01-01-2025, 11:42 PM
ATLANTA -- has turned in plenty of impre sive performances for the . This was probably his best one yet. Throwing for a franchise-record 448 yards and showing some rarely used mobility to keep plays going, Ryan led the to a 37-34 overtime victory over the in another thriller between the NFC South rivals Sunday. kicked a tying 51-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and won the season opener with a 52-yarder after the fumbled the ball away on the second play of overtime. But this was mostly about Ryan, who completed 31 of 43 with three touchdowns and eclipsed the team pa sing record of 431 yards set by Chris Chandler in 2001. Ryan also ran three times for 15 yards and dodged the ' pre sure most of the day, going down only one time after taking a career-high 44 sacks last season. "He's played a lot of games, Bill Walton Jersey made a lot of plays for us," coach said. "But I was really impre sed with his ability to extend some plays by moving around in the pocket. And he was very, very accurate. When you have (568 yards) of total offense and 448 through the air, your quarterback is playing well." For good measure, Ryan eclipsed the team record for career TD pa ses. He is now at 156, breaking the mark of 154 held by Steve Bartkowski. The beat New Orleans for just the fourth time in their last 17 meetings. This one was particularly sweet for Atlanta coming off a miserable 4-12 season, its first losing campaign since 2007. "It's a good start," Ryan said. "But it Rodney McGruder Jersey 's a long season." The teams combined for 17 points in the final 2:50 of the fourth. The got the ball first in overtime, but was stripped from behind by after catching a first-down pa s over the middle. Joplu Bartu recovered the fumble at the 38. Moore flexed his muscles from his knees in the middle of the field, while Colston slammed his helmet in disgust when he got back to the sideline, brushing away a teammate who tried to console him. "You've only got two eyes. You can't see behind you," Moore said of his play on Colston. "I'm going to continue to work on that and hopefully Marcus Morris Sr. Jersey I can get some more throughout the season." The game fit right in with a divisional series in which nine of the previous 12 meetings were decided by eight points or le s. "That's a tough game to lose," Saint coach said. "Every once in a while, you get in one of these games where the score goes back and forth. The smallest of details, especially in overtime, magnifies any little mistake." The (1-0), who twice trailed from 13 points in the first half, went ahead on ' dazzling 17-yard run with 2:50 remaining. The diminutive back cut this way and that for a 31-27 lead. Back came and the (0-1), needing only 90 seconds to go 71 yards. powered over from the 3 for his second touchdown to make it 34-31 with 1:20 left. That was enough time for Ryan. Johnathan Motley Jersey He completed three pa ses on the tying drive, the big one a 21-yarder to that set up Bryant's tying kick. Hester, who has starred as a return specialist, showed he's still got some skills as a receiver. After not catching even one pa s for Chicago last season, the 31-year-old had five receptions for 99 yards. Brees threw for 333 yards, but was picked off in the end zone after the drove to the Atlanta 14 in the third quarter. Colston had five receptions for 110 yards. The scored on all four first-half po se sions Nicolas Batum Jersey , working first-round pick right into their already dynamic offense. He hauled in a 3-yard pa s that pushed New Orleans to a 20-7 lead. Atlanta cut it to 20-10 going into the break, thanks to a brilliant leaping catch by for a 39-yard gain on the next-to-last play of the half. Bryant booted a 40-yard field goal that gave the a bit of momentum. By the end, they were celebrating. NOTES: In his first game replacing retired right end Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta's had three catches, including a 1-yard touchdown. ... The lost rookie LT with a left ankle injury on the next-to-last play of the first half. He watched the second half from the sideline and it's not known how long he might be out. ... Cooks finished with seven receptions for 77 yards.Copyright 2014 by The A sociated Pre s