Posted: Mon January 18, 1999 at 12:13 a.m EST

(The Game)

The Falcons opened the game with a 12-play, 76-yard drive, capped by a five-yard TD pass from Chandler to Jamal Anderson.

While the Falcons consumed more than 6 1/2 minutes on their scoring drive, the Vikings' quick-strike offense needed just five plays to march 80 yards. Moss drew a 30-yard penalty on Buchanan on a deep sideline pattern, then caught a 31-yard TD after racing past cornerback Michael Booker.

The Falcons committed two turnovers, which the Vikings turned into 10 points.

Linebacker Ed McDaniel recovered a fumble by Falcons running back Harold Green at the Minnesota 40. The Vikings drove 49 yards in 12 plays to set up a 29-yard field goal by Gary Anderson with 9:52 left in the second quarter.

On Atlanta's ensuing possession, Santiago fumbled a short pass after being stripped by safety Orlando Thomas. Robert Griffith recovered and returned it nine yards to the Atlanta 33.

Cunningham hit Moss with an 18-yard pass. Five plays later, Cunningham dove into the end zone from the 1 to increase the lead to 17-7 with 5:53 remaining in the quarter.

The Vikings scored on their first four possessions, two after turnovers, to build a 20-7 lead.

But the Falcons scored a touchdown in the final minute of the half after forcing a turnover. Falcons defensive end Chuck Smith stripped Cunningham and Travis Hall recovered at the Minnesota 14. On the next play, Chandler drilled a scoring pass to Mathis with 56 seconds left in the half to pull Atlanta within 20-14.

(Fast Forward to the final two minutes)

With Minnesota leading 27-20, Gary Anderson shocked the Metrodome crowd when he missed a 38-yard field goal with 2:07 left. The most prolific kicker in NFL history, Gary made all 35 of his field goals during the season and added another four in the postseason, including a pair today.

"I lined up like I lined up for every other one," said Gary. "I kicked it like I kicked every other one. But it just didn't go through. It's my job to make those. Of course, it's hard for me after the season I've had. That is the way kicking goes."

"I was shocked because he had a perfect year," said Mort Andersen. "But that was not the kick that lost the game because we had to go down and score."

But Gary picked the most inopportune time to miss and the Falcons drove 71 yards in eight plays, tying the game when Chris Chandler drilled a 16-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis with 49 seconds remaining. On the drive, Chandler completed 4-of-6 passes for 56 yards, including a 29-yard pass to Ronnie Harris.

"It was just schoolyard football," said Chandler of the tying TD. "I got flushed out to my left, scrambled around turned back to my right and saw a little bit of a hole and drilled it. As good a throw as it was, it was a better catch."

Chandler was 27-of-43 for 340 yards and three touchdowns in just the second playoff game of his 11-year career.

The Falcons' defense then stopped the highest-scoring team in NFL history on two overtime possessions before putting together a 10-play, 71-yard drive to set up the winning kick.

"There was a lot of hype about Minnesota's high-powered offense," said Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan. "We wanted to give our team a chance to win."

On Minnesota's second OT possession, Randall Cunningham threw a deep pass down the left sideline to NFL Rookie of the Year Randy Moss, but safety Eugene Robinson broke up the play at the Atlanta 15. That would be Minnesota's last chance.

"I looked up and knew all I had to do was play the ball and not the receiver," said Robinson, who will be making his third straight trip to the Super Bowl after spending the last two years with Green Bay. "He (Cunningham) was underthrowing the ball, not overthrowing it."

The Falcons took over at the 9 after a 53-yard punt by Mitch Berger. Chandler immediately went to work and hit tight end O.J. Santiago with a 15-yard strike to start the winning drive. One play later, he clicked with Santiago again for a 26-yard gain to the Minnesota 48.

After a five-yard run by Jamal Anderson, Chandler found Mathis with a six-yard pass and then scrambled for a six-yard run to the Minnesota 31. Three runs by Jamal netted 10 more yards to set up the winning kick.

Twelve years after "The Drive," overtime again turned Super for Dan Reeves with the help of some higher power.

Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal 11:52 into overtime lifted the Atlanta Falcons to a 30-27 upset of the Minnesota Vikings and their first trip to the Super Bowl in the 33-year history of the franchise.

"It was business as usual, but it was only my biggest kick in my 17 years," said Mort.

However, if Minnesota's Gary Anderson (the first kicker in NFL history to complete a season without a miss) had not shanked a 38-yard field goal with 2:07 left in regulation, then the Falcons' dream season under Reeves likely would have ended.

"The Lord was with us today," admitted Reeves, who underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery last month. "If my heart can take this game, it can take anything. It's a shame that either team had to lose this game."

The Falcons (16-2) will play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31st in Miami. Ironically, Reeves led the Broncos to three trips to the Super Bowl with quarterback John Elway. Reeves is 4-1 in conference title games.

The Falcons rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, benefited from Gary Anderson's miss, scored the tying touchdown with 49 seconds left in regulation and held Minnesota's record-setting offense twice in overtime before Morten Andersen's winning kick.

It was the first NFC championship overtime game since the NFL-AFL merger and the first since Reeves guided the Broncos to a 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the 1986 AFC title game. In that contest, Elway led the Broncos on a miraculous 15-play, 98-yard march that featured several fourth-down conversions.

"This ranks right up there with the drive that we had in Cleveland," Reeves said. "We had just one timeout left, but took advantage of our opportunity." Once again, Reeves got the miracle he needed to reach the Super Bowl.

"We made the plays when we needed to," Jamal Anderson said. "Morten said he would be the difference today and he was."

While Jamal was held to 67 yards on 23 carries, Chandler played a mistake-free game. Tony Martin had five catches for 129 yards and Mathis added six for 73, including a pair of scores.

The Vikings (16-2) set an NFL record with 556 points and were bidding to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 22 years.

During the regular season, the Vikings tied an NFL record for wins. The 1984 San Francisco 49ers and 1985 Chicago Bears were the only teams to complete a 15-1 regular season. Both went on to win the Super Bowl.

"I don't think the season and the records mean much," said Moss. "I wanted to go to the Super Bowl and play for the Super Bowl ring."

Cunningham, who led the NFL in quarterback rating, completed 29-of-48 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns along with a one-yard scoring run, but fumbled twice.

"They're a very good team, the best in the NFC," Cunningham said. "We didn't get some key third downs, especially in the overtime."

Moss had five receptions for 71 yards in the first half, but was held to just one catch for four yards after halftime. He caught a 31-yard TD in the first quarter after drawing a 30-yard interference penalty.

Cris Carter added six catches for 67 yards for the Vikings. Minnesota's Robert Smith finished with 71 yards on 21 carries but was held to 27 yards on his first 15 carries.