Ryan’s 4 TDs lead Falcons
Atlanta avenges loss to Bucs while tightening its hold on first place
Matt Ryan threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Atlanta Falcons tighten their grip on first place in the NFC South with a 43-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
Julio Jones had eight receptions for 111 yards and a TD as the Falcons (6-3) avenged a season-opening loss to the Bucs (3-5). Tampa Bay has dropped two straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak that got them back to .500.
Jones, who’s closing in on another 1,000-yard receiving season with 970 through nine games, caught a 3-yard scoring pass in the third quarter, when Ryan led TD drives of 86 and 82 yards to break it open.
Levine Toilolo, Patrick DiMarco and Austin Hooper also caught TD pass from Ryan, who leads the NFL with 2,980 yards and 23 touchdowns vs. four interceptions.
Jameis Winston threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns for Tampa Bay, including scoring passes of 3 and 24 yards to Evans, who had 11 receptions.
Both of Tampa Bay’s young stars finished the game on the sideline, with Evans being evaluated for a possible concussion and Winston limping off after being shaken up when he was tackled trying to score on a two-point conversion play with just under seven minutes remaining.
Winston was tackled around the ankle by Atlanta’s Brooks Reed and also hit by cornerback Jalen Collins.
Mike Glennon finished up for the Bucs, taking his first regular season snaps since 2014. He threw a late TD pass to Cameron Brate to cut into a 23-point deficit.
Ryan has thrown for 1,344 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions in his last four games against the Bucs, who had won three straight in the division rivalry.
Seahawks: Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman ripped into the NFL, questioning the league’s officiating and saying the decline in television ratings is due in part to the league simply not being fun anymore. Sherman was critical of the calls after Seattle’s 25-20 loss to New Orleans last Sunday. The Seahawks were flagged for 11 penalties versus just two for the Saints. He said at one point, “We probably lead the league in NFL apologies the next day.”
Saints: Lately, Saints rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has been reminding New Orleans’ interior offensive lineman that they’d be doing him a considerable favor by blocking as hard as they possibly can against him during practice. The 12th overall pick in last spring’s draft out of Louisville still has yet to make his NFL regular season debut because he fractured his left fibula during training camp. But that is expected to change this weekend in San Francisco, when Rankins will be eligible to play for the first time.
Bills: So long as he can practice, LeSean McCoy believes he can play. And that held true Thursday, when the Buffalo running back tested his injured left hamstring in practice before announcing he expects to play at Seattle on Monday night. The practice session was Buffalo’s first this week, and McCoy’s first time back on the field since aggravating the injury in a 28-25 loss at Miami on Oct. 23, four days after he was hurt. When healthy, McCoy has been Buffalo’s top offensive threat this season. He leads the team with 598 yards rushing and is tied for fifth in the NFL with seven touchdowns, including one receiving.
Bengals: Cincinnati waived cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris and closed in on a deal with defensive end Wallace Gilberry, looking to upgrade a line that’s been underperforming.
Eagles: Two days after he was arrested on gun and drug charges, Josh Huff lost his job. The Eagles released the wide receiver and special teams standout, reversing course after coach Doug Pederson said he planned to play Huff against the Giants this week. Huff was charged Tuesday with possession of a 9 mm handgun without a permit and having a small amount of marijuana after he was pulled over for speeding on the New Jersey side of the Walt Whitman bridge.