Trailing 20-7 with 5:44 left, the Atlanta Falcons would have been thrilled just to have an opportunity to win Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It appeared they were going to get that chance when they forced the Eagles to punt in a 20-14 game with 2:32 remaining, but an incorrect call by the officials took that chance away.
Referees deemed Adam Jennings to have muffed the ensuing punt. The third-year player had run forward to field the ball, but pulled away from it at the last second as it bounced in front off the ground just in front of him. Replays showed that Jennings had actually avoided the football, but with no timeouts remaining, Atlanta was unable to challenge the call, effectively ending the game.
After a scoreless first quarter, Atlanta struck first on a 55-yard pass from Matt Ryan to Roddy White. White caught the ball downfield on a crossing pattern and eluded several Eagles defenders on his way to the end zone.
The Eagles responded with a 3-yard touchdown run from Donovan McNabb with 2:30 left in the quarter. They also got a field goal from David Akers as time ran out in the first half, taking a 10-7 lead into the break.
Philadelphia asserted its will in the third. The Eagles harassed Ryan constantly, forcing the rookie quarterback into several errant throws.
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ offense got rolling. They extended their lead to 17-7 on a 16-yard touchdown run from Brian Westbrook.
But the Falcons hung tough, and managed to drive inside the Eagles 1-yard line behind a 22-yard scamper from Michael Turner and a pass interference call on Lito Sheppard. But Sheppard made amends for his penalty, intercepting a Ryan lob after he underthrew White on a fade pattern.
The Falcons stayed within two possessions in the fourth quarter when they stopped the Eagles twice from their 1-yard line, resulting in an 18-yard field goal from Akers.
They quickly pulled back within one score on their next possession. Ryan connected on 7 of 11 passes on an 82-yard scoring drive that culminated with White’s fifth touchdown catch of the year from 8 yards out with 3:42 to go.
The Atlanta defense held strong soon after. Chauncey Davis stopped Westbrook on a sweep on third-and-1, and Smith called his final timeout after the play to stop the clock, leaving him powerless to challenge the subsequent turnover on the punt.
The Eagles moved to 4-3 with the win. Westbrook played through pain with a rib injury, running for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
The Falcons’ offense relied heavily on White, who caught eight balls for 113 yards and two scores. Ryan finished with 277 yards passing, two touchdowns and two picks on the afternoon.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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