Falcon Report

Falcons Hold On Against Jets, 27-20

The Atlanta Falcons won their second game of the season at London in Week 5.

Dave Holcomb

It appears that the Atlanta Falcons brought their "firsts" to do list with them to London.

Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts scored his first NFL touchdown, fellow tight end Hayden Hurst reached the end zone for the first time this season, and the Falcons defense intercepted its first pass of 2021. 

READ MORE: WATCH: Rookie TE Kyle Pitts Scores First NFL TD For Falcons

Most importantly, the Falcons won for the first time in London, beating the New York Jets, 27-20.

For awhile, it looked like the Falcons might suffer another heartbreaking loss after leading by 17 points. But Kyle Pitts wouldn't let that happen.

Pitts posted a game-high nine catches for 119 yards. He caught a two-yard touchdown for his first score in the NFL.

Without Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, the Falcons needed a huge game from Pitts. The rookie delivered while Tajae Sharpe led the Atlanta receivers with four receptions and 53 yards. 

Olamide Zaccheaus only had two catches, but he hauled in a huge third-down conversion in the four-minute drill. Zaccheaus also recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter.

READ MORE: WATCH: Falcons Record First 2021 Interception

Cordarrelle Patterson had another nice game, posting 114 yards from scrimmage.

The Falcons dominated the Jets early, scoring 17 points on their first three drives while holding New York without a first down in the first quarter. But a Hurst fumble in the red zone early in the second quarter opened the door for the Jets.

After that fumble, the Falcons only scored a field goal over the next 38 minutes. Still, a win's a win. 

While Hurst made the costly mistake of fumbling in a situation where the Falcons could have turned the game into a blowout, he also scored a 17-yard touchdown. Hurst finished with four receptions and 40 yards.

Atlanta also overcame a Mike Davis fumble that came late in the third quarter in Jets territory. Davis made up for that mistake with a rushing touchdown -- a bruising four-yard run near the goal line -- to seal the victory.

Atlanta's defense held Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson to 19 of 32 passing for 192 yards. Wilson didn't throw a touchdown and had an interception. The Falcons outgained the Jets 451-230. 

The Falcons are now 1-1 playing in London. Their loss came in 2014 against the Detroit Lions in a contest that began a lot like the first quarter did Sunday. Atlanta stormed out to a 21-0 lead versus Detroit in that 2014 matchup, but the Lions scored 22 unanswered points to win with a last-second field goal.

After winning Sunday morning, the Falcons enter their bye week with a 2-3 record. In their first game after the bye, the Falcons will face the Miami Dolphins in South Florida. 

Following their win in Week 1 against the New England Patriots, the Dolphins have lost three straight. They will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars before facing the Falcons on Oct. 24.

CONTINUE READING: Matt Ryan Reaches Two Career Milestones Against New York Jets

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave is a staff writer at Falcon Report. He also writes at Yardbarker, Southern Pigskin, Cox Media, and Rotowire. Follow him on Twitter @dmholcomb.

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