DEL.ICIO.USElam makes up for miss to give Falcons win
48-yard field goal caps dramatic finish as Atlanta improves to 4-2
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, October 12, 2008
While the game-winning kick was still sailing through the air, Falcons long snapper Michael Schneck and lineman Jonathan Babineaux were sprinting downfield.
They were in a foot race for the souvenir. After Jason Elam’s 48-yard field goal went through the uprights, Babineaux picked it up and raced back up field with the ball in hand.
Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Jason Elam kicks a 48-yard field goal as time expires that gave the Falcons a 22-20 win over the Bears.
Elam was being mobbed by holder Michael Koenen and several other teammates, as the Falcons had pulled off a heart-stopping 22-20 victory over Chicago Bears Sunday.
“I’ve been in some wild games, but this one trumps them all,” said rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who had his first career 300-yard passing game.
The Falcons improved to 4-2 and continued their march through the NFC North as they also have victories over Green Bay and Detroit. They play Minnesota later this season. The Bears dropped to 3-3.
“This is one of the most exciting games I have ever seen,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “I haven’t been in a game that finished quite like this. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in terms of emotions for everybody out there.”
The Falcons had dominated the Bears the entire day, but their inability to score touchdowns, instead settling for field goals, nearly came back to haunt them.
Leading 19-13, Elam missed a 33-yard field goal with 2:46 left to play. Despite being outplayed, the Bears had life.
They had the ball on their 28-yard line and marched right down the field to take a 20-19 lead after wide receiver Rashied Davis caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton with 11 seconds to play. It was their first lead of the day and it looked like a deal sealer.
“It looked bleak there for a minute,” Smith said. “It really did.”
After giving up an 85-yard kickoff return to Jerious Norwood on the previous kickoff, the Bears decided to kick it low and short.
Wide receiver Harry Douglas scooped up the kick and returned it 10 yards to the Falcons 44-yard line before sliding down in order to save some precious seconds on the clock.
The Bears loaded up all day to stop running back Michael Turner, daring Ryan to beat them. Well, Ryan did and his last dagger was his best.
With six seconds remaining, wide receiver Michael Jenkins ran a deep corner route. He started it inside and then broke back out to the sideline.
The ball was there waiting for Jenkins, who tapped down his two feet and got out of bounds with one second to burn.
“[Ryan] pretty much put it where I couldn’t miss it,” Jenkins said.
The 26-yard gain, set the stage for Elam’s redemption kick, that had room to spare.
“I’m really happy that one went through,” Elam said.
Ryan didn’t want to look at the kick as players were congratulating him about the pass to Jenkins.
“I was crossing my fingers, doing everything superstitious that you can do,” Ryan said.
Before Jenkins’ catch, Elam was dejected on the sidelines. He thought his missed 33-yarder may have cost the Falcons the game. He quickly forgot about that blunder when Jenkins came down with the ball.
“Michael actually made the catch and I saw two seconds on the clock,” said Elam, who has made 16th game-winning kick in the last two minutes or in overtime of a game. “You just go on the field and try to make it just like any other kick. It’s like a golf swing.”
Elam didn’t dwell on the previous miss.
“Things don’t always go the way that you want them too,” said Elam, who had made 30 consecutive field goals before that miss. “You just don’t want to have the previous play affect you in any way. So you just try to concentrate on your swing and trust it.”
He trusted his swing and a big party broke out on the field.
Turner, who entered the game as the league’s leading rusher, was held to 54 yards rushing on 25 carries. The Falcons top weapon was taken away.
“That’s going to happen sometimes when you play against a very good defense like the Chicago Bears,” Ryan said. “I think their front seven is as good as anybody in the league.”
With Bears concentrating on Turner, Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Brian Finneran worked their way open for Ryan’s passes.
Ryan completed 22-of-30 passes for 301 yards and one touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 116.1.
“Matt has got ‘it’ ” Smith said. “We say that he’s got ‘it.’ We don’t know what ‘it’ is, but he’s got ‘it.’ “
This type of clutch come-from-behind victory is going to give Ryan more cache in the locker room.
“The team has really taken to Matt,” Smith said. “He knows how to be a leader. He was an outstanding leader in college.
“To go out and operate the way he did against a very fine Chicago defense was a part of his maturation process. I think it’s been accelerated through these first six weeks more than we anticipated.”
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