Pirate Galaxy » brings a lot of wisdom to the room, Benkert said

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons found a way to finish out a win and end a two-game losing streak.Theyre hoping the discovery will help them stay on top of the NFC South.The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, need better health as they try to stay close in the NFC North.Matt Ryan threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu with 31 seconds remaining Sunday and the Falcons overcame Aaron Rodgers do-it-all best to beat the Packers 33-32 on Sunday.It was an important win for the Falcons (5-3), who had lost two straight and already were hearing suggestions they were headed for a repeat of their 2015 season, when they started 6-1 and still missed the playoffs at 8-8.The Falcons insist this team is different and able to overcome losses to Seattle and San Diego the last two weeks.Certainly, we didnt get the result we wanted the last two weeks, but I dont think anybody was discouraged, Ryan said. We learned from those situations, we came back and when we had our opportunity late in the game today, I thought it was executed really well.On first down from the Green Bay 11, Sanu and Julio Jones lined up left.Julio ran outside and drew two guys and it left me one-on-one with a linebacker, Sanu said.Sanu beat linebacker Jake Ryan on his route and caught Ryans fastball under the goalpost.When we practiced it during the week, he said he was going to put a little extra zip on that ... and he did, Sanu said with a grin.Green Bay (4-3) couldnt overcome the loss of six starters.Linebacker Clay Matthews and wide receiver Randall Cobb were held out with hamstring injuries. Also missing were starting tight end Jared Cook, who has an ankle injury, wide receiver/running back Ty Montgomery, who was limited all week by an illness, and starting cornerbacks Quinten Rollins and Damarious Randall.Rodgers completed 28 of 38 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for a career-high 60 yards.First of all, there are no excuses, Rodgers said. Were all professionals out here and are expected to play well, and to that accord Im proud of our guys and the way they battled.Here are some things to know about the Falcons win over the Packers:NEW TARGETS: Receivers Geronimo Allison, Trevor Davis and Jeff Janis caught their first career touchdowns as Rodgers kept the offense moving.Fullback Aaron Ripkowski, who had six carries for the season before Sunday, matched that with six carries for 34 yards. He had four carries for 13 yards on the Packers 13-play, 86-yard touchdown drive for a 32-26 lead with 4:04 remaining.12 IS TOO MANY: A crucial mistake by defensive end Brooks Reed almost cost the Falcons. Reed was too slow to run off the field on a third-down play inside the Falcons 20, and Atlanta was penalized for having 12 men on the field.If not for the penalty, the Packers would have faced a fourth-and-1 play from the Atlanta 15. Instead, they had a first down at the 13 that helped set up Rodgers 7-yard touchdown pass to Janis. Rodgers run for the 2-point conversion gave Green Bay a 32-26 lead with about 4 minutes remaining.ADAMS TRIES BACKFIELD: Davante Adams, who started for Cobb, followed the lead of Cobb and Montgomery by lining up at running back as well as receiver.Davante, to his credit, has to know so many different positions and so many different personnel groups, said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who called Adams the backup, backup, backup, backup running back/wide receiver in the backfield.TAMME HURTS SHOULDER: Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme left with a right shoulder injury suffered on the first possession. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the injury is not expected to be a long-term thing. Quinn said Tammes status for Thursdays game at Tampa Bay is in question right now.BRYANT KICKS WAY TO TOP: Matt Bryant passed Morten Anderson to become the Falcons all-time leading scorer. Bryant began the day with 803 career points, three away from Andersons record of 806. He kicked a 36-yard field goal to cap Atlantas opening drive to tie Anderson and added a 40-yard field goal and three more extra points.Anderson kicked for Atlanta from 1995-2000 and then returned to close his career with the Falcons in 2006 and 2007.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLOrel Hershiser Indians Jersey . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Rico Carty Jersey . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/1388u-mike-freeman-jersey-indians.html . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Larry Doby Indians Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Kevin Plawecki Indians Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.Transfer Kurt Benkert has won the battle to be Virginias starting quarterback.First-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall made the announcement Wednesday.Ive really been impressed with how hes moved the team. When I look at a quarterback, what I look first and foremost for is do they move the team into the end zone because points determine outcome, Mendenhall said. Kurt has been the one that I think has consistently and can continue to be consistent in terms of moving our team forward regardless of the type and caliber of opponent that we play.Hes a good decision maker, very strong arm, and he has natural leadership skills.A transfer from East Carolina, Benkert beat out incumbent Matt Johns and Connor Brewer, both fifth-year seniors, for the job. Johns started all 12 games last season and threw 20 touchdown passes, but also was intercepted 17 times.Mendenhall said Johns and Brewer will begin the season as co-backups.Benkert, who got married this summer, was to be the starter at East Carolina last season before an injury ended his year. He will be more than a year removed from surgery when the Cavaliers open on Sept. 3 against highly regarded Richmond of the Championship Subdivision.In practice, Benkert felt like the deciding factor to getting the starting nod was consistency and big play ability. Weve had a lot of big plays throughout camp and stretched the field a lot, so its definitely helped.Coach Ruffin McNeill was fired by ECU after last season, and when McNeill joined Mendenhalls staff, Beenkert followed him to Virginia.dddddddddddd He had already graduated, making him eligible to play right away, and said reuniting with McNeill was a benefit in the move.I feel really lucky to be able to see him every day. Hes a great person and hes always fun to be around and he always brings a lot of wisdom to the room, Benkert said of McNeill, the Cavaliers assistant head coach and defensive line coach.Mendenhall, who led BYU to 99 wins and 11 bowl games in as many seasons as coach, replaced Mike London as coach following the season. He said when he was hired that his preference is for a dual threat quarterback, and Benkert believes he is that kind of QB.Im not the fastest guy on the field by any means, but I definitely break tackles inside the pocket and outside the pocket whether its subtle movements or just extending plays on the run to throw the ball downfield, Benkert said. I feel like thats a big strength of mine.Benkert said the coaching staff has stressed the need for him to slide to prevent injury, but at a chiseled 231 pounds he said, If I need a first down or the game is on the line, Ill take over from there.That might out well for Virginia, which finished 4-8 and failed to qualify for a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season last year.---The APs college football page: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '