Falcons' WR redeems earlier chance for missed TD

By GEORGE HENRY

ATLANTA --- It wasn't the easiest assignment for Michael Jenkins.

The fifth-year Atlanta receiver, whose 26-yard catch with 1 second remaining set up Jason Elam's 48-yard field goal in the Falcons' 22-20 win over Chicago, knew he had to compensate for not jumping high enough to catch a touchdown pass early in the second quarter.

So when offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey gave him another chance, Jenkins was thrilled to catch Matt Ryan's pass on a crossing route and get out of bounds in time for one last play.

"They were playing like a deep, real soft cover-2, and Matt (Ryan) threw a great ball," Jenkins said. "I was able to time the catch, put my feet down and get out of bounds with 1 second left. It worked out perfect."

In the second quarter, Jenkins jumped too soon in the end zone on a 29-yard pass from Ryan that was a little high. The Falcons had to settle for Elam's third field goal and a 9-0 lead four plays later.

KEEP THE FAITH: Roddy White, who began the day as the NFL's third-leading receiver with 454 yards, finished with nine catches for 112 and Atlanta's only touchdown.

He could've had more, but a 14-yard touchdown catch was nullified two snaps before Jenkins let Ryan's 29-yarder slip through his hands.

The next time Atlanta reached the red zone was late in the third quarter, and the Falcons faced second-and-goal at the 3 early in the fourth when White caught a 3-yard TD that made it 19-10.

"We came up to the line of scrimmage real quick, and I had a little quick out route," White said. "As soon as I lined up (on the left side), I knew I was going to score because (cornerback Marcus Hamilton) was kind of inside on the play. We caught him off guard. Matt threw me a hot pocket out there, and I had to turn my head around and catch it."

GET IT DONE LATE: For the second straight week, Jerious Norwood broke off a huge kickoff return in the fourth quarter.

This time, despite racing up the left side of the field for an 85-yard gain with 3:48 remaining, the Falcons' drive stalled when Elam missed a 33-yard field goal three plays later.

Early in the fourth quarter of last week's 27-24 win at Green Bay, Jerious Norwood ran back a kickoff 54 yards to the Packers' 48. Five plays later, Elam kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 20-17 Atlanta lead.

Both runs were satisfying to Norwood because each one helped the Falcons win.

"I had a wedge left," Norwood said of the formation he saw against the Bears. "I set the guys up on the outside and got 'em overflowing. Once I cut back, it was me and the kicker. I ended up beating him, but I had one guy left with a good angle on him, but he ran me down from the back side."

IT TOOK 22 GAMES, BUT ... Defensive end Jamaal Anderson, the No. 8 overall draft pick of 2007, won't have to answer another question about that elusive first career sack.

Anderson was standing in the right place at the right time when Bears quarterback Kyle Orton, flushed from the pocket, essentially ran directly at him early in the second quarter.

"It's a big sigh of relief to finally get that monkey off my back," Anderson said. "I knew it was eventually going to come. I felt like I was close several times over the last few weeks. I've had some incidents where (teammate and NFL sacks leader John Abraham) he's given me $100 because he messed up one of my sacks. I'm just looking forward to many more to come."

BAD IDEA: After successfully defending Marty Booker's attempt to catch a potential game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds remaining, Falcons cornerback Chris Houston wasn't terribly concerned when Rashied Davis lined up for a similar route on the next snap.

This time, instead of covering his man step-for-step, Houston let Davis run past him and into the left side of the end zone in Atlanta's quarters coverage.

"I was planning on jumping up high and tipping the ball out of bounds," Houston said. "The problem was that I just waited a split second too long to get between him and the ball."