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. … Jones had six catches for 74 yards to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. … The Falcons' last regular-season shutout was a 24-0 win at Oakland in 2008.