watch for all of us who love this game over the next several years. >> And not only what he does but the effect that he has on the defense. You can say that the Packer defense was on their heels all night, that they didn't tackle, they didn't do this -- Well, he <i> put</i> them on their heels and he made them miss, and he set that whole thing up, I think. >> Chris Mohr now to punt. Metcalf's gonna let it go. Falcons will down it around the 30-yard line. >> And these fans here in Green Bay and at Lambeau Field are great fans. I said this before, and I always say it -- If they ever built a shrine to the NFL, it ought to be this place, with these fans sitting in it. >> And Favre loses the ball. It gets taken away from him. And that's a fifth turnover -- a fifth turnover, as John Thierry, former Bear, former Packer, winds up with it. So that's five turnovers and a blocked punt tonight. >> And that was like -- You know, you brought up last year, how the Packers' season ended, how Brett Favre's season ended. It was the same type of night. It was against the St. Louis Rams, and it was interceptions and turnovers. And, I mean, they have just been beaten every way you can get beaten and dominated every way you can be dominated. >> That explains it. And a blocked punt -- for a touchdown, to boot. Duckett. [ Whistle blows ] Gets taken down by Cletidus Hunt. That takes us to the 2-minute warning. Two minutes to go, and Atlanta can just about run the clock out, on top 27-7. The road to San Diego with John at espn.com. And you can also log on for more football news at superbowl.com, as we head to Southern California. >> I'm gonna get on the road tonight and head there right now, tonight. I'm gonna start on my road to San Diego. >> I'm gonna check out the airport. You may be there before I'm there. >> Then you can go with me. >> [ Laughs ] Make it on that bus. >> Yeah. Jump on. You know how you can always tell if a defense played well? When you can get the old coach to dance on the sideline, your defense has had a heck of a night. Watch Wade Phillips dancing. When Wade Phillips did that, you know that this Falcon defense played great. >> Well, they talk about the great upsets in postseason history, and this -- It couldn't be classified like that, because when you look at the line on a game like this, it's 6½ or 7 points, which is not<i> that</i> much. But when you really consider what went on here, with Atlanta coming into Green Bay on a frigid night in January and dominating them, this is pretty stunning. >> But I felt that way from the beginning -- not only the beginning of the game, but the pregame warm-up. When the Falcons came out on the field, they didn't have any of that stuff that they were testing the field or shoes or putting clothes on and off. They just come out and they just practiced. And they looked so confident then -- and I know that doesn't mean anything, how you did in the pregame warm-up. But they carried that same thing throughout the game. >> Our man Fred Gaudelli. And there's Arthur Blank dancing as well. Drew Esocoff, a fabulous job directing. Our unparalleled director of information, Steve Hirdt. Joe Abbenda at the controls, twisting the dials. Mark Teitelman, our replay producer. And the gang all heading to San Diego along with Val Fischler, the musical-tease specialist. Big Gordo. Mike Martin, Jeff Dufine, our associate producers, and the whole gang heading to Southern California. So great work, ladies and gentlemen on the crew. It's been fabulous -- the 17 regular-season Mondays, three preseason Mondays, and tonight. And, John, I'm gonna take all these kids over to Hawaii with me for the Pro Bowl. You, of course... >> I'll be watching all you kids over there in Hawaii. But that's after the Super Bowl. I can't wait for that. And everything you said about this group and this crew, I support and feel the same way, and they've been great this first year. I really, really enjoyed everyone. >> Great work, gang. Really terrific. Well, Favre will come out, and they'll run out the clock for 20 seconds. [ Laughs ] The Bushman. >> They have to get out in the elements, too. I mean, the players do, and they're tough, and the fans and the people manning the cameras. [ Crowd cheering ] >> We just saw Dina before. Dina not only gets out in the elements, she lives in Palm Desert, California. Now, this is<i> really</i> getting out in the elements. >> But she loves it, doesn't she? >> How good does Palm Desert sound, Dina, huh? Yeah. I got you. [ Chuckles ] She didn't bring her SPF 30 tonight, but we'll need it in San Diego.

Channel: NFL

Views: 626,731

Rating: 4.8057785 out of 5

Keywords: NFL, Football, offense, defense, afc, nfc, green bay, packers, atlanta, falcons, wild card, 2002, michael vick, brett favre, touchdown, warrick dunn, alge crumpler, ahman green, donald driver, bubba franks, playoffs, season, lambeau, field, full game, falcons full game, atlanta falcons full game, free game friday, full playoff game, free full game, mike vick, vick full game

Id: UWPvuF1cjx0

Length: 110min 53sec (6653 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 28 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/thesandsoftime]

Our first loss at Lambeau in the playoffs. Guess I'll start drinking.

[u/Kamikaze_Model_Plane]

No thank you

[u/duhbears23]

Vick was my first real favorite player, I missed them come to STL to play the Rams waited 4 years for them to come back and that 4th year he goes to prison. I was pretty salty.

[u/[deleted]]

I remember this game so clearly, my family from Wisconsin was talking mad shit in the run up to the game. When the clock finally hit zero my dad made a few phone calls dishing it right back. Was a good night.

[u/fur10us_falcon]

One of the few good memories of being a falcon fan. Boy they don't come often :(

[u/[deleted]]

top 3 moments ever as a falcons fan

[u/SadAbbreviations]

It's great when you find that "one" video.

<unzips>

[u/stagman35]

If I wasn't already drunk I would start getting drunk

[u/OverlyButtered]

Thank you Jesus that I was only 8 years old at the time this happened. At least I avoided that heart break. 😥