NFL Recap (Chicago-Atlanta)
Posted: Sun November 22, 1998 at 6:36 p.m. EST
ATLANTA 20, CHICAGO 13
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- One week after proving they're for real, the Atlanta Falcons almost
showed they aren't.
Chris Chandler
threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes before leaving with knee and
ankle injuries as the Falcons scored the final 17 points in a 20-13 victory
over the lowly Chicago
Bears.
Atlanta (9-2) set a franchise record with its eighth straight home win
and remained in the hunt for home-field advantage throughout the NFC
playoffs.
"It was a great win for us today, particularly because we got down by
10 points in the third quarter," said Falcons coach Dan Reeves. "I think
our football team showed a lot of poise by not panicking. We knew this
would be a tough game because they do not beat themselves."
Chandler started the Falcons' comeback with 1:45 left in the third
quarter, hitting Terance
Mathis for a 13-yard score to trim the deficit to 13-10. He put
Atlanta ahead for good with just over 9 1/2 minutes remaining when he found
Todd Kinchen for an
11-yard touchdown.
But Chandler left three minutes later. Chicago defensive tackle Mike Wells was drawn
offside and tackled the quarterback, whose knee bent back awkwardly.
Chandler, who was 18-for-27 for 272 yards, suffered sprains to his right
knee and ankle and did not return.
"I felt a sharp pain in my knee, then I came off and it subsided. My
ankle hurt the most then, but I've had it before," he said. "I don't think
the guy had to pull me to the ground like that, but that's part of the
game.
"I grabbed the quarterback and he kind of got his knee caught up
underneath. It snapped or something," Wells explained. "I was kind of
trying to hold him up and he got pushed back. I really hope he is OK. I
heard something crackle and pop in his knee. It was kind of a fluke play.
Like I said, I didn't mean anything by it."
The Falcons came up with two key turnovers to preserve their fourth
consecutive win. Defensive end Chuck Smith stripped the
ball from quarterback Steve
Stenstrom and linebacker Cornelius Bennett recovered
at the Bears 31 with 3:09 left.
That set up Morten
Andersen's second field goal of the game, a 44-yarder, just after the
two-minute warning.
Chicago's last chance was snuffed by cornerback Ronnie Bradford, who
intercepted Stenstrom at the Bears 44 with 1:07 remaining.
"It was just playing the defense that the coaches called," Braford
said. "Our defensive line got some great pressure and might have hit
(Stenstrom's) arm. The ball looked funny coming out. I was trying to catch
the ball and keep my feet inbounds."
Stenstrom completed only 7-of-18 passes for 109 yards with a pair of
interceptions for Chicago (3-8), which has lost three straight and fell to
1-5 on the road.
"Steve is doing everything he can," Wannstedt said. "It's his third
start in the NFL and playing in the dome like this, with the noise and this
crowd, is not easy."
Coming off last week's 31-19 victory over San Francisco, the Falcons
punted on their first two possessions before grabbing a 3-0 lead early in
the second quarter. They reached the Bears 32 before Chandler was sacked
twice and Atlanta settled for Andersen's 50-yard field goal.
Chicago took the ensuing kickoff and kept the ground for all but two
of a 13-play, 63-yard drive that ended with Jeff Jaeger's tying 35-yard
field goal.
The Falcons again reached the Bears 32 on their next possession, but
Kinchen fumbled after a 26-yard reception and cornerback Terry Cousin recovered at
the Chicago 6 with one second left before halftime.
Glyn Milburn
returned the second-half kickoff 61 yards to set up Jaeger's 32-yard field
goal as the Bears took their first lead. Atlanta continued to sputter as
Chandler was sacked and stripped by defensive tackle Jim Flanigan on the second
play from scrimmage. Shawn
Lee returned the fumble 15 yards for a touchdown that extended
Chicago's advantage to 13-3.
But the Bears have gone 11 quarters without an offensive touchdown and
managed only three first downs in the second half. They were held to 210
total yards, although they outgained Atlanta on the ground, 106 yards to
97.
"Our defense got tired," said Chicago coach Dave Wannstedt. "We went
three-and-out, three-and-out the first two possessions of the second half.
We punt the ball, they take over at the 50, they've got the momentum. The
defense got tired. We needed to sustain a drive when we had the lead. We
couldn't do it."
"We just didn't finish the game like we started the game," added
running back Edgar
Bennett, who had 69 yards on 17 carries. "Hopefully, we can start to
put together some complete games."
Playing on a sprained ankle, the Falcons Jamal Anderson rushed for
72 yards on 24 carries. Tony Martin hauled in six
passes for 100 yards for Atlanta, who finish the season against teams with
a combined winning percentage of .400.
"They beat us to the punch and manhandled us in the first half. They
took it to us and we didn't respond," Anderson said. "They have a scrappy
defense that doesn't stay blocked long. I don't care who we play next
week, I'll be ready to play. We have something to accomplish still this
season, and we have to be ready to play."
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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