Falcons Do What Braves Couldn’t

It took six games, an inspired defensive performance by Chuck Smith and three Morten Andersen field goals to finally give Coach Dan Reeves his first victory for the Atlanta Falcons.

“It was a great win,” Reeves said Sunday after the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, 23-17. “Any time you win one when you’re 0-5, it’s a great win.”

Smith had five sacks and tied a Falcon record, and Atlanta (1-5) set a team record with 10 sacks.

“I’m sick of coming back to Atlanta, to the airport, with a loss,” Smith said. “I’m tired of it.”

It also was another good homecoming for Morten Andersen, who set records when he was the New Orleans Saint kicker. Andersen hasn’t missed a field goal in the Superdome against the Saints in eight tries. On Sunday, he was successful from 25, 32 and 55 yards.

“You don’t play in a place for 13 years and just forget about it,” Andersen said. “I know the sights, the sounds, the smells of this place. I feel very comfortable.”

Andersen’s 55-yarder came in bizarre fashion at the end of the first half. The band had already taken the field for the halftime show and the Saints (2-5) had left for the locker room before officials ruled there was one second left.

Heath Shuler was five of nine passing for 55 yards and sacked three times before being pulled in favor of rookie Danny Wuerffel, whose fumble set up Jamal Anderson’s two-yard touchdown run that gave the Falcons a 23-3 lead.

“Turnovers are still what’s hurting us and I was a part of that,” Wuerffel said.

Wuerffel settled down the rest of the half and the Saints made it close. He completed nine of 13 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked seven times and intercepted once.