ATLANTA — Steven Jackson's revenge date against the Rams lasted all of one series, four touches and eight yards on Sunday.
But shoot, if he didn't make the most of the unwitting cameo.
Facing his old team of nine seasons and making his Atlanta home debut, Jackson didn't earn a single rushing yard against the Rams (on three carries), but his 8-yard reception produced an early touchdown and launched the Falcons' 31-24 victory at the Georgia Dome.
After that, the Rams' all-time leading rusher exited for the game's duration with a thigh injury.
On his touchdown, Jackson ran an unimpeded wheel route to the right side, catching the quick feed from Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and then sprinting toward the end zone, full of steam.
With ball in hand, only Rams rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree (University of Georgia) stood between Jackson and his first touchdown in Falcons red. He also had the better angle to the corner pylon, essentially leaving Ogletree powerless to make a complete stop.
At some point during the finish, though, Jackson seemingly incurred the injury, which if severe, could put more pressure on Jacquizz Rodgers (45 total yards) and Jason Snelling (60 total yards) to carry a greater load in subsequent Sundays.
"Jason Snelling played really well for us, doing things at fullback and halfback, too," said Ryan, who is now 34-5 as a regular-season starter at the Georgia Dome.
In the post-game media scrum, Falcons head coach Mike Smith was asked if Jackson's injury occurred on the TD.
He paused for a second and coyly replied, "Well, he didn't play any more after that touchdown."
Jackson, who amassed 13,459 total yards and 63 touchdowns with St. Louis (2004-12), currently owns a streak of eight straight of 1,000-plus rushing yards.
