Atlanta Falcons Hold Off Late Peyton Manning Rally to Beat Denver Broncos 27-21

It's hard to tell what was worse in the Atlanta Falcons' 27-21 victory over the Denver Broncos—Peyton Manning's first quarter or the NFL's replacement referees.

Manning tried to rally his troops with 3:25 remaining. Willis McGahee scored his second touchdown of the night to cut the lead to six, but Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense were able to finish what they started. Ryan hit Julio Jones on a critical third-down conversion to seal Atlanta's victory with 2:05 remaining.

Before we get to the rest of the game, let's look at two interesting assertions about the game's much-maligned referees.

ESPN reporter Todd Grisham made a unique, but telling, comparison:

"

WWE referees > NFL replacement refs

— Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) September 18, 2012"

That has to sting. Bleacher Report's NFL lead writer Michael Schottey offered his own take:

"

Referees are the sporting equivalent of quality control...the NFL has essentially brought the boys over from the lead paint company

— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) September 18, 2012"

Despite a handful of questionable calls, the Falcons thrived in their Monday Night Football victory. When the 2012 season comes to a close, NFL fans could remember this game as the Falcons' coming-out party. They played that well, making a tremendous statement in front of their excited home crowd.

Atlanta's good fortune began almost immediately, with Manning bringing back memories of Jay Cutler for Denver fans; he launched interceptions on the Broncos' first three possessions.

Ryan was steady and efficient, completing 24-of-36 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns on the night. He pounded Denver's secondary with a constant stream of throws to Roddy White and veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez.

White and Gonzalez combined for 15 catches, 172 yards and two scores, making Julio Jones' lackluster evening almost irrelevant.

The Broncos were able to get on the board right before halftime with this tight-rope style Demaryius Thomas touchdown reception:

Atlanta, though, picked up right where it left off defensively, and Ryan added a touchdown to White to make it 27-7 at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter.

McGahee tried to get his squad back into things at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He plunged into the end zone from two yards out for his first score of the night, cutting the deficit to 27-14. McGahee finished the night with 22 carries for 113 yards and two huge touchdowns.

The Falcons, surprisingly, earned the victory with a one-dimensional offensive assault. Michael Turner found the end zone to start the game, but he was held to 27 yards overall. Atlanta didn't rack up a ton of total yards—less than 300 overall—but opportunistic efficiency was the name of the game.

Manning's interceptions doomed the Broncos from the start, and the defense couldn't make the stops they needed. The living legend finished the night 24-of-37 for 241 yards, and those three shocking giveaways. He did have a touchdown, but his 58.5 quarterback rating is indicative of his overall struggle.

The Broncos offense tried to get things going late in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta's defense pinned its ears back and aggressively pursued Manning. They finished the night with three sacks and six QB hits, including William Moore's crucial takedown to force a punt with less than eight minutes remaining.

Monday night's matchup was highly anticipated, and it didn't disappoint. Manning's career MNF record fell to 11-4, and he will face another stiff test against Houston on Sunday.

The Falcons established themselves as one of the NFL's best all-around teams and will look to continue that when they travel to San Diego in Week 3.