Falcons

ATLANTA — I'm not sure what Asante Samuel was prouder of Sunday — his Falcons' dramatic, 30-28 playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks, or his new nickname for his quarterback, Matt Ryan. "I've changed Matty Ice's name," the former Eagles cornerback said. "I don't know if he's going to accept it. But it's [now] Matt Black Ice. "Black ice is slick. Matt is slick. Matt Black Ice! That's his new name. " The Falcons needed every bit of Ryan's slickness Sunday to overcome a second-half collapse by Samuel and the Falcons' defense.

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons needed more than one "Matty Ice" to turn back the greatest comeback in NFL playoff history by Seattle. After the top-seeded Falcons squandered a 20-point lead over Seattle in the fourth quarter Sunday, Penn Charter graduate Matt Ryan completed two long passes to get in range before Matt Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to give Atlanta a 30-28 win over Russell Wilson and the gutsy Seahawks...

ATLANTA - Sometimes, one game can change everything or it can change nothing. For Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Sunday's dramatic 30-28 win over the Seattle Seahawks has forever put an end to The Question. The what's-it-like-to-have-never-won-a-playoff-game question. Now, people can move on to more weighty questions, like, "Hey, Matt, what's it like to have never won a Super Bowl?" And maybe that one is headed for the trash bin soon as well. For Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, only time will tell whether Sunday's loss, in which his unit gave up 417 yards and 24 first downs and allowed Ryan to complete two late passes that set up Matt Bryant's game-winning 49-yard field goal, had any impact on his chances of becoming the Eagles' next head coach.

SEAHAWKS (12-5) AT FALCONS (13-3) Sunday, 1 p.m. (Fox29); Line: Falcons by 21/2 Seattle Outlook: The Seahawks have outscored their opponents by 217-74 during their six-game winning streak. . . . QB Russell Wilson has 27 TD passes, including the playoffs - the most by a rookie in NFL history. . . . Wilson had a 100.0 passer rating in the regular season, only the second rookie to reach that mark. . . . RB Marshawn Lynch set a career high and was ranked third in the NFL with 1,590 yards rushing.

Wissahickon overcame a 12-point deficit after two matches Friday to defeat host Pottsgrove, 39-33, in nonleague wrestling. With Pottsgrove leading by 27-24, Patrick Fennell (170) and Eric An (182) recorded consecutive pins to put the Trojans ahead, 36-27. After a pin by the Falcons' Jared Ludy at 195, C.J. Virtu (220) secured the win with a 6-1 decision. Pins by heavyweight Patrick Finn and 106-pounder Kylif Underwood had given the Falcons the early 12-0 lead. Contact the Rally staff at rallysports@phillynews.com , or follow on Twitter @RallyInq.

FALCONS (-2 1/2) over Seahawks Just call us "Mr. 90 Percent. " Yup. With another best-bet winner last week on Seattle, Double V has hit nine of the last 10 BBs. Ergo, Mr. 90 Percent. Why Atlanta here? How about a sick advantage the Falcons have inside the Georgia Dome. Since Mike Smith took the reins, these Southern Birds are 33-8 in the Dome. And Matty "Ice" Ryan is the conductor. Including the playoffs, Ryan is 33-6 at home and the Falcs are 20-0 at home when Ryan has a 100-plus QB rating.

ATLANTA FALCONS defensive coordinator Mike Nolan holds a dubious distinction in pro football annals. Only nine head coaches in the history of the sport, with a minimum of 50 games at the helm, have a worse winning percentage than the one Nolan (18-37, .327) racked up with San Francisco from 2005-08. The list is not long, and certainly not distinguished. Marion Campbell is a member - though, to be fair, he was slightly better with the Eagles (17-29-1, .370) than Nolan was with the Niners.

DETROIT - Matt Ryan matched a career high with four touchdown passes to help the Atlanta Falcons win earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Ryan was 25 of 32 for 279 yards as Atlanta (13-2) led from start to finish in a 31-18 victory over Detroit on Saturday night. Falcons 31, Lions 18 Atlanta 7 14 0 10 – 31 Detroit 3 3 7 5 – 18 First quarter Atl–White 44 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 5:50. Det–FG Hanson 34, :13. Second quarter Atl–White 39 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick)

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons wanted to make a statement. Boy, did they deliver one Sunday to the defending Super Bowl champions. Coming off an ugly loss and criticized for failing to impress even when they won, the Falcons turned in their most well-rounded performance of the season with the playoffs approaching. Matt Ryan threw three TD passes and the defense handed New York its first regular-season shutout since 1996, routing the Giants, 34-0. "We love the haters, man," said Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel, who had the first of two interceptions against Eli Manning.

ATLANTA - The Falcons sent a message to all the skeptics with a resounding victory Sunday over the defending Super Bowl champions. Matt Ryan threw three touchdowns passes as the defense handed the New York Giants their first regular-season shutout since 1996 in Atlanta's 34-0 win. Julio Jones caught a couple of scoring throws from Ryan, who broke his own franchise records for completions and passing yards in a season. The Penn Charter grad finished 23 of 28 for 270 yards. The Giants, meanwhile, were 0 for 3 on fourth down and missed a short field goal.