Falcons hang on for win as Seahawks field goal fails to fly

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and Seattle came up short on a game-tying field-goal attempt with two seconds remaining as the Falcons held on to defeat the Seahawks 34-31 in Seattle on Monday.

Down by 11, the Seahawks tried to rally, with quarterback Russell Wilson finding Doug Baldwin on a 29-yard touchdown and tight end Jimmy Graham hauling in a two-point conversion pass to get Seattle within a field goal with three minutes left.

The Falcons needed one first down to put the game away but Seahawks defensive end Sheldon Richardson sacked Ryan on third-and-one, setting the stage for another potential Seahawks fourth-quarter comeback.

Seattle got within field-goal range and gave Blair Walsh, who was perfect on the day, a chance to send the game into overtime with seven seconds to go. However, his 52-yard attempt fell short and Atlanta escaped with the win.

The Falcons added a rare loss to Seattle's impressive primetime record and improved to 6-4 to stay in the playoff picture with six weeks left in the season.

Seattle, also 6-4, missed an opportunity to tie the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFC West.

 
While not necessarily pretty, the Falcons capitalised on field position and great plays by their defense to take an early advantage, and were able to hold the lead from start to finish.

The win leaves the Falcons two games behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South and gives them the edge over the Seahawks should any tiebreaker between the two be necessary.

Ryan finished 19-of-27 for 195 yards. Wilson was 26-of-42 for 258 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair.

Atlanta looked to pull away from the outset as it capitalised on a 50-yard kickoff return from Andre Roberts and a defensive pass-interference call on Jeremy Lane in the end zone to set up a one-yard touchdown run from Tevin Coleman.

On Seattle's first possession, Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant nearly had a pick-six if it were not for Wilson chasing down the tackle. Ryan would find Mahomed Sanu for a two-yard touchdown a few plays later.

Seattle responded on its next drive when Wilson connected with Graham for his third touchdown in three games.

Although Seattle's defense was able to force the Falcons to punt on their next possession, it was the Atlanta defense -- led by head coach and ex-Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn -- that would score the next points.

Falcons defensive linemen Takkarsit McKinley and Courtney Upshaw teamed up for a sack-fumble on Wilson, and defensive end Adrian Clayborn scooped and scored from 10 yards out to put Atlanta up 21-7 early in the second quarter.

Seattle climbed back with a Walsh field goal and a one-yard touchdown run from Wilson to make the score 21-17. A Falcons field goal put Atlanta three points further ahead going into halftime.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bills stun Falcons, Patriots stumble

LOS ANGELES -- The Atlanta Falcons saw their unbeaten start to the NFL season come to a shuddering halt with a 23-17 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on a day of upsets on Sunday.

The Falcons, last season's beaten Super Bowl finalists, saw their perfect start derailed after a gritty performance by the Bills.


Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 242 yards from 24 of 42 attempts but only connected for one touchdown.

Opposite number Tyrod Taylor finished with 182 yards but it was good enough to see the Bills improve to 3-1 to lead the AFC East.

The key moment at Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium came in the third quarter when Tre'Davious White galloped 52 yards for a touchdown following a Falcons fumble.

A Stephen Hauschka field goal put the Bills 17-10 ahead only for Ryan to connect with Justin Hardy with a three-yard pass to level the scores.

Two monster Hauschka field goals -- from 56 and 55 yards -- put the Bills 23-17 up however and they held on to claim a deserved win.

"We knew coming into it that they had a very good defense," Falcons star Ryan said. "They have a lot of talent and we just made too many mistakes out there."

A good day for the Bills got better when AFC East rivals the New England Patriots suffered their second home defeat of the season as the Carolina Panthers closed out a thrilling 33-30 win at Gillette Stadium.

Scotland-born Panthers kicker Graham Gano sealed a pulsating win for Carolina with a 48-yard field goal with just four seconds remaining.

Gano's winner was the final act of a dramatic fourth quarter which had seen Tom Brady lead the Patriots back from a 30-16 deficit to level at 30-30.

Brady, who finished with 307 passing yards including two touchdowns with no interceptions, looked to have rescued the reigning Super Bowl champions again after finding Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola in quick succession to tie.

Newton decisive

But Panthers quarterback Cam Newton led his team upfield with a decisive 10-play drive to engineer Gano's winning kick with no time left on the clock.

Newton finished with 316 passing yards for three touchdowns and also rushed for one score as the Panthers improved to 3-1 in the NFC South.

"I feel like this was a breakthrough game for us offensively," said Newton.

The Patriots meanwhile fell to 2-2 in the AFC East, with Brady left admitting the team were way off their peak.

"There's no guarantees and every year is different," said Brady. "We just haven't done a good job at home."

In Dallas, the Los Angeles Rams maintained their impressive start to the season with a 35-30 upset over the Cowboys at the AT&T Stadium.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff finished with 255 passing yards and two touchdowns while the defense sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott three times to help set up the win.

Rams running back Todd Gurley meanwhile outshone Cowboys counterpart Ezekiel Elliott, finishing with 121 rushing yards and a further 94 receiving yards.

