Ravens vs. Falcons: Matt Ryan Huge as Atlanta Takes Down Baltimore

Trailing 21-20 with just over a minute left, Matt Ryan took his Atlanta Falcons 80 yards in 45 seconds, connecting with Roddy White for the game-winning touchdown in a 26-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

White had dropped two passes in the fourth quarter -- one on what would have been a first down on the previous drive that eventually allowed the Ravens to take the lead, and another on that final drive -- and it appeared that the drop issues that had plagued him earlier in his career may be resurfacing.

However, White would have none of it as he broke free from coverage and caught the 33-yard pass that launched the Falcons to 7-2.

On the game, Ryan was 32-of-50 for 316 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a quarterback rating of 101.8.

12 completions, 138 yards and two of those touchdowns belonged to White, but Ryan found seven other receivers on the night.

His counterpart, Joe Flacco, had a good game as well with 215 yards and three touchdowns, but he did throw a costly interception.

The Ravens were successful running the ball, going for 116 yards on 21 rushes.

Atlanta's rushing attack, one of, if not the, best in the league, did not perform as well, gaining just 60 yards.

Think about all of this for a minute.

If someone told you that Michael Turner was held to 39 yards on 17 carries and Ryan attempted 50 passes, would you think the Falcons were even in the game?

It speaks to the growth of Ryan and the overall makeup of this team that they won tonight. Atlanta had to have thrown Baltimore off with how much they threw as they are primarily a running team.

The Falcons also went no-huddle for much of the game with Ryan audibiling, or calling, most of the plays at the line.It shows a lot of trust from the coaching staff in a third-year quarterback against the vaunted Baltimore defense to play the game that way.

The score was close throughout, but the second half was much more even than the the opening 30 minutes as Atlanta's first half stats were absolutely dominating.

The Falcons led 10-0 at halftime, but consider these numbers: Atlanta led time of possession 21:14-8:46; they had 12 first downs compared to Baltimore's four; they were 8-of-12 on third down while the Ravens were 1-of-4; they ran 26 more plays than their opponent; and they had 184 total yards while Baltimore had less then 100.

That start to the game clearly took a toll on the Ravens and had to be a factor on Atlanta's last-minute drive.

Falcons' defensive end John Abraham also deserves an honorable mention with two sacks in crucial situations. He was also very good against the run.

Atlanta also had just one penalty on the game, a credit to how well coached the team is.

The loss drops the Ravens to 6-3, where they are currently looking up at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.

As mentioned earlier, the Falcons are now 7-2. They lead the NFC South and could take over the No. 1 spot in the NFC with a New York Giants loss this weekend.

After the game, coach Mike Smith gave his team the weekend off before they begin to prepare for a trip to St. Louis next weekend.

They will obviously need to avoid a let-down, but certainly earned the mini vacation.