Recap: Atlanta vs. Chicago
Sports Network | October 12, 2008
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Jason Elam banged in a 48-yard field goal with no time left on the clock, making up for an earlier missed attempt, to give Atlanta an exciting 22-20 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Elam made five field goals for Atlanta (4-2), which matched last season's win total with its second straight victory. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan was 22- for-30 for 301 yards and a touchdown. Roddy White caught nine balls for 112 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
The Falcons are now in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and Carolina.
Kyle Orton was 26-for-43 for 286 and a touchdown for Chicago (3-3), which was coming off two consecutive victories against Philadelphia and Detroit, respectively. Rookie Matt Forte scored once and carried the ball 20 times for 76 yards, and Devin Hester ended with six catches for 87 yards.
Chicago took a 20-19 lead with just 11 ticks left on the clock. However, the Falcons got the ball on their 44 with six seconds remaining and Ryan kept his composure. The rookie quarterback hit Michael Jenkins with a 26-yard pass on the left sideline at the Chicago 30 with one second to go, giving Elam a chance to redeem himself for an earlier miss.
Elam's 48-yard attempt was perfect, giving the Falcons the narrow 22-20 victory.
With 13:25 remaining in the game, Ryan finished off a 10-play, 76-yard drive by dropping back and finding White with a three-yard pass to his left to increase Atlanta's lead to 19-10. Ryan connected with Harry Douglas on a 47- yard pass completion to help set up the touchdown.
The Bears drove down the field on their next possession, but Forte was stuffed at the Falcons' one-yard line on a fourth-and-one. Atlanta's Keith Brooking made the stop to keep the Falcons' lead at nine points with 7:59 left in the game.
After the Falcons punted the ball back to Chicago, Penn State product Robbie Gould drilled a 32-yard field goal to make it a 19-13 contest with four minutes to play.
Jerious Norwood followed with an explosive kickoff return to put Atlanta into Chicago territory. However, Elam missed a 33-yard field goal wide left to give Chicago back the ball with 2:43 to go.
The Bears took advantage of the missed field goal, as Orton orchestrated an 11-play, 77-yard drive for the go-ahead score. Orton threw a perfect strike to Rashied Davis in the left corner of the end zone with 11 seconds left to give Chicago a 20-19 lead.
The first half was uneventful and dominated by field goals, as Atlanta headed into the locker room with a 9-3 lead. Elam booted field goals from 29, 48 and 32 yards for the Falcons, while Gould connected on a 36-yard attempt to account for Chicago's only points of the half.
Atlanta collected 10 first downs and controlled the time of possession (20:01) in the first two quarters. Ryan was 14-of-19 for 159 yards, while White had seven catches for 83 yards. Conversely, the Bears had just six first downs in the opening half.
After Chicago started the second half with a three-and-out possession, Elam continued the field goal frenzy as he banged in a 41-yard attempt with 10:35 to go in the third quarter. Ryan was 2-for-3 during the eight-play drive, which ended with the Falcons increasing their advantage to 12-3.
Forte scored the first touchdown of the game with 2:24 left in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 12-10. The rookie took a handoff and scampered up the middle for a three-yard score, capping a 14-play 82-yard drive, which ate up 8:12 of clock. Forte carried the ball eight times for 42 yards during the drive.
The Falcons have won just two of the last 10 contests against Chicago...Elam has made 16-of-17 field goal attempts this year...Atlanta's Michael Turner ended with 25 rushes for 54 yards...Atlanta has a bye next week...Orton has won 14 of his last 20 starts...The Bears will host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.
