- Atlanta improved to 10-3 against AFC opponents and 16-13 on the road under Head Coach Mike Smith with its 31-7 win over Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The Falcons own a 5-3 record in 2011 and look to continue their three-game winning streak when they return home to the Georgia Dome next week for an NFC South clash against New Orleans.
- LB Curtis Lofton set the tone for the game when he forced Colts RB Delone Carter to fumble on Indianapolis' second play from scrimmage. The loose ball was recovered by DE Ray Edwards and set up a two-yard RB Michael Turner touchdown run. Atlanta has forced a turnover in 27 straight games dating back to 2010, which is the longest current active streak in the NFL and the longest streak since Chicago posted 25 straight games with a takeaway between 2007 and 2008.
- Following the turnover, Turner punched in a two-yard touchdown for his seventh score of the season. Since joining the Falcons in 2008, Turner has 46 rushing touchdowns, which ranks second in the League during that span. He currently trails RB Gerald Riggs who posted a franchise record 48 touchdown runs in his Falcons career. Turner finished Sunday's contest with 71 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown.
- This season, the Falcons have posted 55 points on 15 turnovers, which rank among the League leaders through nine weeks. Additionally, Atlanta's 10 interceptions are among the most in the NFC and its plus-16 turnover differential over the last four seasons ranks fifth in the NFL.
- WR Julio Jones caught his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter, hauling in a 50-yard score from QB Matt Ryan. Jones split two defenders and dove into the endzone to make the catch, which was originally ruled an incomplete pass. Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith challenged the ruling on the field, giving Atlanta a 14-0 lead.
- Jones added a second touchdown grab later in the first half when he caught a short slant pass from Ryan and took it 80 yards for a score. Jones' catch-and-run was the Falcons longest play from scrimmage this season and gave him a career-high 130 receiving yards at the time.
- Jones finished the game with a career-high 131 yards on three catches with two touchdowns. He also added two rushes for 33 yards to finish the game with 164 all-purpose yards. The rookie out of Alabama has recorded three 100-yard games this season and has totaled 28 catches for 489 yards despite missing two games because of a hamstring injury.
- Ryan tossed a third touchdown pass in the third quarter when he rolled right and hit TE Tony Gonzalez for a one-yard score. The fourth-year signal caller has thrown multiple touchdown passes in two games this season and has 12 touchdowns through eight games. With Ryan under center, Atlanta is 20-4 when he throws multiple touchdown passes and 34-10 when he finds at least one target in the endzone.
- Ryan finished the game with 275 yards and three touchdowns on 14 of 24 passing. He posted a season-high 120.7 quarterback rating, marking the second time this season he's surpassed the century mark. Since 2008, the Falcons are 18-0 when he records a quarterback rating of 100-or-more. The 80-yard touchdown to Jones was the second longest touchdown pass of his career.
- The one-yard score was Gonzalez's 93rd career touchdown reception and his fifth TD grab this season. The future Hall of Famer leads all tight ends and ranks ninth in NFL history in terms of touchdown catches. He finished the game with four catches for 36 yards. Since he was acquired in 2009, Gonzalez has caught 17 touchdowns, which is tied for the third most by a tight end in the NFL during that time span. His 17 touchdowns are the third most by a tight end in franchise history.
- Former Colt and current Falcon cornerback, Kelvin Hayden, notched his second interception of the season when he picked off Colts QB Curtis Painter on Indianapolis' second offensive possession. The Falcons forced turnovers on each of the Colts first two possessions of the game.
- After forcing a fumble on the Colts opening drive, Lofton set the tone for the Falcons defense with a team-high 12 tackles (eight solo). This season, Lofton has recorded 90 tackles, including 10-or-more stops in six games.
- Atlanta's defense did not allow a point in Sunday's win over Indianapolis, with the Colts only score coming on a pick six, and the unit held the Colts to just 186 total yards, including 83 on the ground. Dating back to 2010, the Falcons have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 11 consecutive games.
- For the third time in the last four games, Atlanta posted multiple sacks with DT Jonathan Babineaux and DT Corey Peters each sacking Painter. Babineaux dragged Painter down for a three-yard loss for his first sack of the season, while Peters pulled down the Colts signal caller for a 12-yard loss. The sack marked Peters' second consecutive game with a sack and his third QB takedown of the season.
- K Matt Bryant extended his franchise record streak of consecutive made field goals to 28 with a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Bryant set a new franchise record in Atlanta's Week 7 win at Detroit when he passed Norm Johnson, who hit 26 straight from 1992-1993.
- Rookie P Matt Bosher had one of his best games posting seven punts for 321 yards with an average of 45.9 yards per kick and a net average of 43.1 yards. He put three punts inside the Colts 20-yard line and booted a season long 55-yarder as well. This season, Falcons opponents have started 34 drives at or inside their own 20-yard line.
- Fellow rookie RB Jacquizz Rodgers saw his most extensive action with 10 carries for 44 yards, including an 11-yard scamper that set up Turner's first quarter touchdown. The shifty running back also added one reception for 16 yards.
- The Falcons did not allow the Colts to convert on third down in the second half. Indianapolis failed to move the chains in the second half on four third-down attempts and finished the game converting on 4 of 14 attempts on third down for a 29 percent conversion rate.
- Since 2008, Falcons head coach Mike Smith is 11-4 during the month of November.
