SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 16, 2012
Falcons 34, Giants 0: Matt Ryan passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns as Atlanta remained undefeated at home by handing New York its first regular-season shutout in 16 years.
Julio Jones was on the receiving end of two touchdowns for the NFC South-champion Falcons (12-2), who maintained their hold on the best record in the NFC. The Falcons failed to clinch a first-round bye following San Francisco's wild 41-34 win in New England on Sunday night.
The Giants (8-6) managed just 256 total yards and were hurt by three turnovers - including two Eli Manning interceptions - in losing for the fourth time in six games. New York fell into a three-way tie atop the NFC East after Washington routed Cleveland 38-21 and Dallas defeated Pittsburgh 27-24.
Asante Samuel intercepted Manning's first pass of the day to set up a four-play, 16-yard drive capped by Michael Turner's 1-yard run, and the Falcons went 80 yards in 10 plays on their second possession with Ryan hitting Tony Gonzalez for a 12-yard score.
Atlanta added a field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead, and Ryan hooked up with Jones for touchdowns of 40 and 3 yards in the second half to turn it into a rout.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Atlanta improved to 31-1 when Ryan has a rating of 100 or better, including a 20-0 mark at home. Ryan has won 33 of his 37 home starts. กญ Jones had six catches for 74 yards to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. กญ The Falcons' last regular-season shutout was a 24-0 win at Oakland in 2008.