ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons were struggling – again – and quarterback Matt Ryan was looking for something to spark his team.
The 11th-year pro got just what he wanted from a teammate, even if he doesn’t play on the same side of the ball.
Julio Jones made an acrobatic touchdown catch on a pass from Ryan, and Deion Jones returned an interception for an early score as Atlanta ended its losing streak after five games with a 40-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“That was awesome to get us going,” Ryan said of the linebacker’s interception return. “I felt like the energy, that really got everybody into it, and from that point forward we played really well.”
The Falcons (5-9) forced three turnovers and sacked Arizona quarterbacks seven times, a single-game season high for both teams. Arizona (3-11) has dropped two straight games and five of six under first-year coach Steve Wilks.