![JJ Cooper](http://www.blogsmithcdn.com/avatar/images/327/288388_64.jpg)
by JJ Cooper
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Trailing 24-20 with just over a minute to go on Sunday, White got a step on safety Marquand Manuel and Matt Ryan made a pretty impressive 45-yard heave. But Manuel managed to get an arm on White as he tried to toe-tap his feet in the end zone before flying out of bounds. It was set up for an amazing game-winning catch, except the pass hit White's hands and flew right threw them.
It's hard to blame White--the Broncos could have been flagged for pass interference, but it was the perfect summary of the game. Atlanta had every opportunity to pull out a win that could have cemented their status as a playoff team, but instead, the Broncos made just enough plays to improve their own playoff hopes.
When the Broncos needed a big play of their own, Brandon Marshall outjumped Chris Houston for a 47-yard pass. Jay Cutler kept threading the needle with big passes. With every Broncos tailback sitting on the IR or on the inactive list, fullback/fill-in tailback Peyton Hillis ran for two touchdowns. And the Broncos' awful defense held Michael Turner to 81 yards.
It's hard to complain about the Falcons falling to 6-4, because no one would have expected them to be above .500 this late in the season. With only one gimme (St. Louis) left on the schedule, the Falcons will have to win some diffiicult games if they are going
Broncos 24, Falcons 20: Jay Cutler Outduels Matt Ryan originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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