EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The rain was falling and penalty flags were flying, but the Atlanta Falcons just kept slogging away.
Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard pass to MyCole Pruitt in the second quarter for the game’s only touchdown, and the Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South Division with an ugly 13-8 victory over the punchless New York Jets on a dreary Sunday at the Meadowlands.
“You’re in a playoff chase, you’re trying to win a division,” third-year Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Sometimes it can get ugly in the elements. Whatever happens, you adjust, and at the end of the day, you’ve just got to find a way to win.”
The Falcons (6-6) have back-to-back victories for the first time since opening the season by beating the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers in consecutive weeks. Atlanta entered Sunday tied atop the NFC South standings with the New Orleans Saints, who lost to the Detroit Lions.
The Falcons beat the Saints last week in Atlanta.