ATLANTA (AP) -- Eight months after Gary Anderson's improbable miss, the shoe was on another foot.

	Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler grimaces as he's sacked by Duane Clemons. Chandler left after the play with a strained hamstring.

Falcons kicker Morten Andersen failed twice inside 40 yards -- including a 39-yarder with 3:38 left -- and the Minnesota Vikings held off an Atlanta comeback for a 17-14 victory Sunday in a rematch of the NFC title game.

"That's the humbling part," said Andersen, whose 38-yarder in Minneapolis sent the Falcons to the Super Bowl back in January. "You have to be very strong mentally to be a kicker. Everything is so cut and dry."

Minnesota's Anderson also failed twice on field-goal attempts -- ending his NFL-record streak of 40 in a row during the regular season. He did make a 36-yarder.

Of course, Anderson will always have the memory of failing on a 38-yarder in the NFC title game after going a perfect 35-for-35 during the regular season. That allowed the Falcons to score a tying touchdown in the final minute and win on Andersen's overtime kick.

"Last year has no bearing on what's happening this year," said Anderson, who had a 26-yarder blocked and also missed from 30 yards. "Field goals are never automatic."

Sunday's game certainly proved that point. Atlanta's Andersen was wide right on a 35-yarder in the second quarter as the Falcons fell behind 17-0, then had a chance to redeem himself in the final period when his team moved into position to force another OT with the Vikings.

This time, he was wide left.

"All the kicks that were missed (by both teams) were makeable kicks," Andersen said. "We have to find out ... reasons for that and go out and be successful in the next game. That's all I can do. It is over and done with for now."

GAME NOTES

Minnesota ended Atlanta's streak of 11 consecutive victories at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons' last home loss had been Nov. 9, 1997, a 31-10 setback to Tampa Bay. Cunningham finished 22-for-33 for 184 yards, while Chandler went 17-for-30 for 258 yards. The Vikings stuffed All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson, who managed only 50 yards on 16 carries. He rushed for a franchise-record 1,846 yards last season. Atlanta's Bob Hallen and Keith Brooking made their first NFL starts. Calloway has caught a pass in 48 consecutive games.

Last season, Andersen was 23-for-28 on field-goal attempts and missed just twice on 17 attempts inside the 40. During his 18-year career, he has missed only 25 times on 290 attempts inside the 40.

The Falcons, who beat Minnesota 30-27 eight months earlier to reach the Super Bowl, unveiled their NFC Championship banner with a pyrotechnic display before the game.

Once it started, Atlanta made the kind of mistakes that were uncharacteristic of its improbable march to the Super Bowl. The Falcons lost three fumbles, set up both Minnesota touchdowns with long pass interference penalties and couldn't rely on Andersen's normally reliable left foot.

"It hurts anytime you lose, but particularly the way we lost," coach Dan Reeves said.

Further compounding the Falcons' problems, quarterback Chris Chandler suffered a strained right hamstring late in the game. He missed a preseason game after injuring the same hamstring, and his status is uncertain for next Monday night's game at Dallas.

"This time, it was hard to straighten my leg out," said Chandler, who iced the leg for more than an hour. "But we have eight days until the game. From a selfish standpoint, it's been 11 years since I have played on Monday Night Football. I want to play."

The Vikings won despite their lowest-scoring game since Dec. 14, 1997, when they were beaten 14-13 by Detroit. Minnesota scored at least 24 points in every game last season en route to an NFL-record 556 points.

Coach Dennis Green insisted that revenge had nothing to do with his team's victory.

"I never mentioned the word one time," he said. "I don't believe in it. There might be some players that talk about revenge. You are talking to the wrong guy."

The Vikings stunned the towel-waving, sellout crowd at the Georgia Dome by scoring 17 points in the second quarter.

Ray Buchanan was called for a 52-yard pass interference penalty when Randy Moss got behind him, leading to Randall Cunningham's 2-yard touchdown pass to Cris Carter.

Tim Dwight fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Vikings took advantage with the one kick that went through the uprights for a 10-0 lead.

Minnesota padded the margin on Leroy Hoard's 1-yard touchdown run, set up by Marty Carter's 24-yard interference penalty while trying to defend Moss. Otherwise, the Falcons shut down Moss, limiting him to three catches for 24 yards.

The Falcons put together a five-play, 80-yard drive just before halftime, Chandler throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Chris Calloway with 43 seconds remaining.

Atlanta's other TD came on Bob Christian's 1-yard run with 13:18 left in the game. The Falcons went 61 yards in 10 plays, keeping the drive alive on two critical third-down passes by Chandler.

But the Atlanta quarterback was injured on Atlanta's final drive while trying to avoid a sack by Duane Clemons. He hobbled off the field with the help of two trainers, while Andersen trotted on with a chance to tie the score.

He failed.