SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 14, 2012
Falcons 23, Raiders 20: Matt Bryant booted a 55-yard field goal with one second left as Atlanta rallied to improve to 6-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Asante Samuel's 79-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:40 left gave Atlanta the lead, but Oakland (1-4) answered with an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by Darren McFadden's 2-yard touchdown run to tie it with 40 seconds left in regulation. Matt Ryan completed 5 of 6 passes on the go-ahead drive and the Falcons made good use of two timeouts to set up Bryant's winning kick.
Atlanta again gave up big chunks of yardage but was saved by three forced turnovers, giving it 17 takeaways this season. Ryan threw three interceptions in the first half - after throwing just three through the first five games - and Atlanta managed just 286 total yards.
Oakland (1-4) got a big game from Carson Palmer, who was 23-of-33 for 353 yards and a touchdown. But Samuel jumped in front of a pass intended for Denarius Moore and raced up the sideline, making a move to get past Palmer at the 20 and strolling in for the go-ahead score.
Bryant missed from 43 yards in the first quarter - his first miss of the season after making his first 10 field goal attempts - but he redeemed himself with three field goals in the second half, including the game-winner that hooked inside the left upright. Four of the Falcons' six wins have come by a touchdown or less.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Raiders didn't have an interception in their first four games. … Ryan has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in the NFL. … Atlanta's John Abraham's had three sacks, his eighth career game with three or more.