DETROIT -- The Falcons mightve found their groove in Motown. cheap jerseys from china paypal . Matt Ryan ran and threw for touchdowns to give Atlanta a double-digit lead in the first half, and the Falcons held on to win 23-16 in Detroit on Sunday. The defending NFC South champion-Falcons (4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season because they finally played well in all three phases on the same day. "Good teams go on streaks," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. "You cant just keep yo-yoing up and down." The Lions (5-2) have lost their lustre with two straight losses -- both at home -- after their perfect start. Their formerly fired-up fans have started to boo, moan and groan. "We dont deserve their cheers if were going to play like that," Lions guard Rob Sims said. "Its just that simple." The Lions had a chance to get Ford Field back on their side. But on Detroits final drive, a pass-interference penalty against Atlanta was overturned because instant replay showed defensive tackle Corey Peters had slightly grazed the ball. "I didnt see the tip, but the guys in the booth were in my ear about it right away," Smith said. "With less than two minutes, we had to rely on the officials, but they did a great job. They didnt let the Lions snap the ball, so the replay official could get a good look, and they made the right call." Instead of having the ball at the Falcons 26, the Lions were backed up to the 41 and Matthew Stafford threw an incomplete pass on the next play to turn it over on downs and injured his right ankle, knee -- or both. "To tell the truth I cant really tell right now," Stafford said. Stafford said he was going to try and play if Detroits defence got the ball back, but the Falcons made that a moot point by picking up a first down and running out the clock. Ryans one-yard plunge and 18-yard pass to Roddy White put Atlanta ahead 17-6 at halftime. Calvin Johnson caught his 10th touchdown pass late in the third quarter -- to pull Detroit within four points -- and finished with five receptions for 115 yards. Matt Bryants third field goal gave the Falcons a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter on a drive extended when safety Louis Delmas was called for holding on fourth down. The Lions, who struggled against Atlantas aggressive defence all day, had the ball at their 13 with 3:20 to go and three timeouts left with a chance to send the game into overtime. Stafford converted a fourth down with a pass to Brandon Pettigrew, and a personal foul against Atlanta left the Lions 41 yards away from the end zone. They wouldnt get any closer. Detroit didnt get another chance to come back because it couldnt tackle rookie running back Jacquizz Rodgers on third-and-4 near midfield. Lions coach Jim Schwartz and Smith met at midfield after the game in traditional fashion a week after Schwartz had to be separated from San Franciscos Jim Harbaugh in a charged scene. Ryan was 20 of 34 for 218 yards with a TD and two interceptions and scored on a one-yard plunge to break a three-all tie late in the first quarter. He left the game briefly when teammate Will Svitek stepped on his left ankle, tweaking his knee. "It hurt, but I dont think it was bad as it must have looked on television," Ryan said. Atlantas Tony Gonzalez caught five passes for 62 yards, giving him 1,104 career receptions to trail only Jerry Rice in NFL history -- by 445 catches. "Trust me, Jerry Rice will never be caught," the 35-year-old Gonzalez said. "Im very happy with second place." Michael Turner ran 27 times -- including a 50-yard gain -- and finished with 122 yards rushing for the Falcons. Stafford was 15 of 32 for 183 yards and a TD against consistent pressure, getting sacked three times and hurried after several more snaps. "I was very pleased with the way we made it hectic and chaotic for the quarterback," Smith said. Detroits Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams combined for 94 yards on 18 carries, filling in for Jahvid Best, who was out with a concussion. The Lions struggled on special teams. They gave up long returns -- one of which went for a score but was negated by penalty -- and Stefan Logan fumbled on a kickoff to set up Ryans TD run. Schwartz said Detroit couldnt overcome missed opportunities on offence, defence and special teams against the Falcons. "They were 13-3 last year and theyre going to be a good team again this year," he said. Notes: Gonzalez moved past Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102). ... Scheffler and Lions LB Justin Durant played after being out with concussions and Lions CB Chris Houston aggravated his back injury. ... Atlanta WR Julio Jones (left hamstring) and LT Sam Baker (lower back) were inactive. ... Johnson has the most TD receptions (10) through the first seven games of a season since Randy Moss had as many with New England in 2007 and is one short of the total Elroy Hirsch had with the Rams in 1951 and Frank Clarke in 1962 with the Cowboys, according to STATS LLC. cheap jerseys from china .com) - Fourth-seeded Chinese star Li Na and No. cheap jerseys from china free shipping . You can watch all the action on TSN with coverage beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. LeBron James of the Miami Heat was the leading vote-getter as he starts his 10th All-Star Game.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time. It doesnt come easily in a goalie split with Martin Brodeur, but he made a good case for himself in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday night. Schneider made 30 saves and held off the Islanders late charge to win for the first time since a shutout of Buffalo on Nov. 30. "I want to win, but you cant do it without the guys in front of you," Schneider said. "I thought we played really well tonight, and we eliminated a lot of their odd-man rush opportunities." The 27-year-old goalie held the Islanders scoreless until midway through the third period, before Frans Nielsen tied it 1-1. It didnt stay even for long. With 6:57 to play, Travis Zajac took a shot off his upper body from Marek Zidlicky. The puck deflected past goalie Evgeni Nabokov for the winning goal. In addition to limiting the Islanders odd-man rushes, the Devils capitalized on their own chances. New Jersey took a 1-0 lead with 8:23 remaining in the first period when Adam Henrique beat Nabokov as the trailer on an odd-man rush. "We needed this as a group," Schneider said of the win. "Weve been stringing some points together, which is nice. But we couldnt settle for one. I think we needed the two." New Jersey lost to Columbus at home in a shootout on Friday night. The Islanders absorbed their latest tough home loss. New York hasnt won at Nassau Coliseum in regulation since Nov. 12 -- going 1-5-4 during that span. cheap jerseys from china wholesale. This loss came without captain John Tavares, who missed the game because of an undisclosed lower-body injury and had his consecutive games streak snapped at 246. He is day to day. Despite Tavaress absence, the Islanders controlled the puck and put heavy pressure on the Devils, particularly in the third period. But Schneider turned aside all but one of their 14 shots. They received a late power play, but couldnt convert -- leaving them 0 for 3 with the advantage during the game. "It was a typical Islanders-Devils game," New York coach Jack Capuano said. "They got the shot and the bounce at the end." The bounce resulted in one of two goals allowed by Nabokov, who played another solid game. Fresh off a shutout victory over Detroit on Monday, the veteran goalie made 23 saves. "Its a process," Capuano said. "(Weve) got to do a better job teaching these kids, and theyre going to go through some growing pains." NOTES: Devils captain Bryce Salvador returned for the first time since he broke a foot on Oct. 22. The 37 year old defenceman logged a team-high 16:05 of ice time in the first two periods. ... New Jersey LW Mattias Tedenby was a healthy scratch. He is minus-5 in three games since he came back from a two-game conditioning stint in the AHL. ... Tavares consecutive games streak is the fifth longest in Islanders history. ... Islanders 20-year-old centre Ryan Strome was held pointless. He has no goals and just one assist six games into his NHL career. cheap jerseys ' ' '
