There was some excitement near the end of the game as a comeback seemed to be brewing, but the Broncos couldn't overcome a bad first half as they dropped their Monday Night showdown against the Falcons, 27-21.
Peyton Manning and the Denver offense had about as bad a start as a team can have in a football game, turning the ball over four times in the opening quarter. That included a Peyton Manning interception on the very first drive that led to a Michael Turner touchdown for Atlanta less than two minutes into the game. After that, Denver's defense settled down and helped keep the game close, but the Falcons chipped in two field goals and a Matt Ryan touchdown throw to Tony Gonzalez before Denver finally made a move.
Down 20-0, the Broncos finally scored at the very end of the second quarter when Peyton Manning tossed a ball right to the sideline in the end zone, where Demaryius Thomas was forced to make a fantastic catch. After review, the play was ruled a touchdown and the Broncos looked like they would have some life in the second half.
Unfortunately, Denver's defense couldn't contain Atlanta early in the second half for long enough. Matt Ryan added his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter, a toss to Roddy White.
It got interesting later on as Denver started to make a solid comeback bid and the offense finally began to hit a stride. Willis McGahee punched in two touchdowns, both from 2 yards out, to make the score 27-21 with three minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the defense couldn't finish what they started and allowed Matt Ryan to move the chains on the following drive enough times to close the game out.
Denver will look to rebound from their first loss of the season in Week 3 when they face the Houston Texans at Sports Authority Field.
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