New Year, New Falcons: Atlanta Snaps Winless Drought vs. Cardinals

The Atlanta Falcons ended a four-game losing streak Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium by defeating the Arizona Cardinals.

Just 13 hours after the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes electrified fans across the nation inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals set out to do the same in the lone Sunday matchup between two teams with less than five wins.

And while the stakes weren't nearly as high as the College Football Playoff Semifinals, the Falcons (6-10) and Cardinals (4-12) delivered an intense affair - with Atlanta ultimately taking a 20-19 victory at the buzzer.

The game featured a pair of quarterbacks seeking their first NFL victories in Atlanta's Desmond Ridder, a rookie third-round pick making start No. 3 as a professional, and veteran David Blough, who hadn't started a game in 1,099 days.

The first quarter featured just one possession by each team, as the Cardinals settled for a field goal after a 14-play, 66-yard drive that took over six-and-a-half minutes off the clock and the Falcons responded with a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that killed nearly 10 minutes, finishing with a Tyler Allgeier rushing score.

After a stop by Atlanta's defense, Ridder and center Drew Dalman fumbled the exchange on the first play of the ensuing drive, and Arizona capitalized with a touchdown two plays later, as Blough hit tight end Trey McBride.

Ridder led the Falcons down the field on a 12-play drive but fell short, as his pass to rookie receiver Drake London was incomplete on 4th and 2. However, he soon received another chance, as his defense forced a three-and-out and safety Richie Grant came flying in to block a punt. The next play, running back Cordarrelle Patterson marched into the endzone for a five-yard touchdown, and Atlanta carried a 14-13 lead into halftime.

The second half was largely a defensive slugfest, as the Falcons began with three straight punts and a field goal while the Cardinals had two field goals, a missed field goal and turnover on downs ... setting the stage for Ridder to make a statement.

With 4:57 on the clock and two timeouts in his back pocket, Ridder guided an 11-play, 72-yard drive that set up a 19-yard field goal from kicker Younghoe Koo ... and he delivered.

Just hours after a game-winning kick sailed wide inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Koo made sure that his didn't - and sent the Falcons back into the win column for the first time since Nov. 27.

The Falcons will return to action next Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, seeking to end the season on a two-game winning streak.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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