The Atlanta Falcons were held to just 247 total yards by the New York Giants during Sunday's NFC Wild Card matchup. Quarterback Matt Ryan could not take advantage of an Aaron Ross concussion that forced rookie Prince Amukamura into the game at cornerback. He threw for under 200 yards passing, and was sacked twice during the game.
"We never got into a rhythm," Ryan said after the game. "We never moved the ball consistently. We had some opportunities. We fell short on two fourth downs. We just came up short. In a playoff game against a very good football team, you have to make those plays and we didn't make them."
The Giants' front four was disruptive once again, holding the Falcons to just 64 yards rushing on top of harassing Ryan. After the game, the third-year quarterback put the Giants' corps among the best he has faced this season. Ryan was stuffed twice on fourth-and-one sneaks during the game.
"Yeah, I think their front four played very well," Ryan said. "That's kind of what we expected. We expected them to play well. We had opportunities. We were in a rhythm at some points and just didn't make the plays on crucial third and fourth downs when we needed them to keep drives going. I think that's probably why we stalled out a little bit."
Ryan and the Falcons have made the playoffs three years in a row now, and have come away with a loss in their first game in each of those postseasons.
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