In their second year under coach Dan Reeves, the Falcons are having the best season in their 33-year history. They went 14-2, won the NFC West title and advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time.

The Falcons fought for respect all season, finally earning it when they dispatched the 49ers 31-19 in the 10th game of the regular season. Their only poor performance came when quarterback Chris Chandler couldn't play and 44-year-old Steve DeBerg had to start against the Jets.

	Chris Chandler threw 25 touchdown passes and only 12 interceptions during the regular season.

The team's wild card used to be Chandler's availability, but now it is Reeves. When Reeves missed the final two games after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery, the Falcons showed their great discipline by continuing to play well. Reeves should return for the playoffs, although no one knows in what capacity. So far, his health problems have given the team an emotional surge.

Offense
The centerpiece is tailback Jamal Anderson, who set an NFL record for carries in a season and finished second in the league in rushing with 1,846 yards. The recent loss of blocking fullback Bob Christian hasn't hurt yet, but it could. ... Chandler has a history of injuries and the Falcons have a history of going into the tank when he doesn't play. When he's healthy, which he has been for most of the season, Chandler is one of the NFL's most efficient quarterbacks. ... The line, young in spots, is much better at run blocking than it is at pass blocking. ... Wide receivers Terance Mathis and Tony Martin both catch the deep ball as well as anyone. Increasingly, Chandler has been throwing to tight end O.J. Santiago.

Defense
The Falcons led the NFL in turnover ratio with plus-20 and the biggest reason is their league-high 44 takeaways. The front seven is small but also is quick and active with a handful of playmakers. ... The Falcons will give up a lot of yards through the air, but improved play by the secondary has made it possible to include more blitzing in the game plan recently. Ray Buchanan has become a shut-down cornerback and veteran safety Eugene Robinson has brought direction, if not speed, to the secondary.

Special teams
Kicker Morten Andersen is one of the all-time greats and can still make them from 50-plus yards. ... Punter Dan Stryzinski has a poor gross average, but his net is good and he's excellent at avoiding touchbacks. ... Rookie return man Tim Dwight is a potential game-breaker.

Tom Oates, who covers the Packers for the Wisconsin State Journal, writes a weekly NFC column that appears every Thursday on ESPN.com.