The Atlanta Falcons head into a bye week feeling a whole lot better about their season.
Sure, they have not lived up to expectations in an injury-plagued campaign, but two straight wins give them a reason to be hopeful.
Matt Ryan on Monday threw for 379 yards while completing his final 18 passes as the Falcons added another chapter to New York’s miserable season, beating the Giants 23-20.
“You’d rather go into a bye week on a win than a loss, that’s for sure,” Ryan said. “We need some rest. We’ve got different guys banged up. All of us need to rest and refresh for the second half of the season.”
The Falcons (3-4) have five starters on injured reserve, which helped send a team with Super Bowl aspirations spiraling to a three-game losing streak.
They snapped that skid with a victory over Tampa Bay and then kept the winning streak going against the struggling Giants.
Ryan threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Hall, Tevin Coleman broke loose on a 30-yard scoring run and the Falcons sent New York (1-6) to their fourth straight loss.
“I don’t feel like we’re a 1-6 team,” Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr said. “That’s what our record is, but that’s not the feeling in the locker room.”
It was another dynamic performance by Ryan, who was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2016 when he led Atlanta to the Super Bowl.
While the Falcons have not played to that level, their quarterback is putting up numbers that measure up to what he did two years ago: a 71.1 percent completion rate, 2,335 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
However, Ryan is only focused on the team’s performance.
“To inch our way closer to .500 is a positive for us,” he said.
New York was held to two field goals through three quarters and squandered another scoring chance when Eli Manning’s pass on fourth-and-goal from the one was swatted away.
“We know we have talent,” Giants tight end Evan Engram said. “We’re doing things. We’re just not putting the big picture together. That is what’s frustrating.”
The Giants have been held to 20 points or less in five of seven games.
“I can’t give you the answer,” rookie running back Saquon Barkley said. “We’re not executing. We’re not finishing drives. That’s the gist of our season.”
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