|
CHICAGO -- Matt
Ryan completed 21 of 30 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown,
and the Atlanta Falcons held on for a 23-17 win over the Chicago
Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
The Bears' comeback attempt fizzled inside the 10-yard line in
the final seconds. Falcons defensive end Brooks Reed sacked
Bears quarterback Mike Glennon on fourth-and-goal to preserve
the victory.
An 88-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to tight end Austin Hooper
helped the Falcons grab a double-digit lead early in the fourth
quarter. Running back Devonta Freeman also scored for Atlanta
(1-0).
Quarterback Mike Glennon completed 26 of 40 passes for 213 yards
and a touchdown in his Bears debut. Rookie running back Tarik
Cohen racked up 113 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown for
Chicago (0-1).
A defensive breakdown by the Bears led to Hooper's long
touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Ryan was pressured
heavily in the pocket, but spotted his second-year tight end
open down the field. Hooper fielded the pass and stiff-armed
safety Quintin Demps to build the Falcons' lead to 20-10.
The Bears pulled within 20-17 on a 19-yard touchdown catch by
Cohen with 7:26 remaining.
Another long reception by Hooper, this time for 40 yards, set up
a field goal to increase Atlanta's lead to 23-17 with 3:24 to
play.
Glennon nearly engineered a comeback win after taking over at
Chicago's 18-yard line with 3:18 to play. The Bears had
first-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 21 seconds remaining,
but Glennon threw three incomplete passes before Reed sacked him
from behind.
The Falcons took a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter after
settling for a 28-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. The kick
capped a 13-play, 76-yard drive that stalled in the red zone.
The halftime score was even at 10-10.
After both teams swapped field goals, Atlanta grabbed a 10-3
advantage on a 5-yard touchdown run by Freeman with 4:29 to go
in the first half. Freeman bounced to the outside and beat Bears
cornerback Kyle Fuller in a foot race to the left corner of the
end zone.
Chicago evened the score with 14 seconds remaining in the half.
Cohen lined up in the wildcat formation and caught a shotgun
snap. He quickly handed off the ball to fellow running back
Jordan Howard, who swept right and leaped into the end zone for
a 4-yard touchdown.
NOTES: Falcons WR Julio Jones hauled in his 500th career
reception in the first half. The 28-year-old is No. 3 on the
franchise's all-time list, trailing only Roddy White (808
receptions) and Tony Gonzalez (573). ... Bears WR Kevin White
was knocked out of the game after injuring his shoulder in the
fourth quarter. ... Falcons offensive coordinator Steve
Sarkisian made his debut as the team's play-caller. Sarkisian
succeeded Kyle Shanahan, who left after the Super Bowl to become
head coach the San Francisco 49ers. ... Bears OL Kyle Long
(ankle), WR Markus Wheaton (finger) and CB Prince Amukamara
(ankle) were inactive.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
