Matt Ryan

After a sluggish start for Aaron Rodgers and the Super Bowl champs, the result was the same. Another win in Atlanta for the Green Bay Packers. Following up on a blowout of the Falcons in last year's playoffs, Rodgers threw for 396 yards and a pair of touchdowns to rally the Packers from an early 14-point hole, keeping Green Bay unbeaten with a 25-14 victory Sunday night. The high-scoring Packers (5-0) were held without a touchdown in the first half by Atlanta (2-3), which was trying to make up for an embarrassing 48-21 loss to Green Bay last January.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Even Eli Manning's feet are dangerous. Manning punctuated his best pro season Sunday by throwing for three touchdowns and scrambling for a 14-yard gain that woke up New York's offense. He sparked the Giants to a 24-2 rout of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game Sunday, their first postseason victory since their Super Bowl upset of undefeated New England four years ago. Next up is just as big a challenge for the Giants (10-7): the defending champion Packers in Green Bay next Sunday.

Matt Ryan led Atlanta to another comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers, keeping the Falcons in the playoff chase. Ryan threw two of his four touchdown passes in the fourth-quarter to rookie Julio Jones and the Falcons erased a 16-point deficit for a 31-23 victory on Sunday. Ryan finished with 320 yards and his four TD passes matched a career high. Atlanta (8-5) remains in playoff position in the NFC wild card race. The first time the teams met, the Falcons trailed by three points in the fourth quarter but rallied for a 31-17 win on Oct. 16. For the Panthers (4-9)

Being embarrassed in the playoffs is becoming a habit for the Atlanta Falcons. It's one that has them wondering what they can do to break it. Eli Manning threw three touchdowns and the New York Giants' defense stuffed quarterback Matt Ryan on two crucial fourth-and-1 sneaks in basically pitching a shutout in a 24-2 victory that left the Falcons 0-3 in the postseason under coach Mike Smith. "We can't lose like this in the playoffs," defensive end John Abraham, said. "We should have been able to do something different.

The Falcons decided Sunday to throw rookie Matt Ryan into the fire as their starter - and the former Boston College quarterback is OK with that. "Everything that you get in this game you've earned, whether it be a touchdown, a win, whatever it is," Ryan said. "In some sense, it is satisfying in that light, but trust me, there's a lot of work ahead, and I know that probably just as much as everybody around here. There's going to be some ups and downs, but you've just got to stay mentally tough.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Atlanta Falcons already had their playoff hopes dashed and were getting manhandled by the New York Jets’ top-ranked defense. No contest, right? Not quite. Tony Gonzalez caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan on a fourth-down play with 1:38 remaining to lift the Falcons to a 10-7 victory that seriously damaged the Jets’ postseason chances yesterday. A day after the Falcons (7-7) were eliminated from playoff contention by Dallas’s win over New Orleans, they were able to play spoiler against the stunned Jets (7-7)

ATLANTA - Michael Turner tied a team record with four rushing touchdowns, Harry Douglas scored the first two TDs of his career - the second on a 61-yard punt return - and the surprising Atlanta Falcons romped to a 45-28 win over the Carolina Panthers to move within a game of the NFC South lead. Turner, a first-year Falcon, rushed for 117 yards to go over 1,000 for the first time in his career, and scored his first three TDs on bruising runs of 1, 4, and 1 yards - the last on fourth down when the Falcons decided to go for it instead of settle for a field...

ATLANTA - Michael Vick and Matt Ryan met at the center of the field for the coin toss, the former Falcons quarterback embracing the guy who took his place. When it was done, Ryan trotted off the field in triumph, leaving little doubt this is his city now. Vick wasn't even there to see it. He was back in the locker room, still woozy from a big hit. Ryan tossed a career-high four touchdown passes, shaking off all the hoopla over Vick coming back to face his old team as Philadelphia's starter, and rallied Atlanta from a 10-point deficit for a 35-31 victory over the...

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons had been waiting all season for a complete game. They finally got it. Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in less than three quarters of work, John Abraham had 3 ½ sacks, and the Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars last night. "Hopefully we can play like we did tonight for the next couple weeks," Ryan said. This one was over by halftime. Atlanta (9-5) led, 27-0, when the teams trotted to the locker room, Blaine Gabbert and the shellshocked Jaguars (4-10)

The Atlanta Falcons might have beaten the New Orleans Saints if not for a failed fourth-and-1 in their own territory in overtime when they met earlier this season. Now the gap seems much wider. Drew Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a season, breaking a mark that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons on Monday night. Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go. ...

I have a friend who bets a lot, and only bets favorites. One exception is he takes the Patriots every week, but New England is rarely an underdog (just once this season, at the Jets in November), so he doesn't have to stray from his principles very often. I was thinking about him this week because there are no recent trends to support exclusively taking chalk during the NFL's opening playoff weekend. In the last five years of wild-card play, favorites are just 9-11 against the number, and this weekend we have a favorite who is consistently untrustworthy (the Giants)

The Atlanta Falcons grabbed the lead — and the No. 5 seed in the playoffs — and wouldn't let go. Julio Jones caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds, Michael Turner ran for two scores and the Falcons used a team-record 42 first-half points to cruise to a 45-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards. Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with the Lions for the more favorable seeding.

The Atlanta Falcons might have beaten the New Orleans Saints if not for a failed fourth-and-1 in their own territory in overtime when they met earlier this season. Now the gap seems much wider. Drew Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a season, breaking a mark that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons on Monday night. Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go. ...

Ho hum, another winning season for the Atlanta Falcons. That's not such a big deal anymore. This team has much higher goals. Putting together their most complete effort of the season, the Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning record with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. Matt Ryan had another big game, throwing three touchdown passes in less than three quarters of work, and John Abraham terrorized rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert with 3 ½ sacks.

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons had been waiting all season for a complete game. They finally got it. Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in less than three quarters of work, John Abraham had 3 ½ sacks, and the Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars last night. "Hopefully we can play like we did tonight for the next couple weeks," Ryan said. This one was over by halftime. Atlanta (9-5) led, 27-0, when the teams trotted to the locker room, Blaine Gabbert and the shellshocked Jaguars (4-10)

If only the NFL would shorten its games to 45 minutes instead of 60, the Carolina Panthers might just be in playoff contention. Instead, they're 4-9. In what has been an all too familiar refrain this season, the Panthers blew yet another fourth quarter lead Sunday in a 31-23 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers led by 16 at halftime and by 6 entering the final quarter, but their offense bogged down, and they were outscored 24-0 in the second half at home. It's the sixth time this season the Panthers have led or been tied in the...

The head coach walked onto the football field and sat next to the highly touted quarterback, engaging him in conversation. Herm Edwards then kicked his feet out and rested his elbow into the turf to strike a more relaxed pose. Matt Ryan did the same. The snapshot led one to consider the possibilities. If Edwards's Kansas City Chiefs were on the clock with the fifth overall selection in next month's NFL draft, and the Boston College quarterback was still available, would they pick him?