The Rams, under the guidance of Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in the NFL at just 31, now lead the NFC West with a 3-1 record.

Elsewhere Sunday, Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson had another scintillating performance in a 57-14 thrashing of the Tennessee Titans.

Watson threw for four touchdowns, finishing with 283 yards after making 25 completions from 34 attempts.

In the early game in London, Drew Brees passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns to lead the New Orleans Saints to a 20-0 win over a lacklustre Miami Dolphins side.

The win saw the Saints improve to 2-2 after an 0-2 start to the season.

"Those first two weeks weren't what we aspired to be -- we played two really good football teams," Brees said.

"(Since then), basically we've had two road wins at Carolina and here against the Dolphins, who have a really good defense and are a really good football team."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Falcons star Ryan on Super Bowl loss: 'Nothing you can say'

HOUSTON -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan admitted his team were struggling to come to terms with their shattering Super Bowl loss on Sunday after the New England Patriots' remarkable comeback victory.

The Falcons appeared to be surging to their first Super Bowl win after leading 28-3, only to see New England roar back to triumph, 34-28, in overtime.

"There's nothing you can really say," said a dejected Ryan. "That's a tough loss.

"Obviously very disappointed, very close to getting done what we wanted to get done, but it's hard to find words tonight."

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn summed up the mood: "For sure hurts like hell."


It was the second time in two years Quinn has tasted an agonizing Super Bowl defeat to the Patriots. He was an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks when the Patriots snatched a dramatic late win in 2015.

Quinn admitted the Falcons would struggle to deal with Sunday's loss.

"No doubt that was a tough one for us," Quinn said. "That's a hard one in the locker room. No one place to put that mentally for us.

"But I'm proud of the fight that these guys have," added Quinn, admitting that his team "ran out of gas some" in the second half.

"I think at the end, when we go back and watch it tomorrow, for sure, there were things that we could have done different or played differently.

"I was impressed with how hard the guys fought and battled for it. That's why we're hurting so bad right now."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Falcons' receiver Jones a beast for Patriots to contain

Julio Jones had a monster game in Sunday's rout of the Packers that put the Atlanta Falcons into the Super Bowl, and the scary wide receiver was already giving the New England Patriots a fright as they studied game film.

“Julio Jones, to me, is probably one of the most dynamic players in the league,” Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia told reporters on Tuesday.

"He can run underneath routes, has great speed, great hands, body control and is very, very strong. He gives you a lot of problems."

Jones caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Matt Ryan in the 44-21 romp over Green Bay.

It was not just the sheer numbers that impressed, but also the manner in which four-times Pro Bowler Jones operated on his way to his first Super Bowl.

After tippy-toeing to stay in bounds in the end zone on his first touchdown catch, Jones manhandled the defense for his second score, shedding one defender with a sweep of his arm and then stiff-arming the next to the ground on a 73-yard dash.

“He’s a beast, he’s just an absolute stud,” Ryan said of the 6-foot 3-inch (1.90-meter), 220-pound (100-kilogram) Jones, who has been playing through a toe injury.

Even neutral NFL players were impressed.

"@juliojones_11=grown man," tweeted Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) after the play.

"That dude an Animal Julio," gushed Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman (@J_No24).

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is well aware of the threat posed by Jones and the team that led the NFL in scoring.

“I’d say the stamp on the team, the thing that I would notice the most is just the speed, the team speed that the Falcons have,” Belichick said in a conference call. "They look like they’re faster than almost every team they play.”

Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson, now a commentator for the NFL Network, said Jones is the whole package.

“His size, his weight, his speed, his ability to go inside and outside," raved Burleson.

"If you put one guy on him, he’s unstoppable. If you put two guys on him, he’s probably going to catch the ball. If you put three guys on him, he’ll have a chance of coming down with the play.” (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Andrew Both)

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Atlanta Falcons rout Green Bay Packers to reach Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback Matt Ryan led a dominant offensive display as the Atlanta Falcons crushed the Green Bay Packers 44-21 on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history.

The Falcons, who will play either the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers in the February 5 NFL showpiece, laid the foundations for an emphatic NFC Championship victory with a first half performance.

The Falcons surged into a 24-0 half-time lead after overwhelming the Packers defense with their varied running and passing game in what was the team's final game at Atlanta's Georgia Dome before they move into a new home.


"We played great today in all three phases," said an ecstatic Ryan after the win.

"We showed up. We did exactly what we've been doing all year. It feels really good," added Ryan, who completed 27 out of 38 pass attempts for 392 yards and four touchdowns.

Green Bay's star quarterback Rodgers was barely in the game in the first half, and could only watch as the Packers squandered an early scoring opportunity through a missed Mason Crosby field goal.

It got worse for the Packers when Aaron Ripkowski fumbled close to the Atlanta line as another golden Green Bay touchdown chance went begging.

The Falcons meanwhile looked threatening whenever they ventured into Green Bay territory.

Ryan flipped a short shovel pass to Mohamed Sanu from close range for the opening touchdown to make it 7-0 with the opening Atlanta drive of the game.

