Chandler throws the Falcons to victory
Atlanta Falcons’ QB Chris Chandler had his best day of the season in a 34-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams Sunday in the TWA Dome. Chandler threw for only 214 yards on 22 of 30 passing but he tossed 4 TD passes.
The Rams jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter, but then the Falcons went to work offensively and outscored the Rams 34-7 the rest of the day. The Falcons’ defense turned the heat up on Rams’ QB Tony Banks and sacked him six times on the afternoon and picked him off twice, which set up Falcon TDs.
Offensively, the Falcons relied on their ground game as they rushed for 199 yards on the afternoon. RB Jamal Anderson rushed for 143 yards on 23 carries with most of the production coming in the 4th quarter to salt the game away.
Chandler connected with his top two wideouts in Bert Emanuel and Terrence Mathis. Emanuel caught eight passes for 92 yards and 2 TDs, while Mathis caught six passes for 65 yards and 2 TDs.
Veteran LB Cornelius Bennett had his best day as a Falcon. He had 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble, which resulted in a Falcons’ TD.
Next week, the 5-6 Falcons will try to climb into the NFC playoff hunt when they host the New Orleans Saints. The struggling Rams (2-9) will host the Carolina Panthers.