MIAMI – It was suggested to Chris Chandler during the past week that the Falcons had an edge at quarterback in Super Bowl XXXIII, as Chandler was playing at a higher level than Denver’s John Elway.
There was no false humility in Chander’s voice as he dismissed that notion.
“It’s something I don’t think anybody can really say and back up,” Chandler said at the time. “Some people feel I may have the edge, but very few people really know the game well. I’ve been playing quite well and I’m very confident in what I can do. But you’re going a little bit too far when you say that anybody is better than John Elway.”
It was nice for Chander to be so humble, but the Falcons were probably wishing their quarterback did not go out last night and so emphatically prove his own point.
Chandler has been one of the great comeback stories of the year in the NFL, but his last game was not one to remember. He at times was sharp, but mostly was unlucky and off-target at the absolute worst times. He tossed three interceptions on three consecutive possessions to start the second half, and those turnovers cost the Falcons any chance for a victory in their 34-19 loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.
“It wasn’t a real lucky night for us,” Chandler said. “I just feel awful … I feel really awful. I just want to move on. There were things that were there for the taking but unlucky things happened.”
Unlucky, and unsightly. Chandler completed 19 of 35 passes for 219 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis. That scoring pass came with 2:04 remaining in the game, though, and merely changed the final score. It did nothing to change the fact that in his first Super Bowl, Chandler was by far the second-best quarterback in the game.
In the third quarter, Chandler started out well, hooking up with Tony Martin for a 19-yard gain and running 12 yards for a first down. But Chandler then came up with a stinker of a pass, firing behind Terance Mathis as Darrius Johnson stepped in front for an interception to kill another Atlanta threat.
Incredibly, the Falcons came right back and Chandler again gave the ball away. From the Broncos’ 21, Chandler faded back and believed he saw Mathis wide open. But defensive tackle Keith Traylor out-muscled left tackle Bob Whitfield, got his right hand up and deflected Chandler’s pass into the air. Tight end O.J. Santiago dived for it but Gordon beat him to it for yet another interception. Gordon returned it 58 yards to set up the touchdown that turned the game into a rout.
“They did a good job of covering some things, we were unlucky in a couple of other ones,” Chandler said. “The tip-interception was going to be a big play to Terance; if he doesn’t score it’s going to be real close. The guy tips the ball; you never plan on that.”
Mathis also said he was open and would not criticize his quarterback.
“Chris has come back from a lot of adversity, people saying how fragile he was, that he’s not a franchise quarterback,” Mathis said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chandler and Martin screwed up, failing to communicate on a route with the Falcons threatening on the Denver 26-yard line. The ball sailed far off-target and Gordon had himself another interception and Chandler had himself another dose of misery.
“I’d like to guess what would happen had we not had that ball tipped,” Chandler said, referring to his second interception. “It’s a good chance we’re going to score a touchdown, and who knows what happens from there? Personally, I’m very very excited with the way I played and the way our team played all year. Unfortunately, they played better than we did.”