Matt Bryant then extended Atlanta's lead with a 28-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

- Rodgers struggles -

Another long Falcons drive then culminated with Ryan scampering over from 14 yards for a touchdown to push the score to 17-0.

Rodgers, struggling against a ferocious Atlanta defense, then threw an interception to give Atlanta the ball back at the end of the half. Ryan punished the error to hit Julio Jones from five yards to leave the Falcons 24-0 ahead at the break.

It got worse for Green Bay in the opening minutes of the second half, with the Packers forced to punt away their first possession.

Ryan then found Jones with a short pass and the star receiver galloped away for a 73-yard touchdown to make it 31-0.

Any flickers of hope for the Packers after Rodgers found Davante Adams for a two-yard score were then extinguished when Devonta Freeman gathered in a Ryan pass from four yards for a touchdown confirmed after review which made it 37-7.

Rodgers picked out Nelson for a short-range touchdown but it was too little too late and Tevin Coleman's three-yard run in the fourth quarter put Atlanta 44-15 ahead.

Tight end Jared Cook reduced the deficit with Green Bay's third touchdown from Rodgers' one-yard pass but the result was never in doubt.

Ryan said the Falcons had been determined not to let up on Green Bay despite building their massive first half lead.

"We knew going in against Green Bay and going against Aaron (Rodgers) it's never over," Ryan said. "He's such a great player. We just kept at them the entire four quarters. I'm proud of the way we competed."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Atlanta's Ryan, Oakland's Mack take top awards

NEW YORK -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who directed the NFL's highest-scoring attack, and Oakland defensive end Khalil Mack took top awards in media voting announced Wednesday.

Ryan, who led the Falcons with club records in passing yards and touchdowns, was chosen the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

When the Falcons host Green Bay in a playoff showdown Sunday, Ryan will try to lift Atlanta into the Super Bowl for only the second time, the Falcons having lost to Denver in the 1999 edition of the NFL championship spectacle.

Mack, who matched an NFL record with quarterback sacks in eight consecutive games, took Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Professional Football Writers of America.

Ryan, in his ninth NFL season, completed 373 of 534 passes (a club record 69.9 percent of his throws) for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.


The Falcons produced a one-season club record 540 points in this campaign and went 11-5 to claim a first-round playoff bye.

Ryan, who set an NFL record by completing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers this season, threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-20 victory over Seattle last weekend.

Mack, in his third NFL campaign, had 77 tackles and 11 sacks this season for the Raiders. He also intercepted a pass, deflected four other throws, forced five fumbles and recovered three fumbles.

In a 35-32 home victory over Carolina, Mack became the first NFL player since 2009 with an interception, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in a single game.

The Raiders lost 27-14 at Houston in the opening round of the playoffs.

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Elite quarterbacks hold key to Super Bowl tickets

Defense wins championships, or so the saying goes, but high-flying offences look set to unleash a bombs-away spectacle led by elite quarterbacks that may be the best quartet to ever reach the conference championships.

Following a thrilling divisional round of playoff action, the bar has been set high for Sunday when the Green Bay Packers visit the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers with Super Bowl berths on the line.

The Patriots' Tom Brady, Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Falcons' Matt Ryan, who could all one day reach the Hall of Fame, boast experience and panache.

Brady (4), Roethlisberger (2) and Rodgers (1) have all led their teams to Super Bowl titles. Brady and Rodgers also have league most valuable player honors and Super Bowl MVP awards in their trophy cases.

Ryan would seem to be the odd man out in this group but the Falcons quarterback is a front-runner for MVP honors for the 2016 season and has his team two wins away from their maiden Super Bowl title.

At the end of the regular season the New England defense, at number eight, was the only one of the four teams standing ranked in the top 10 having allowed an average of 326 yards per game. Pittsburgh were 12th, Green Bay 22nd and Atlanta 25th.

Offensively the numbers sparkle.

 Atlanta has been an offensive juggernaut since the opening snap last September and averaged a NFL-best 33.8 points per game. New England (27.5) were third, followed by Green Bay (27) in fourth place and Pittsburgh (24.9) in 10th.

The NFC Championship could be a shootout of the highest caliber with Rodgers, who led the league with 40 touchdown passes and Ryan, second with 38, at the controls of two high-powered attacks going against leaky defenses.

Rodgers' play in particular has left fans and pundits scrambling to find superlatives to describe his performance which has some, including Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, rating him among the greatest of all-time.

"At the end of the day they're going talk about (Rodgers) as one of the top three quarterbacks who ever laced them up," said Garrett, after watching Rodgers lead the Packers to a 33-32 win over the Cowboys on Sunday.

One of those other two quarterbacks could be Brady, who will be playing in a sixth straight AFC title game trying to take his team to the Super Bowl for the seventh time in 16 years.

With four Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVP awards, Brady has proven his worth as a quarterback who can deliver when it matters most but with two Super Bowl titles Roethlisberger also knows his way to the winner's circle.

"It's definitely going to be a showdown playing in New England," said Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell. "It will be another hostile environment, going against Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game."

source: news.abs-cbn.com