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But there it was, the ball coming off Matt Bryant's foot and floating through the air, falling through the uprights and somehow, someway, saving the Falcons and quarterback Matt Ryan from yet another playoff disaster.

Bryant's 49-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining was ultimately the difference as the Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks, 30-28, with a most unlikely final-minute rally — that came, yes, after they had blown a 20-point lead.

Ryan, whose brutal interception earlier in the fourth quarter gave life to Russell Wilson and the Seahawks as they stormed back, repented with two critical throws on Atlanta's final drive after Seattle had taken a 1-point lead with about a half-minute to play.

Starting from his own 28, Ryan first hit Harry Douglas for 22 yards to get to midfield, then threw a bullet to Tony Gonzalez, who took it to the Seattle 31-yard line to set the stage for Bryant. He coolly sent the ball through the uprights — after waiting through a Seattle timeout — to send the Georgia Dome crowd into pandemonium. The Falcons will next host the San Francisco 49ers in the N.F.C. championship game.

Bryant's kick spoiled a brilliant afternoon from Wilson, who was 24 of 36 passing for 385 yards and rushed for 60 yards as well. Playing much of the game without the injured John Abraham, the Falcons' defense broke down after halftime and allowed the Seahawks to score touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half.

Still, Bryant's kick allowed the Falcons to avoid yet one more January meltdown under Coach Mike Smith, who is 56-24 in five regular seasons with Atlanta but had lost four straight playoff games before Sunday. Ryan, too, was 0-3 in the playoffs, but he finished 24 of 35 for 250 yards passing in his first postseason victory.

That the game was even close in the fourth quarter was remarkable, as the Falcons seemed to be dominating early on. Their explosive offense showed all its tricks, with Ryan constantly trying long passes downfield — his best was a 47-yard touchdown toss to Roddy White in the second quarter — while running backs Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers mixed hard running through the line with explosive bursts in the open field. In the first quarter, Rodgers seemed to channel Seattle back Marshawn Lynch, who is known for his beastly running style, when he trucked over safety Earl Thomas on a 45-yard gallop. In the second period, Turner took his turn and produced a 33-yard run of his own.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, could not get out of their own way. Lynch, who lost fumbles only twice during the regular season, coughed up the ball for the second time in as many playoff games after an 11-yard run early on, allowing the Falcons to capitalize when Ryan found Gonzalez for a touchdown that made it 10-0. Then, late in the second quarter, Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll made two decisions that were ripe for second-guessing and, in both cases, left Seattle without precious points.

First, Carroll opted to pass on a short field goal on fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta 11 with a little under six minutes remaining in the first half, keeping his offense on the field but curiously putting the ball in the hands of fullback Michael Robinson — and not Lynch or Wilson — on a short-yardage carry. Robinson was stuffed, and the Falcons turned the decision into a touchdown that gave them a 20-0 lead.

On the Seahawks' ensuing possession, Seattle again moved the ball deep in to Atlanta territory only to see Carroll spend his final timeout of the half after the Seahawks had gotten a first down at the Falcons' 6 with 25 seconds remaining.

That left Carroll with no recourse when Wilson was subsequently sacked on third down — Jonathan Babineaux streaked into the backfield — and the Seahawks failed to get off another play before time expired.