The Sports Xchange

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Julio Jones finished with 13 receptions for 135 yards, including a 37-yarder that set up the game-winning touchdown run by Davonta Freeman to give the Atlanta Falcons a 24-20 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Wide receiver Jones, last week’s NFC Offensive Player of the Week, fought through a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice two days this week.

Jones, who connected with quarterback Matt Ryan for six receptions for 44 yards in the first quarter alone, recorded 25 of those first-quarter yards on the Falcons’ second drive of the game. That drive culminated in a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to running back Tevin Coleman.

“Every opportunity that I get when a ball is thrown at me, I feel like it’s my job to catch it,” Jones said. “I had 15 targets today and I caught 13. I think I did OK today. I wish I could have caught all 15, but it happens.”

The Falcons sliced the Giants’ 10-point lead to 20-17 when Ryan connected with receiver Leonard Hankerson early in the fourth quarter for a 10-yard touchdown toss.

The Falcons snatched the victory on Freeman’s 2-yard score with 1:58 left, a drive set up by a 37-yard reception by Jones.

Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. finished with 146 yards on seven receptions and one touchdown. His 67-yard second-quarter touchdown reception, his 101st career catch, tied the game at 10 with 3:34 left in the second quarter.

What we learned about the Falcons:

–1. The Falcons defense continues to be pretty effective considering that it’s still a work in progress. “We’re a unit that’s going to fight,” said defensive end Kroy Biermann, “I think we’re still building that. We’re still building the camaraderie with the guys in learning each other as players and getting a groove, but one thing is that we’re going to fight no matter what until that last tick on the clock.”

–2. Some teams might give up when they fall behind by 10 points, but not the Falcons, whose head coach, Dan Quinn, prepares his team every week in practice for numerous situations. “We work on it every day at practice. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for us,” said receiver Julio Jones of the Falcons ability to stay calm and collected even when the scoreboard doesn’t favor them. “Dan Quinn puts us in situations everyday like that. We’re down and we need a field goal, we need a touchdown. Everyday there’s a different scenario and today came into play for us and we went out there and executed.”

–3. Quarterback Matt Ryan is feeling at home in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s new system. “Obviously things are different when you have a new coordinator come in. I think we’ve done a good job of adjusting to the new scheme,” said Ryan, who completed 30 of 46 passes for 363 yards and one touchdown to 10 different receivers. “Certainly we are going to continue to get better. Play action is an important part of what we’re going to do. So is running the football. I think we’ve done a decent job of both of those. We have to run a little bit better than we did today. I was fired up that we found a way to win.”

Etc.:

–FS Ricardo Allen suffered cramps in the game and needed an IV. He is expected to be fine.

–FB Patrick Di Marco’s 19-yard reception in the first quarter was the longest of his career.

–RB Tevin Coleman, who suffered a rib injury, is not expected to miss a lot of time. Coleman will undergo additional tests once the team returns to Atlanta.