Atlanta Falcons snap losing streak with 27-24 win over Chicago Bears

ATLANTA — With a game on the line, the Falcons turned to their running game, grinding out a go-ahead drive and ending a two-game losing streak with a 27-24 win over the Bears at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Cordarelle Patterson, who set an NFL record earlier Sunday with his ninth career kickoff-return touchdown, coolly converted a fourth-and-2 in Bears territory to keep the final drive alive, alternating with rookie Tyler Allgeier to move the chains.

Younghoe Koo's 53-yard field goal with 1:47 left gave the Falcons (5-6) a much-needed win and handed the Bears (3-8) their fourth straight loss and their seventh in eight games. Atlanta's defense sealed the win, as safety Jaylinn Hawkins intercepted a deflected pass from Bears quarterback Justin Fields with 1:06 to play.

Atlanta won with less than 300 yards of total offense and no offensive plays longer than 20 yards the entire game. Patterson rushed for 52 yards, including four carries for 20 yards on the go-ahead drive.

Just as the Falcons took a 24-17 lead on a Marcus Mariota touchdown run late in the third quarter, the Bears answered with a 75-yard, eight-minute drive, with Fields hitting David Montgomery for a 32-yard gain down the sideline. Montgomery ran it in from two yards out to tie the game with 8:16 left.

A seesaw first half ended in a 17-17 tie, with the Falcons scoring the first seven and the last 10 and the Bears getting their 17 points in between.

Down 17-7 late in the second, Patterson's 103-yard kickoff return touchdown gave the Falcons a spark and gave him the NFL record for most career scores on kickoff returns, with nine, breaking him out of a tie with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington.

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Chicago attempted a 56-yard Cairo Santos field goal, but his miss gave the Falcons the ball at their 46, and they moved the ball far enough to tie the game on Younghoe Koo's 40-yarder as time expired.

The teams both scored on their opening drive, with Marcus Mariota throwing a 2-yard touchdown to rookie receiver Drake London and the Bears answering with Fields' 16-yard touchdown to Darnell Mooney. Chicago added a field goal, then padded their lead after a fumble by Patterson, with Fields running it in for a 17-7 lead with 4:31 left in the half.

Both teams needed a win to stay in the postseason conversation — Chicago came in 3-7, having lost three straight despite scoring at least 29 points in each game. The Falcons had dropped two straight, allowing the 5-5 Bucs to regain the lead in the NFC South.

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.