Chandler, Falcons Ache For Success Atlanta Rides Two-Game Streak Into Date With Seattle

Chris Chandler is healthy. Atlanta has its first winning streak in more than two years. Things are finally looking up for the Falcons.

Or are they? Are the Falcons 2-0 the past two weeks just because they played St. Louis and New Orleans?

“The (New York) Jets had the same transition and they came out pretty hard,” defensive end Chuck Smith replied cautiously.

“You hope everything would come out to be one of those dream-type seasons. New coach. Everything just turning around. But it doesn’t happen that easy.”

The Falcons (4-8), making a late-season run toward respectability, will try to make it three in a row today when they face the Seattle Seahawks (6-6) in the Kingdome. With Chandler at 100 percent, they’ve won three of their last four.

Dan Reeves, who coached the New York Giants last season, is trying to resurrect his 17-year coaching career in Atlanta. He hopes to turn around a team that went 3-13 last season.

Atlanta’s first eight games were one long headache for Chandler, 32. He suffered two concussions, a bruised sternum and a sprained ankle - injuries that kept him out of two games and knocked him out of four others.

“That was real frustrating,” Chandler said. “It’s nice those are behind me. When you’re dealing with a concussion, it’s really a strange deal. I’ve been hit hard many times in the head and nothing happened.”

The Falcons traded their selections in the fourth and sixth rounds of April’s NFL draft to get Chandler in a February trade with Houston.

Between trips to the hospital, he’s compiled a 93.7 quarterback rating, second only to Steve Young’s 105.2 for San Francisco. Chandler is completing 59.4 percent of his passes (152 for 256) for 1,987 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions.

While the Falcons beat only the Rams (twice) and the Saints (twice) this season, the Seahawks were unable to beat the Saints once. They lost in New Orleans two weeks ago and followed that up with a 19-14 loss to Kansas City at the Kingdome last week.

Seattle was supposed to make a playoff run in December. After two consecutive defeats, the Seahawks need to win their final four games to make the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Today’s game matches Chandler against another former University of Washington quarterback, Warren Moon. Moon led the Huskies in the 1970s and Chandler in the 1980s.

Moon, 41, has 18 touchdown passes this season, giving him 272 in his career. If he passes for two TDs against the Falcons, he will move past Joe Montana (273) into fourth place on the career touchdown passes list.

Moon, who has passed for 3,066 yards in 11 starts, has spent the past two weeks dodging blitzing defenders. He was shut out in the second half by the Chiefs, who sacked him five times, after New Orleans’ defenders sacked him three times the previous week.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Hawks vs. Falcons The game: 1 p.m. at the Kingdome, Seattle. Coaches: Seattle - Dennis Erickson, 21-23, third season. Atlanta - Dan Reeves, 4-8, first season; 153-121-1, 17th overall. The records: Seattle is 6-6, Atlanta is 4-8. The series: Seahawks lead 4-1. The line: Seahawks by 7. On the air Television: FOX, with Kevin Harlan and Jerry Glanville. Radio: KXLY (920 AM) with Steve Thomas and Steve Raible.