Falcons vs Giants: Who Were the Biggest Winners and Losers?

The New York Giants advanced to an NFC matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field next week after handily defeating the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in a Wild Card game today.

The Giants all-around offensive attack of both running and passing was too much for Atlanta to handle, and scoring just two points, Atlanta had no answer for the Giants defense.

Look ahead for who today's winners and losers were. 

Winner: Eli Manning

Giants quarterback Eli Manning played his job nearly perfect while leading New York in a fairly evenly distributed passing and running game.

Manning finished with 277 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 23-of-32 passing. His 129.3 passer rating was his third best of the year.

Loser: Matt Ryan

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was once again unable to get the job done in the postseason. In Ryan’s short four-year career, he has led Atlanta to the playoffs three times, but in that time has gone 0-3.

Led by Ryan, the Falcons offense was absolutely terrible today. The team totaled just 247 total yards and Ryan threw zero touchdowns, resulting in Atlanta scoring all of two points on a safety in the second quarter.

Ryan’s overall stats in the playoffs in his career equal three touchdowns and four interceptions.

Winner: Giants Running Backs

The Giants and Falcons running games seemed to switch roles today, as New York's rushing game, which has struggled all season, was impressive in the win.

Averaging just 89 yards per game this season, the Giants totaled 172 rushing yards today, led by Brandon Jacobs’ 92 and Ahmad Bradshaw’s 63.

For Jacobs, it was his second best game of the year, and for Bradshaw his third best.

Loser: Atlanta Running Backs

The Giants did a great job of shutting down Atlanta’s rushing game, which has been one of its strong suits this year. 

The Falcons have outrushed their opponents all season long, averaging 115 yards a game to their opponents 97. Today Atlanta allowed the Giants to rush for 172 yards, while gaining just 64 of their own.

Michael Turner, who led the Falcons’ running game with 41 yards, was held 43 yards below his average of 84.

Winner: Giants Defense

Although the Giants defense forced no turnovers, it didn’t have to because it's stifling defense allowed no room for the Falcons to do anything. Not only did they hold Matt Ryan to 199 passing yards and no touchdowns, it also held the running game to just 64 yards.

Furthermore, it held Atlanta to 4-14 on third down attempts and three times denied them on fourth downs.

With a combination of quarterback hits, sacks and pass deflections, it managed to keep Ryan out of a rhythm for most of the game.

Loser: Mike Smith

Ryan is not alone in his 0-3 playoff record as a Falcon. Mike Smith is now 0-3 in the postseason as Atlanta’s head coach as well. 

Smith made a few coaching decisions today which were questionable, none of which resulted in much success for Atlanta.

Two critical 4th-and-1 calls may have proven the most costly.

The first came in the second quarter with Atlanta on the Giants’ 24.  Instead of attempting a field goal, quarterback Matt Ryan carried for no gain.

The second and probably more critical one came in the third quarter. With the Falcons down just eight points, they once again passed on a possible scoring opportunity with a field goal. 

Standing on the Giants’ 21-yard line facing, the Falcons once again attempted a quarterback sneak instead of going for a field goal. With an empty backfield, Ryan rushed up the middle and was once again denied.