The Atlanta Falcons made it two wins from two in the new NFL season with a 24-20 victory over the New York Giants at the MetLife Stadium this evening.
The visitors were the only side to register in the opening quarter, although they had initially been denied a score when Leonard Hankerson's touchdown was reversed on review due to the receiver not getting the ball over the whitewash.
It proved to be only a temporary setback for the Falcons, however, as moments later Tevin Coleman charged into the endzone for his first NFL score from just a yard out.
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The Giants were struggling on offense despite Eli Manning becoming just the 15th quarterback to reach 40,000 passing yards in the NFL, and they were limited to a Josh Brown field goal in the early stages of the second.
That was cancelled out by a kick from Matt Bryant, but the Giants soon began their comeback when Odell Beckham Jr came up with the big play, collecting Manning's pass before beating three defenders on his way to the endzone for a 67-yard score.
Brown added another kick in the closing stages of the half to put New York in front at the break, and that lead was extended further when Larry Donnell was found by Manning in the endzone for a 10-yard touchdown.
In addition to Manning's passing yards, there was another milestone to celebrate for the Giants offense as Beckham Jr set a new NFL mark for receiving yards in the first 14 outings of a career.
They were pegged back again at the start of the fourth, however, as Hankerson, denied a touchdown in the first quarter, this time made his way safely into the endzone to collect a 10-yard Matt Ryan pass and reduce the deficit to three.
The Falcons finally regained the lead with just over a minute left on the clock when Devonta Freeman found his way over the line from two yards, and that proved to be the difference as the Falcons held out to condemn the Giants to their second defeat of the season.
Barney Corkhill
