1998 Atlanta Falcons season The 1998 Atlanta Falcons season saw the Falcons qualify for the Super Bowl for the first time under the guidance of second - year head coach Dan Reeves . The team won its final nine games of the season to earn the # 2 seed in the NFC for the playoffs and the first - week bye . They beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round and the # 1 - seed Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game before losing to Reeves ' old team , the Denver Broncos , 34 - 19 in Super Bowl XXXIII . Head coach Dan Reeves almost didn ' t make it to the end of the season . After Week 14 , he was diagnosed with multiple blockages to his coronary arteries , necessitating quadruple bypass surgery . Reeves admitted he ignored the warning signs in hopes of finishing the season , but ultimately felt he needed to be checked out . Doctors stated by the time he went for treatment , he may have been " within hours of a catastrophic heart attack . Defensive coordinator Rich Brooks substituted for him has head coach during Weeks 15 and 16 . Reeves returned for Week 17 and finished the season . The Falcons ranked fourth in the league in points scored ( 442 points ) and were also fourth in fewest points allowed ( 289 ) ; the Falcons also led the league in turnover differential at + 20 . Regular season . Notable games . The Falcons ' most decisive win of the season came in a 51 - 23 rout in the Georgia Dome . Jamal Anderson rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown while Chris Chandler threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns with two picks . From Tim Dwight ' s 93 - yard opening kickoff return touchdown , the Falcons never let Carolina have a sniff of contention , leading 38 - 3 by the third quarter before cruising home with the win . Atlanta ' s offense rolled up 41 points while the defense limited New England to just ten points at Foxboro Stadium in a game where New England never got closer than a 14 - 3 score after one quarter and trailed 28 - 3 at the half . Jamal Anderson ran in two scores , Chris Chandler threw two more , and Chuck Smith grabbed a fumble at his 29 and ran it back for a touchdown . Chandler completed 15 of 22 throws for 240 yards and Anderson rushed for 104 yards . About the only thing that went wrong for the Falcons were two meaningless picks by the Patriots ' Ty Law . The Falcons avenged one of the only two losses they would suffer in the regular season by besting the Niners 31 - 19 in the Georgia Dome . Steve Young threw for 342 yards and touchdowns to Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice , but Jamal Anderson ' s 100 - rushing yards and two scores helped the Falcons put away the Niners in a wild fourth quarter in which the two teams combined for 34 points ( 21 by the Falcons ) . The rubber match of Atlanta and San Francisco ' s 1998 season came in the Georgia Dome a week after the Niners ' spectacular last - minute comeback over the Green Bay Packers . The Falcons , though , would not be denied as Jamal Anderson once again hauled the mail with 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns . Steve Young threw a touchdown to Jerry Rice and ran in a late fourth - quarter score ; Ty Detmer threw the ensuing two - point conversion to Greg Clark to put the score at 20 - 18 , but the Falcons never let the Niners any closer for their first playoff win since 1991 . As of 2010 still the greatest win in Falcons history and one of the most amazing upsets in NFL history . The 16 - 1 Vikings , boasting the league ' s first post - merger 500 - point offense , were heavy favorites at Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome and raced to a 20 - 7 lead in the second quarter off two Randall Cunningham touchdowns ( one rushing and a throw to Randy Moss ) , but at the end of the first half Chris Chandler found Terance Mathis for a 14 - yard score . After a Morten Andersen field goal made it 20 - 17 in the third , the Vikings surged to a 27 - 17 lead on another Cunningham TD throw ( this one to Matthew Hatchette ) . In the frantic final ten minutes of regulation the Falcons were forced to turn the ball over on downs , but the Vikings fumbled it right back and Andersen kicked another field goal for a 27 - 20 score . In the final four minutes Gary Anderson , who hadn ' t missed a field goal all season , shanked a 38 - yarder , and suddenly the surging Falcons had a chance , and nailed it when Chandler led the Falcons downfield and connected with Mathis in the endzone with 49 seconds remaining . The Vikings got the ball in overtime but Eugene Robinson stopped a deep pass to Moss and the Falcons got it back on a punt . Chandler led the Falcons downfield again and Andersen nailed a 38 - yard field goal at 11 : 52 of the extra quarter ; the 30 - 27 final sent the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII . Awards and records . NFC Championship Trophy