Falcons best Schaub, Texans for first win without Vick
30.09.2007 21:00
Sport and Travel
- Source: USA Today
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons picked up their first win without Michael Vick, and they beat Vick's former backup to get it.
Joey Harrington threw a pair of touchdown passes to Michael Jenkins, 47-year-old Morten Andersen kicked four field goals and the Falcons defeated Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans 26-16 Sunday. BOX SCORE: Falcons 26, Texans 16 Jenkins hauled in scoring passes of 5 and 7 yards, the first two-touchdown game of his up-and-down career. Harrington, who took over as the Falcons starter after Schaub was traded and Vick became embroiled in a dogfighting case, had another effective day by competing 23-of-29 for 223 yards. A week earlier, Harrington threw for 361 yards in a loss to Carolina. The Falcons (1-3), who were one of five winless teams left in the NFL, went up 20-7 in the first half and guarded their lead the rest of the game. The Texans (2-2) twice closed within a touchdown but couldn't come all the way back. Schaub was 28-of-40 for 317 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Andre Davis that gave Houston a short-lived lead in the first quarter. But the Texans couldn't punch in their other scoring chances, settling for three field goals by Kris Brown. The NFL's oldest player, Andersen showed he's still got plenty of punch in his left leg by connecting from 28, 22, 36 and 46 yards. He also had a 42-yard attempt that came up short and might have been nicked by a Houston rusher. The Texans' final chance came with just over 2 minutes remaining. Schaub ran up the middle and dove into the end zone, initially getting credit for a 13-yard touchdown run that could have pulled Houston within a field goal. The Falcons challenged, and referee Gerald Austin ruled that Schaub went down just short of the end zone. On third-and-goal from the 1, Schaub tried a quick pitch to Ron Dayne, but the ball bounced off his hands and rolled out of bounds at the 7. Brown yanked a 25-yard field goal attempt wide left, sealing Atlanta's first win since last Dec. 10 at Tampa Bay. The Falcons lost their final three games of 2006, missing the playoffs and leading to the dismissal of coach Jim Mora. That was just a precursor of the troubles that awaited the team this year. Schaub was Vick's backup in Atlanta for three years, but the Falcons dealt him to Houston in March for a package of draft picks. A month later, officers raiding a Virginia home owned by Vick found a major dogfighting operation. He eventually pleaded guilty, leading the shell-shocked Falcons with no other choice except to start Harrington, who already had flopped in Detroit and Miami. But he seems to be getting a grasp of the offense that first-year coach Bobby Petrino brought from the college ranks. Harrington hooked up with Jenkins on a pass in the back of the end zone with just over a minute left in the first quarter to put the Falcons up 10-7. They led the rest of the way, pushing it to 17-7 when Harrington went to Jenkins with a short pass and he scooted around right end for the 7-yard touchdown. Andersen then booted through his 22-yarder to give the Falcons their biggest lead. Brown connected from 42 yards with 5 seconds left in the half to make it 20-10. The Texans moved the ball well in the second half but squandered a pair of third-and-goals from the Atlanta 1, winding up with only three points off those possessions.
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