Falcons shatter Lambeau mystique

? The Lambeau mystique couldn’t last forever. Somebody had to finally stare down the ghost of Vince Lombardi, shrug off the unshakable confidence of Brett Favre and beat the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game in their historic home.

Who better to lead a groundbreaking victory than Michael Vick? The 22-year-old quarterback has been knocking down barriers all season with the Atlanta Falcons.

“We told him to just play like he was in the backyard,” Ray Buchanan said after the Falcons stunned the Packers 27-7 Saturday night. “That’s what he did.”

A quarterback isn’t supposed to dart around like a running back, shaking off tacklers with speed, moves and even a straight arm or two.

Vick did.

A quarterback making his playoff start isn’t supposed to lead a forlorn franchise most of its existence to a convincing victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Vick did.

“I can believe we won,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “I can’t believe we won so bad. I thought it would come down to the last couple of minutes.”

Vick set the tone right away, leading the Falcons to a touchdown on their opening possession for the first time all season. By halftime, Atlanta led 24-0, prompting the green-and-gold faithful to shower their team with boos.

Not even a steady snowfall in the second half could save the Packers on a wintry January night. Green Bay lost at home for the first time in 14 playoff games.

“That was the thing we talked about all week — their winning streak in the playoffs,” Vick said. “One day it had to come to an end. Why not let us be the team to do it?”

Why not, indeed.

The Falcons, making their first playoff appearance since the 1999 Super Bowl, now play the NFC’s top-seeded team, the Philadelphia Eagles, in another hostile environment, Veterans Stadium.

Vick can’t wait.

“I love to be put in these type of situations,” he said. “This is where big-time players have to step up.”

Later, coach Dan Reeves stood by like a proud father as Vick paused to do a radio interview. Reeves has been an NFL head coach for 22 years, but he’s never seen anyone like this.

“What a great job,” Reeves whispered, shaking his head. “This is what excites him.”

Now, having stared down Favre and the Packers, Vick is excited about facing the QB he’s most compared to, Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb.