Falcons Score a Win and Possibly a Save, 20-6

Neither team had anything to play for and it showed, but Atlanta might have played just well enough Sunday to save Coach Dan Henning’s job again.

Turk Schonert threw for one touchdown, Gerald Riggs ran for another and the Atlanta defense forced four turnovers--all converted to scores--as the Falcons beat the Detroit Lions, 20-6.

“The future is today,” said Henning, whose job has been rumored to be on the line. “I’d rather talk about the game and let whatever happens, happen.

“I’m excited about this win. I’m going to open the bar on the plane on the way home to celebrate.”

The Falcons finished 7-8-1, while Detroit ended at 5-11 before 35,255 jeering fans, the smallest NFL crowd in the Silverdome’s 11-year history.

The Falcons finished with 119 yards rushing and 119 passing, while Detroit managed 120 on the ground and a mere 73 yards through the air in the game which took just 2 hours 40 minutes to complete.

“I don’t really think we gave 100%, including me,” Detroit fullback James Jones said. “I’m sure a lot of guys had their minds on the highway.”

Schonert completed 16 of 24 passes for 152 yards with one interception. Detroit rookie Chuck Long completed only 8 of 15 passes for 46 yards with one interception. Long gave way to Joe Ferguson in the fourth quarter.

“They were programming themselves early in the week to be unsuccessful,” said a dejected Detroit Coach Darryl Rogers, who had chased the team off the field late in a sloppy midweek practice. “I’m not very pleased and I don’t think any of us are pleased about the season.

“I’m extremely disappointed over the whole season.”

Schonert tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Floyd Dixon in the first quarter, Riggs ran a yard for a touchdown in the second quarter and Ali Haji-Sheikh kicked field goals of 25 and 21 yards in the second half.

“It was a great positive note to end the season on,” Schonert said. “It’s something we can build from for next year.”

Pete Mandley returned a punt 84 yards early in the fourth quarter for the Lions’ only touchdown.

The Lions late in the game drove 65 yards to the Atlanta 14, where Ferguson threw four successive incompletions.

On their second possession of the game, the Lions had a third-and-one situation from the Atlanta 40 and had Long try two successive quarterback sneaks, which gained nothing and brought a chorus of boos from the fans in the half-empty stands.

Those two plays seemed to set the tone for the Lions for the remainder of the game.

“It was just missed communications,” Rogers said. “(Offensive coordinator) Bob Baker got the spot of the ball wrong. It was not a good call for us.”