Falcon Report

Falcons 17, Giants 14: Matt Ryan Leads Team to First Win

The Falcons picked up their first win of 2021.

Jeremy Brener

The Atlanta Falcons are all smiles after picking up their first win of the 2021 season, with Matt Ryan making some history along the way.

Ryan threw the 350th career touchdown of his career in Atlanta's 17-14 victory Sunday at the New York Giants.

The Falcons (1-2) went into the fourth quarter clinging to a 7-6 lead, but the Giants surged ahead with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Saquon Barkley and a two-point conversion.

READ MORE: LISTEN: Will Falcons Find Matt Ryan Replacement in NFL Draft?

Thankfully, “Matty Ice” came to the rescue with his franchise-record 39th game-winning final drive.

Ryan had led a long drive early in the fourth that ended in Lee Smith's 1-yard touchdown. With the score tied 14-all, the Atlanta defense came up with a huge stop to get the ball back.

Ryan answered the call on the final drive, which started with less than two minutes left.

Ryan threw a laser to Cordarrelle Patterson for 28 yards to bring get the Falcons near midfield. Two plays later, rookie tight end Kyle Pitts caught a 25-yard pass to get into field goal range.

This set up kicker Younghoe Koo for a 40-yard field goal to give the Falcons their first win in 2021.

Ryan's touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus in the second quarter was the 350th of his career.

The Falcons will look to get to .500 next week at home against the Washington Football Team (1-2).

CONTINUE READING: Is Falcons NFL Schedule About to Go Soft?

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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