Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AP)--

Lawyer Milloy hurdles over Reggie Brown after his early interception.

It started off with an innocent interception but it ended up being what the Falcons needed to begin a half of flawless football, which gave them an early lead, big enough for them to put it into cruise control as they watched the sun set on the year 2006 and the NFL Season with a dominating 34-18 win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
On the first play from scrimmage, Lawyer Milloy picked off a tipped Donovan McNabb pass giving the Falcons great field position right from the start. Michael Koenen would come in and connect from 24 yards out to put Atlanta ahead 3-0.
Another Eagles mishap would set up Atlanta’s second scoring drive. Rodrick Hood would fumble to football on the ensuing kickoff after Ed Hartwell would knock it loose. Atlanta would recover the ball find themselves once again only 20 yards away from adding to their lead.
This time Michael Vick would get his Falcons into the endzone with the short field, as on a perfect playaction pass Vick would hookup with Alge Crumpler in the back of the endzone giving the Falcons would take a 10-0 advantage, less than 5 minutes into the contest. Crumpler would go on to have his best game of the 2006 season, as the Pro Bowl tight end caught 7 passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half.
In the second quarter the Falcons continued to extend their lead, after the playoff-bound Eagles continued to make errors in holding onto the football. Leaving doubts and a sense of nervousness in the City of Brotherly Love for next weeks playoff game.
Warrick Dunn would score from 9 yards, as he scored his 13th and final touchdown on the 2006 season, which saw him have his best year in rushing the football.
Following the score, the Eagles would commit another turnover, as their home crowd began to grow restless. After McNabb decided to scramble to pick up yardage, he was meant by Hartwell who again delievered a shattering hit, knocking the football free again. DeAngelo Hall would recover the fumble and return it 37 yards before being chased down by Brain Westbrook.
The Falcons would score off the turnover as Vick would find Crumpler for another touchdown giving the Falcons a comfortable 24-0 lead.

Ed Hartwell forces the fumble after levelling Donovan McNabb.

The touchdown pass would be Vick’s last for the 2006 season, as he and the majority of the offense would be replaced by the backups late in the second quarter, in preseason-type switch. Vick ended a season which saw him set career highs in every major passing and rushing category, making himself a front runner for the MVP award, and silencing critics which thought he would never be an effective passer in the NFL.
The move by Jim Mora Jr. was expected coming into the game after the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs and also determined the Falcons seed for the playoff at number 2.
With the backups in, Atlanta would strike once again before halftime as Matt Schaub fired a perfect pass to Crumpler for his third touchdown and a 31-0 Falcons lead heading into halftime.
For Schaub, it was a chance for him to show GM’s around the league that he is a worthy NFL starting quarterback. Schaub will be a unrestricted free agent at seasons end, and is expected to garner a lot of attention from many teams looking for a starting quarterback, which is something he is unlikely to become in Atlanta, who have already stated that they will not be expecting to match an offer made for Schaub.
In the second half, the game was played out in a less competive style. Atlanta knew they were heading for an off week, while Philadelphia felt a 31 point deficit was too big to come back from and were competent in settling for the forth seed and a matchup with the surprising New Orleans Saints in the Wildcard Round next week.
McNabb was able to find Greg Lewis for an 80 yard catch and run for the touchdown early in the second half, putting the Eagles on the scoreboard. The charismatic Philly fans started to gain a sense of optimism, as following the score Matt Schaub was picked off by Shawn Barber. The interception would lead to 3 more Eagles points making the score 31-10 heading into the final quarter.
After playing the starting defensive units three quarters to prepare the young team for playoff atmosphere football, Mora brought in the reserves, as Falcon players began to joke around and watch their reserves get much derserved playing time, concluding a season where the Falcons prooved all the critics wrong.

Alge Crumpler catches one of his three touchdowns in the back of the endzone.

Michael Koenen would connect from 33 yards out and Brain Westbrook would score on a three yard run, and follow it up with two point conversion late in the game, as the game would come to an end with a convincing Falcons victory, who may meet these same Eagles in two weeks time in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
In his “auditioning performance” Schaub played well, except for the interception, throwing for 79 yards and a score. Rookie Jerious Norwood ended his first season in the NFL on a high note rushing for over 100 yard for the first time in his promising career, racking up 104 tough yards on 17 attempts.
With the season over, the playoffs will begin next week with four tantalising matchups. The Falcons will have two weeks off before their next game which they will host one of the two wildcard winners from the NFC. The Eagles will host the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys will travel to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals. The Falcons will play either the Saints, Eagles, or Cardinals depending on how everything shapes up next week.
In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers will play the Indianapolis Colts, who stummbled into the playoff, only to be saved by their strong conference play. The Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots is the forth and final matchup.

Game Boxscore.