NFL Recap (Indianapolis-Atlanta)
Posted: Sun December 6, 1998 at 5:57 p.m. EST
ATLANTA 28, INDIANAPOLIS 21
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Falcons fell
behind by 14 points but kept quarterback Chris Chandler healthy and
gave the ball to running back Jamal Anderson in the
fourth quarter before winning their sixth straight game, 28-21 over the Indianapolis Colts.
Behind another All-Pro effort from running back Marshall Faulk,
Indianapolis grabbed a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter. Faulk opened
the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown reception and gave the Colts (2-11) a
14-point bulge with a three-yard scoring run.
But Chandler shook off an ankle injury, which forced him to sit out
last week's 21-10 win in St. Louis. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 297
yards, his most with the Falcons, and two touchdowns.
He tied the game on the final play of the first half with a three-yard
TD run and put Atlanta (11-2) ahead for good 1:43 into the third quarter
with a three-yard scoring toss to Terance Mathis.
Anderson helped keep the ball away from Indianapolis by rushing for 79
of his 122 yards in the final period as the Falcons controlled the ball for
12:16. He tied Gerald Riggs' franchise record with his ninth 100-yard
rushing performance this season.
"We kind of stopped him at the beginning," said Indianapolis defensive
back Monty Montgomery. "But he's a good back. You've got to go at him to
stop him cold."
"Nobody probably has done as much for their team as Jamal has for us
this year," added Atlanta coach Dan Reeves.
The Falcons extended their longest winning streak in 18 years to six
games and stayed one game ahead of second-place San Francisco in the NFC
West. They also defeated the Colts for the first time in 11 all-time
meetings.
"Getting 11 wins is really an accomplishment," Reeves said. "But we
still have to play them one at a time and focus on the next opponent."
Atlanta's 17-4 record since last season is the best 21-game streak in
franchise history.
Taking over at its own 20-yard line with 6:33 left, Atlanta never
relinquished possession as Anderson had 11 of his 30 rushes on the final
drive. Chandler took a knee from the Colts 4 to end the game.
The Colts had a chance to tie with a pair of fourth-quarter
possessions. They started at their 44 with 8:23 to play, but rookie Peyton Manning's screen
pass to Faulk on 3rd-and-3 lost five yards. It was Indianapolis' final
offensive play.
"I'm really glad we came out with a win," Reeves said. "I was scared
to death olf the Colts coming in here, because they have an explosive
offense."
Faulk carried 19 times for 76 yards and added seven receptions for 37
yards. But he committed a critical turnover 54 seconds into the final
period.
The Colts started the drive at their own 1 with 5:24 left in the third
period and marched 70 yards on 11 plays before defensive end Lester Archambeau forced
Faulk to fumble behind the line of scrimmage. Lineman Chuck Smith recovered at
the 34.
"They have a pretty good run defense," Faulk said. "They are the type
of defense that will bend, but they won't break. I just fumbled it."
Manning completed 19-of-27 passes for 159 yards and two TDs and
established an all-time NFL rookie passing record with 2,969 yards, 136
more than Seattle's Rick
Mirer in 1993.
"He's feeling more comfortable with our offense. He's feeling more
comfortable playing NFL football games," said Colts coach Jim Mora of this
year's top overall pick. "When you start out as a rookie quarterback in
this business, everything's so fast and the athletes are so good. As you
get more experience, things just slow done a little bit.
"Peyton has the capability of making plays. He's also a very
intelligent, hard-working guy with leadership qualities."
Manning, however, threw a pair of interceptions.
On the first play of the second half, he fired for Torrance Small at the
Colts 32, but cornerback Ray Buchanan stepped in
front and returned the interception 18 yards. Just three plays later, the
Falcons took the lead for good as Chandler found Mathis from two yards.
"This defense is rising to the occasion," said Buchanan, a former
Colt. "We're going to be flat here and there. We're trying to play 60
minutes of football, but it's so tough, because so many people know our
defense. We have to find ways to make big plays. Some of our big players
are making the big plays."
Atlanta drove 66 yards in the last 35 seconds of the first half to tie
the game at 21-21. Chandler was 4-of-5 for 61 yards on the drive, capping
it with a three-yard run.
"I was going to try to hit Tony or O.J. (Santiago) in the crack," he
explained. "At the last second, they jumped outside and doubled Tony. I
came back in and looked for O.J. but found a big hole and ran in."
Chandler set up the TD with a 33-yard pass to Tony Martin. Robert Blackmon's 15-yard
face-mask penalty on the play gave the Falcons the ball at the Indianapolis
19.
Atlanta got within 21-14 on its previous drive, marching 74 yards on
nine plays. Chandler completed 5-of-6 for 74 yards on the drive, including
a 21-yard screen to Anderson, who finished the nine-play possession with a
one-yard scoring run.
Between TDs, Atlanta's defense forced a three-and-out by the Colts.
Chandler cut the deficit to 14-7 with 3:10 left in the opening quarter
as he hit Martin with a 40-yard TD strike. Martin had seven catches for
140 yards.
Montgomery had two sacks among his eight tackles and a fumble recovery
for Indianapolis, which is 0-7 on the road.
"I had a good game personally, but we didn't make the plays we needed
to win," he said. "The first half, we were in their face, we made plays.
Second half, we did OK but could have done better."
The Colts' 10-0 record against Atlanta was the longest current
unbeaten streak in any NFL series.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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