Falcons hold on for 21-14 victory over Bears in another thriller

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The NFL schedule makers might want consider pitting the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons against each other more often. This is getting to be fun.

For the second consecutive October, the two NFC teams played another thriller that went to the final minute on Sunday at the Georgia Dome and even if it wasn't another 11-second special like last year,  it was close.

This one wasn't decided until a Jay Cutler pass skipped off the right arm of tight end Desmond Clark inside the 10-yard line with 29 seconds to play. The incompletion ended an evening of ebb and flow, the Falcons surviving a rugged start to pull off the 21-14 victory in a nationally televised game.

"Our guys just kept fighting and fighting," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "There was no quitting in that group of men tonight."

The Falcons improved to 4-1, while the Bears, hard-luck losers at the Dome again, dropped to 3-2.

Last season the Falcons beat the Bears 22-20 by scrambling to get into field-goal position over the final 11 seconds.

The Falcons could have made it easier on themselves but squandered a golden opportunity to take control of the game in the fourth quarter.  After Michael Turner scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, the Bears had one final drive, that stalled at the Falcons' 6-yard line with 29 seconds remaining.

The Bears were threatening the entire second half. They had a chance to tie the game at 14  late in the third quarter. But defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux caused a fumble by Chicago running back Matt Forte, that was recovered by linebacker Coy Wire at the Falcons' 2-yard line.

Babineaux said he was tipped off by the Bears' offensive linemen.

"On the goal line, people usually are in a tight stance." Babineaux said. "But they had a little gap, so that gave me kind of a read that it wasn't going to be [an inside] run. I just got my head up and saw it tossed out there."

Still nursing a 14-7 lead, the Falcons drove to the Bears' 36. The drive appeared to end on fourth-and-four, but it was extended because the Bears had too many  men on the field on the punt.  The Falcons had a first down and the chance to open up a two-touchdown lead.

But they couldn't capitalize. On the next play, they gave the ball back. Falcons wide receiver Michael Jenkins, one of the stars of last season's thriller, had his second dropped pass of the day, this one skidding off his hands and into the arms of Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher for an interception with 9:59 left.

Quarterback Jay Cutler  gave the the Bears some breathing room with a 30-yard scramble. Then on a third-and-8, cornerback Chris Houston was called for a pass interference to keep the Bears in business.

Tight end Greg Olsen then caught a 41 yard pass over cornerback Brent Grimes, and then Cutler followed that with a 2-yard TD pass to Olsen.

With the eight-play, 92-yard touchdown drive, Cutler had finally caught the Falcons. Robbie Gould's extra point tied it at 14 with 6:14 remaining in the game.

Then Falcons kickoff returner Eric Weems stepped forward and reversed all momentum with 62-yard return right up the middle of the field to Chicago's 41. Seven plays later, including two  Tony Gonzalez catches, Michael Turner banged into the end zone from 5 yards out. Elam's extra point put the Falcons back up 21-14 with 3:06 left.

That set the stage for Chicago's mad last drive.

The Falcons were getting stuffed early, but with the help of two interceptions by free safety Thomas DeCoud and their no-huddle attack, Atlanta held a 14-7 halftime lead.

"It made them just play us straight up," center Todd McClure said. "That's a big change up for us and got us some momentum. That was huge for us today."

With the Bears ganging up on Turner, the offense got off to a slow start. Over their first four series, the Falcons ran 14 plays, but could muster only 19 yards and one first down.

With things sputtering along, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey dusted of the Falcons' no-huddle attack and the game changed instantly. The team hadn't used it often this season. When they tried to run it against New England, the Patriots slowed it by calling timeouts to make their substitutions.

But the Bears stayed in their base attack and the  offense started to perk up.

Over the next two series, the Falcons amassed 119 yards on 15 plays and seven first downs and two touchdowns.

Gonzalez showed again why they should begin making his Pro Football Hall of Fame bust in Canton, Ohio. With nine seconds left in the first half and the ball on Chicago's 10 yard line, the Falcons went to an empty backfield with Gonzalez at tight end to Ryan's left.

He ran up the field like he was going outside. Chicago linebacker Lance  Briggs jumped outside. But Gonzalez slipped back inside and was wide open for the touchdown and a 14-7 lead with four seconds left.

The Falcons' Roddy White had scored on a 40-yard pass-and-run on the previous drive.

Chicago scored first on a 23-yard pass from Jay Cutler to Johnny Knox  in the first quarter.