The Atlanta Falcons made an appearance in the NFC Championship game during the 2004 NFL season. They ended up losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 with Jim Mora as head coach and Michael Vick as a quarterback. They had an 11-5 record that year winning the NFC South and destroying the St. Louis Rams in the divisional round 47-17.
During the 2008 season, the Atlanta Falcons made the playoffs with Matt Ryan as a rookie quarterback and Mike Smith with his first season as head coach. The Atlanta Falcons came off a 4-12 season shocking everyone winning eleven games.