It wasn’t an artistic gem, but the Falcons prevailed in a physical battle to post a 23-16 victory over the Detroit Lions. The win, coupled with Tampa Bay’s loss to Chicago, left the defending NFC South champions tied for second with the Bucs and one game behind the first-place New Orleans Saints.
What we learned
1. Ryan is hard to knock out: Quarterback Matt Ryan ran for a touchdown and passed for another to help the Falcons claim their second consecutive victory. Ryan nearly got his head ripped off early in the game by Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Ryan left the game after offensive lineman Will Svitek stepped on his ankle with 10:32 left in the third quarter, injuring the quarterback’s knee. After getting checked out, Ryan came charging out of the tunnel and was back on the field with 6:45 left in the third quarter.
2. Gonzalez humble about milestone: Tight end Tony Gonzalez gave Detroit’s defenders fits all day. Gonzalez had five catches for 62 yards as he moved into second place on the league’s all-time receptions list. Gonzalez now has 1,104 catches in his career, second only to Jerry Rice’s 1,549 receptions. Gonzalez provided a 30-yard catch and drew back-to-back pass interference penalties on Detroit linebackers Bobby Carpenter and Stephen Tulloch to set up the Falcons’ first touchdown.
3. Cumulative effect of the run game: The Falcons were determined to run the football against the Lions. Michael Turner had 13 carries for 51 yards in the first half. Despite the slow start, the Falcons kept pounding away until Turner ripped off a 50-yard gain with under a minute left in the third quarter. He finished with 122 yards on 27 carries.
Injury report
Ryan (knee), fullback Ovie Mughelli (knee) and offensive lineman Mike Johnson (foot) were injured in the game. Ryan returned but Mughelli and Johnson did not. Also, left tackle Sam Baker (lower back), wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) and Christopher Owens (concussion) were inactive against Detroit.
The numbers game
75
Ryan’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White was the 75th of his career.
26
The Falcons have forced at least one turnover in each of their past 26 games, the NFL’s longest streak.
4
Ryan’s 1-yard touchdown run was the fourth rushing touchdown of his career.
10
Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton led the defense with a team-high 10 tackles.
8
The defense held the Lions to 1 of 12, or 8 percent, on third-down conversions.
12,843
Gonzalez’s career receiving yardage, which moved him past wide receiver Irving Fryar (12,785) for 13th place on the NFL’s all-time list.
Sound bite
“I guess I’m getting old. When you get up to those type of records, that means you are getting old.”
-- “ Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said after moving into the No. 2 spot on the league’s all-time receptions list.
Loose ends
Turner has 23 100-yard rushing games for the Falcons and moved in front of William Andrews (22) for second most in team history; Gerald Riggs heads up the list with 24 100-yard games. ... Defensive end John Abraham collected his third sack of the season and now has 105.5 for his career. ... The Falcons drew 11 penalties for 80 yards against the Lions. ... The Falcons dropped from 49 percent to 44 on third-down efficiency and are ranked 29th in the league. Entering the Lions game, the Falcons were last in the league.
What’s next
The Falcons (4-3) have a bye this week. They will play at Indianapolis on Nov. 6.
