Good news, bad news
Chandler injured as Falcons edge Bears 20-13
Posted: Sunday November 22, 1998 06:15 PM
| |
Anderson rushed for just 74 yards against the Bears -- only the second time in the last nine games he was held under 100 yards AP |
ATLANTA (AP) -- On a day when the Atlanta Falcons won
again, their surprising season suffered a scary blow.
Atlanta rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half as Chris Chandler threw a pair
of touchdown passes, and the Falcons defeated the Chicago Bears 20-13 Sunday
for their fourth straight victory.
But Chandler, probably the team's most irreplaceable player, suffered a
sprained right knee and ankle with 6:29 remaining. The Falcons (9-2)
finished with 44-year-old Steve DeBerg at quarterback.
Chandler was hurt on a false start by center Robbie Tobeck. The
officials were trying to whistle the play dead when Mike Wells broke through
the line and pulled down the Atlanta quarterback, his right leg buckling
under his body.
Stenstrom completed just seven passes, throwing for 109 yards AP | |
Chandler remained on the turf for several minutes before limping off with
the help of two trainers. He sat at the end of the bench with a towel
draped over his head, then hobbled to the locker room with about two
minutes remaining.
Coach Dan Reeves said the ankle was badly sprained, but there was no knee
ligament damage. It's clear that Atlanta must have Chandler to remain on
top of the NFC West and advance in the playoffs.
Over the past two seasons, the Falcons are 14-4 when Chandler plays an
entire game. They are 2-7 otherwise, including a 28-3 loss to the New York Jets with DeBerg as
the starter -- their worst defeat this season.
Before he was injured, Chandler brought the Falcons back from a 13-3
deficit with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis with 1:45
left in the third period and an 11-yarder to Todd Kinchen with 9:32
remaining.
| |
The new dance craze: A crowd of 60,084 filled the Georgia Dome to do the "Dirty Bird" AP |
Jamal Anderson, questionable because of ankle injury, started for the
Falcons, but needed two quarters to get going. He gained only 12 yards on
nine carries in the first half, but had 60 yards on 15 carries in the
second, including a remarkable effort where he broke at least four tackles
for an 8-yard run.
After Chandler went down, the Falcons defense took over. Bears quarterback
Steve Stenstrom,
filling in again for Erik
Kramer, fumbled on a hit by Chuck Smith and Cornelius Bennett
recovered, setting up Morten
Andersen's 44-yard field goal with 1:58 to go.
Then, Ronnie Bradford
intercepted Stenstrom's pass and the Falcons ran out the clock.
Atlanta was plagued for 2 1/2 quarters by uncharacteristic mistakes. A
touchdown pass was called back because of offensive pass interference, and
Kinchen fumbled at the Chicago 6 on the next-to-last play of the first
half.
The Bears broke a 3-3 tie by scoring 10 points in just over a minute of the
third period. Glyn
Milburn's 61-yard kickoff return to begin the second half set up Jeff Jaeger's 32-yard field
goal.
On Atlanta's second play after the kickoff, Chandler fumbled on a hit by Jim Flanigan and Shawn Lee picked off the
ball in the air, rumbling 15 yards for Chicago's only touchdown.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
