(excited Falcons search for Mike Brown to deliver their thanks for the gift-wrapped win)
The crazy finishes in Houston and DC are duly noted, but a game can’t be much more in the bag than Chicago’s 20-19 lead over Atlanta with 11 seconds remaining. However, Jason Elam’s 48 yard field goal as time expired — minutes after missing a 33 yarder that would’ve iced the game for the Falcons — was the margin of victory, with the contest’s final play set up by a 26 yard pass completion from former BC QB Matt Ryan to Michael Jenkins along the left sideline. It was a fine throw, a great catch (tremendous job by the receiver to stay inbounds yet still drift over the line before time expired)…and a pitiful job by the Bears defending the only sort of play Atlanta might call in such a situation, save for a Hail Mary.
Still, it should be said that Chicago defensive coordinator Bob Babich and S Mike Brown cannot hold a candle to Jon Kitna understudy Dan Orlovsky, the young QB responsible for what the Fanhouse’s Ryan Wilson calls, “quite possibly the dumbest play in recent Lions history.” I haven’t seen that kind of poise under pressure since the last time Garo Yepremian attempted a pass.
Carson Palmer is said to be consulting the Mets’ resident dead arm expert — no, not Aaron Heilman — Dr. David Altchek. Luckily he’s not going to see the doctors who supervised Jose Reyes’ hamstring troubles ; the Bengals might want to see Palmer under center sometime before 2011.