3 Falcons up, 3 Falcons down in Week 17 win over Saints

Hello, number two seed.

The Atlanta Falcons cruised to a first round bye with a 38-32 win over the New Orleans Saints in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates.

Who’s up and who’s down in the victory?

Up

Matt Ryan

Ryan threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns on 27 of 36 passing. What else needs to be said at this point? He’s the league MVP, no questions asked.

Vic Beasley

The ferocious pass rusher added another sack to his total, finishing with the most in the league with 15.5. It’s been an excellent second season for Beasley, to say the least.

Jalen Collins

The second round pick from a year ago has looked good since stepping in for the injured Desmond Trufant. Collins added an interception today and had a couple of nice breakups.

Down

Jake Matthews

Atlanta’s starting left tackle has to clean up the procedural penalties. Matthews was flagged for three false starts, including two back-to-back in the third quarter. This shouldn’t happen in games at home.

Ricardo Allen

Allen has to tackle better. Period.

Justin Hardy

Hardy could’ve had a contender for catch of the year if he’d stayed inbounds on a Ryan throw to the back of the endzone. His stock isn’t truly down; I just needed someone to put here.

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Who’s up and who’s down for you?