Ryan throws for 336, Falcons get FG at end, top Miami 30-28

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Matt Ryan fell asleep during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, and wasn't even aware until waking up Sunday morning that the Atlanta Braves are heading to the World Series.

The Braves, he noted, are playing for a title despite struggling for much of the year.

And he sees no reason why such a turnaround can't inspire the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan had two big throws to Kyle Pitts to get Atlanta into field-goal range on the final drive, Younghoe Koo made a 36-yarder as time expired, and the Falcons beat the Miami Dolphins 30-28 on Sunday — a sixth consecutive loss for Miami, and the second in a row coming on a final-play kick.

“You have the right mindset and have courage," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said of Ryan. “He has it. He’s a special player. I personally think he’s been criminally underrated his if you look at his career.”

Ryan passed for 336 yards, nearly half of them — 163 — going to Pitts, his rookie tight end. The Falcons had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter lead and were trailing with 2:27 left. But Ryan and Pitts needed only 37 seconds to flip the momentum.

A 23-yard pass to Pitts opened the final drive, a 28-yarder down the sideline got Atlanta well within Koo's range, and Ryan milked the clock down to almost nothing with Miami out of timeouts and resigned to simply hoping for a miracle miss.

“We had plenty of time," Ryan said. “We just needed a field goal. I know we have a guy who can put it between the pipes.”

Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage caught touchdown passes for the Falcons (3-3). Ryan completed 25 of 40 passes.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 291 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, the last of them going to Mack Hollins with 2:27 left for Miami, which has dropped six straight. Tagovailoa completed 32 of 40...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Ryan-throws-for-336-Falcons-get-FG-at-end-top-16559038.php