New Orleans Saints end Falcons’ run, Bengals stun Giants

NEW ORLEANS - Reuters

AFP photo

The Atlanta Falcons’ unbeaten run was ended by the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 11 with a 31-27 loss at the Superdome, while defending Super Bowl champions the New York Giants suffered a shock 31-13 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Buffalo Bills came close to producing another upset against New England but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a late interception as the Patriots hung on for a 37-31 win.

There was a rarity in San Francisco where the 49ers and Rams tied 24-24 after overtime - the first tie in almost four years.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passed for three touchdowns and 411 yards but ended on the losing team for the first time this season as the Saints (4-5) showed they may still have a slight sniff at a place in the playoffs.

Tight end Jimmy Graham had a stellar day for New Orleans with two touchdowns and 146 yards on seven receptions while quarterback Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns and 298 yards.
While the result will change little in the NFC South standings, the game showed the Saints have fully recovered from their 0-4 start and the Falcons (8-1) may have some work left to do if they are to be a real threat in the playoffs.

Giants fall

The New York Giants (6-4) suffered their second successive loss, and their defeat to the unheralded Bengals, who had lost their last four games, will cause much more concern than last week’s defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Coach Tom Coughlin will be glad for the upcoming bye-week to fix his team’s troubles after a game in which New York quarterback Eli Manning threw two interceptions which led to Bengals touchdowns.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had four touchdowns passes for the first time in his NFL career, starting off with a 56- yard connection to the impressive A.J. Green and ending with a 10-yard pass to Mohamed Sanu.

The Giants risked going without a touchdown until Andre Brown scored from two yards in the fourth quarter.