Three keys to the Falcons' game against the Giants

1. Too many leaks in the secondary. The Falcons had too many breakdowns in the secondary. The Giants came out on the first play of the game throwing at left cornerback Brent Grimes, who was reinserted into the starting lineup for Tye Hill. He got an interception to stop their first drive. But Eli Manning wasn't particular about where he wanted to throw. Safety Erik Coleman appeared to be the primary guy on tight end Kevin Boss on his two touchdown receptions. Nickel back Chevis Jackson went for Mario Manningham's stutter step and got beat for a 33-yard gain in the second quarter. On the Giants' first series of the second half, Manning went after right cornerback Chris Houston, who was beaten on a 51-yarder by Steve Smith and was called for pass interference in the end zone. Grimes was in defense on Manningham's 29-yarder in overtime that moved the Giants into field goal position.

2. Snelling ran hard, scored twice. Running back Jason Snelling, the Falcons' third-string running back, carried the rushing load after Michael Turner (mild high right ankle sprain) and Jerious Norwood (right hip flexor) were declared inactive. Snelling was busy with 28 touches on the day. He had 25 rushes for 76 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards and scored two touchdowns. It was Snelling's first multiple touchdown game of his pro career. He now has four touchdowns on the season. The 25 carries, 76 yards and a long gainer of 13 yards, were all single-game and career highs for Snelling.

3. Giants attacked via blitz. The Giants were so eager to blitz and get after Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan that they continually jumped offsides on defense. The blitz was effective at times, with former Falcon Michael Boley and defensive end Justin Tuck both getting sacks. The Giants got eight hits on the quarterback and flushed Ryan out of the pocket five times to run. The blitz paid dividends right before halftime. With the line sliding down to pick up the blitz, Tuck came free around right tackle Tyson Clabo and got a sack and a forced fumble. Osi Umenyiora recovered the fumble at the Falcons' 34 with 1:19 left. Six plays later, the Giants had a 17-7 halftime lead after Kevin Boss caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left.

By the numbers

• 6 – Jason Elam missed his sixth field goal attempt of the season, a 35-yarder than would have tied the game 10-10. The snap from center Bryan Pittman was high and holder Michael Koenen did a great job to get it down.

• 25 – Career high in carries for running back Jason Snelling, who took over for Michael Turner.

• 217 – The yards Matt Ryan passed while completing 20 of 35 passes in the second half. He was only  6 of 11 for 51 yards at halftime.

• 7 -- The number of plays of 20 yards or more given up by the Falcons' defense. The Falcons now have given up 49 such plays. They led the league with 42 before Sunday's action.

• 0 – The number of interceptions thrown by quarterback Matt Ryan. He had thrown 10 over the last five games.

Etc.

• Safety Charlie Peprah, signed on Nov. 4, was active for the first time as a Falcon, but did not play.

• Tight end Tony Gonzalez's catch for a 7-yard gain on third-and-2 with 1:40 left in the first quarter continues his streak of 141 games with at least one reception.

• The Falcons' four-game string of scoring on their opening drive was halted against the Giants. They did score on their opening drive on the second half to make it 17-14.

Injury report

• No injuries reported during the game.