Recap: Falcons 31, Colts 7
Nov 6, 2011
Matt Ryan and Julio Jones showed off their big-play potential on a pair of long touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons ended their futility against the Indianapolis Colts with a 31-7 win Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Colts (0-9) were never in it and are the only remaining winless team in the NFL after Miami beat Kansas City on Sunday.
Indianapolis had won 13 of the previous 14 meetings between the franchises, with Atlanta's only previous win at home in 1998.
The Falcons (5-3) jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead, as Ryan and Jones hooked up for scoring strikes of 50 and 80 yards.
Jones, who returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury, finished with a career-high 131 yards on three catches.
Ryan posted a quarterback rating of 120.7 – his best of the season. Atlanta is 18-0 when Ryan has a rating of 100 or better.
The Falcons have won six consecutive November games dating to 2009.
The Colts continued to struggle on offense without Peyton Manning. They had a season-low 186 total yards, and Dan Orlovsky replaced Curtis Painter at quarterback in the fourth quarter.