The Sports Xchange

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Cornerback Robert Alford didn’t sulk or keep his head down after getting a 42-yard pass interference penalty.

Falcons defensive backs coach Marquand Manual told him to move onto the next play.

When it was time for someone to step forward in overtime, Alford came through with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown to beat Washington and help the Falcons improve to 5-0.

“It feels good,” Alford said. “When we were meeting on the sideline, we all said that it was going to be one of us on the back end that was going to end the game. Happily so, it was just me. God blessed me to make that play. I ended the game for us.”

Falcons coach Dan Quinn has been pleased with Alford’s overall play.

“The last couple of weeks, it’s just been alive for him,” Quinn said. “He had a bunch of pass breakups last week. Then on the tip that he got today and then of course, the one at the finish today. We couldn’t be more thrilled for him.”

—-Quarterback Matt Ryan hadn’t been intercepted since Philadelphia’s Walter Thurmond picked off a pass intended for Roddy White with 13:25 left in the third quarter of the season opener. Ryan had 116 pass attempts without throwing an interception before he was picked off by Washington’s Trenton Robinson on the Falcons’ first possession. He later also fumbled while being pummeled by Washington’s Chris Baker and Jason Hatcher and had a late fourth-quarter interception.

He has had better days, until he caught fire on the final drive. Ryan completed 24 of 42 passes for 254 yards.

“We just never really got into a rhythm,” Ryan said.

–The Falcons were throwing passes to Nick Williams before White and that prompted White to have a meeting with Quinn about his role in the offense.

White, the Falcons’ career leading receiver, didn’t get a target until 12:03 was left in the third quarter. He had a big 16-yard catch to keep the Falcons’ first touchdown drive alive. He also had a key 7-yard catch on fourth day to help the Falcons take the lead in the final minute of regulation.

There were cheers of “Roddy, Roddy, Roddy.”

Notes: WR Julio Jones, who has been playing with a toe and hamstring injury, didn’t practice on Monday. … LB Justin Durant, who has an elbow injury, didn’t practice on Monday. … QB Matt Ryan finished Sunday’s game 24-of-42 for 254 yards, moving his streak of games with at least 250 passing yards to 12, which is the longest streak in the NFL. … RB Devonta Freeman had a career-high 153 rushing yards and one touchdown against Washington. Freeman also added 44 yards on seven receptions. This is the third straight game Freeman has recorded over 145 total yards. With Freeman’s rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, he became the first player with eight or more rushing touchdowns in a team’s first five games of a season since LaDainian Tomlinson (nine) and Shaun Alexander (eight) in 2005.