Falcons finish at .500 with win in the desert
The Atlanta Falcons showed promise for their future with the way they ended their 1997 season. The Falcons won their last three games to finish 8-8 on the season including a 34-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium on Sunday.
QB Chris Chandler had his third straight outstanding game. On Sunday, he threw for 279 yards on 18 of 24 passing with three touchdowns. He finished with a 135.2 QB rating on the day. For the season, Chandler threw for 3,838 yards and 26 touchdowns. He only threw eight interceptions all season and ended with a 94.6 QB rating.
RB Jamal Anderson finished Sunday’s game against the Cards with 103 yards on the ground. In fact, the Falcons rushed for 176 yards as a team. On the season, Anderson rushed for 1,173 yards and six touchdowns.
The Falcons wide receivers had a heck of a year too. Bert Emanuel caught 102 passes for 1,584 yards and nine touchdowns, while Terrance Mathis had 86 receptions for 1,241 yards and 11 TDs.
As for the Cardinals, they finished with a 2-14 record, but have some promising rising stars. QB Jake Plummer threw for 322 yards on Sunday with 3 TDs. WR Rob Moore caught another 7 passes for 109 yards. Moore finished the season with 107 receptions for 1,674 yards and 12 TDs. WR Frank Sanders caught 74 passes for 957 yards and 10 TDs.
(I actually attended this game as I was visiting my sister and her family for Christmas in Phoenix that year)