Ryan’s 2 TD passes enough as Falcons hold off Seahawks

SEATTLE» Matt Ryan threw a pair of touchdown passes, Adrian Clayborn returned a fumble 10 yards for a score and the Atlanta Falcons held off a late rally to beat the Seattle Seahawks 34-31 on Monday night.

Atlanta stayed in the hunt for an NFC playoff spot thanks to its second straight victory and handed Seattle a second consecutive home loss. Ryan threw TDs to Mohamed Sanu and Levine Toilolo, while Tevin Coleman added a 1-yard TD run on Atlanta’s opening possession. But it was Clayborn’s fumble return that helped break the game open early in the second quarter and gave Atlanta a 21-7 lead. He scooped up a loose ball after Russell Wilson was crunched by Takk McKinley and Courtney Upshaw.

Seattle attempted a late rally down by 11 points. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on a 29-yard TD with 3 minutes left, and Seattle got in range for a long field goal attempt by Blair Walsh in the closing moments, but his 52-yard attempt with 2 seconds left came up short and Atlanta escaped with the victory.

Wilson again was the entirety of Seattle’s offense, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and running for another 86 yards and a TD.

But it was an awful night for the Seahawks, filled with more injuries and questionable decisions by coach Pete Carroll. He called for a fake field goal late in the first half rather than attempting a 35-yard kick. He also made a questionable challenge in the fourth quarter that didn’t go his way and left Seattle with just one timeout.

That lack of timeouts came back to haunt Seattle on the final drive when seconds ticked away and rather than running one more play, Walsh was sent out to attempt the 52-yard kick. His long for the season is 49 yards.

The conclusion only amplified Carroll’s baffling decision at the end of the first half, when Seattle ran a fake field goal rather than having Walsh attempt a 35-yarder that would have pulled Seattle within 24-20. Holder Jon Ryan completed his shovel pass to Luke Willson, but Grady Jarrett read the play and tackled Willson for a 4-yard loss.

Seattle played a game for the first time since the end of the 2010 season without Richard Sherman. His streak of 99 consecutive starts in the regular season was snapped because of a torn Achilles tendon suffered against Arizona. The Seahawks were also without safety Kam Chancellor because of a neck injury, leaving their vaunted secondary with several new faces.

Ryan was more than happy to pick on a defense without those anchors. He was 19-of-27 passing for 195 yards and rarely faced pressure.