The Giants were last shut out in 1996. Then they played the Falcons.

Matt Ryan looked like an MVP candidate in the Falcons' 34-0 drubbing of the Giants. He was incredibly efficient, completing 23 of his 28 passes.

That said, I'd be remiss if I didn't give the defense some credit. We picked off Manning twice. If you're keeping track, note that we've picked off Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Eli Manning a combined 9 times this year. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

While Julio Jones pulled in 2 touchdown passes, he was shaken up in the second half. I'd imagine he's fine, but no word yet on the extent of his injury. Chris Hope was also injured, taking a nasty head shot with his own helmet half off in the second quarter.

Kudos to the offensive line. The much-maligned unit held their own against the best pass rush in the game today. Can't hate on that.

All in all, this was a statement win, if I've ever seen one. One way or another, the media will figure out how to spin this. They'll blame Bradshaw's absence. Or they'll blame the impending apocalypse. But I'm happy.

Discuss!