Atlanta Falcons First Take

Wide receiver Julio Jones caught seven passes for 71 yards, none more beautiful than his 16-yard touchdown catch where he had to finesse both feet in bounds in tight quarters.

Wide receiver Roddy White hauled in two touchdown passes, one a 39-yard grab and the other a 44-yard score, and amassed 153 yards receiving in Atlanta's 31-18 win over the Detroit Lions.

Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 279 yards and connected on four touchdowns in Saturday's 31-18 win over the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field.

Head coach Mike Smith talks about Atlanta's 31-18 win over the Detroit Lions and how important it was for the Falcons to secure homefield advantage in the playoffs with the win.

Cornerback Asante Samuel picked off New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning's first pass of the game and set the Falcons up with a short field for their first touchdown of the game. The Falcons never looked back, winning 34-0.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked just once Sunday and usually had plenty of time to throw against the New York Giants in the Georgia Dome. Left tackle Sam Baker had a number of key blocks to help Ryan complete long passes.

Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns and broke his own franchise record Sunday for passing yards in a season with 4,202.

Head coach Mike Smith talks about the Atlanta Falcons 34-0 win over the New York Giants at the Georgia Dome Sunday. Atlanta jumped out to an early lead and showed resolve in bouncing back from last week's defeat.

Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, but the effort wasn’t enough in Charlotte, N.C. The Falcons fell to the Carolina Panthers 30-20 Sunday as the Falcons fell to 11-2 on the season.

Defensive tackle Vance Walker recorded his career-best third sack of the season against the Carolina Panthers Sunday.

Cornerback Robert McClain, who has played most of the season as Atlanta’s nickel corner, flourished as the starting cornerback Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. His eight tackles led the team.

Head coach Mike Smith talks about his team’s struggles Sunday on the road, and how Atlanta will adjust in the coming weeks. The Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers 30-20.

With the New Orleans Saints threatening, safety Thomas DeCoud made an acrobatic end-zone catch to pick Drew Brees off and end all hope of a New Orleans answering touchdown on their opening drive. Along with that interception, DeCoud was second among Atlanta's defensive players with seven tackles.

Quarterback Matt Ryan only threw for 165 yards and the Falcons sputtered on third down for most of the game. But Atlanta still pulled out a team victory, sending the Saints home with a 23-13 loss.

Weakside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon missed the Week 10 game against the Saints just 18 days ago with an ankle injury. His presence provided a spark to this defense and Weatherspoon got into the action with four tackles and an interception.