NEWS » hs -- and really carry the offense for much of w

DENVER -- Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons didnt need another 300-yard performance from Julio Jones to decipher Denvers dazzling defense and wreck Paxton Lynchs first NFL start with a 23-16 win over Broncos on Sunday.Using a steady dose of I-formation runs and short passes that put Denvers linebackers in coverage, the Falcons (4-1) handed the Super Bowl champs their first loss since Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh and left the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) as the NFLs last unbeaten team.The Broncos (4-1) were on their heels having to respect the play-action because Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman were so effective running the ball, combining for 119 yards and a 4.4-yard average.A week after setting a franchise record with 503 yards passing in a runaway win over Super Bowl 50s other participant, the Carolina Panthers, Ryan threw for 267 yards Sunday and only two of those (covering 29 yards) went to Jones.Last week, Jones became just the sixth 300-yard receiver in NFL annals, not that Denvers No Fly Zone defense was impressed. They dismissed that performance as a bad day by the Panthers, and they stifled Jones all afternoon.Not that it mattered.Coleman, who played despite having sickle cell trait, which can sometimes be exacerbated at altitude, showed off his breakaway speed by catching four passes for 132 yards to go with his 31 yards on six carries.Ryans rather modest total included a 31-yard touchdown toss to Coleman following Ricardo Allens interception at the Denver 42 in the third quarter that made it 20-3.That sequence sent some flustered fans streaming for the exits as the Falcons finished off the Broncos, who hadnt lost at home since Dec. 13 against Oakland.The Broncos dont have much time to digest the loss. They play at San Diego on Thursday night, and their hope is that Trevor Siemians bruised left shoulder is healed by then.Lynch, the 26th overall pick out of Memphis last April, got the starting nod because Siemians bruised A.C. joint in his non-throwing shoulder was still bothering him a week after he was flung to the turf in Tampa.It was Lynch who showed he wasnt ready Sunday, however.He completed 23 of 35 passes for 223 yards with a late TD to Demaryius Thomas and an interception. He was sacked a half-dozen times, including 3 1/2 times by outside linebacker Vic Beasley, who burned right tackle Ty Sambrailo on three of those takedowns.Lynchs footwork was a mess and his overthrows and misfires ruined any chance the Broncos had of capitalizing on the leagues 30th ranked defense, including the NFLs next-to-last pass defense and a patchwork linebacker corps .Unlike Siemian, Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, all of whom did enough to allow Denvers stout defense to secure the win during an NFL-best nine-game winning streak, Lynch couldnt avoid mistakes that doomed his team to defeat. He constantly held onto the ball too long and too often didnt make decisions or moves fast enough.PROTECTION PROBLEMS: It didnt help Denver that right tackle Donald Stephenson (calf) was deactivated for a third straight week. Ty Sambrailo was repeatedly burned by Beasley before the Broncos moved right guard Michael Schofield over and inserted Darrion Weems.GROUNDED GROUND GAME: The Broncos ground game has ground to a near standstill ever since Stephenson and tight end Virgil Green pulled calf muscles in Week 2. After averaging 141 yards and 4.7 yards a carry in their first two games, the Broncos nosedived to 70 yards and 2.5 yards a carry in next two games. Green and Stephenson were surprise holdouts Sunday and the Broncos gained just 84 yards on two dozen handoffs.MILLER TIME: Even in defeat, Von Miller got to the quarterback. He recorded a sack and now has 6 1/2 on the season.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Jan Vertonghen Jersey . JOHNS, N. Mousa Dembele Belgium Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Dries-Mertens-Belgium-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- St. Vincent Kompany Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Yannick Carrasco Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. WASHINGTON -- By the time Game 1 of the National League Division Series rolls around, Daniel Murphy will have gone three weeks without a start for the Washington Nationals.When the NL East champs host the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to get things started, one big question will be which team deals better with all the time off since the end of the regular season.Another will be how the Nationals fare without starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and slugging catcher Wilson Ramos, both sidelined by injuries (Strasburg for the series, Ramos for the season). And yet another will be how key players such as 2015 postseason star (while with the Mets) Murphy, 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper and franchise stalwart Ryan Zimmerman deal with nagging ailments.Almost everybody has something, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. So our training staff and everybody will be busy working on guys.After giving his players Monday off, Baker will gather them at Nationals Park on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for workouts. One benefit of waiting until Friday to start their postseason is the extra time for dealing with health issues.Murphy last started a game on Sept. 17, kept out by a strained glute muscle. Since then, he has had only three at-bats, including a flyout as a pinch hitter in Sundays regular-season finale. Baker says he expects to have Murphy in the lineup against the Dodgers.What does the player himself say?Its tough to guess whats going to happen on Friday on Sunday, Murphy said. But hopefully.His impact on the Nationals success -- the nearly wire-to-wire division title, the 95 wins, the home-field advantage in the NLDS -- cant be overstated.ddddddddddddA year ago, remember, Murphy starred for the Mets in October, homering in a record six consecutive postseason games and earning NLCS MVP honors. That helped him get a $37.5 million, three-year deal from Washington, with a salary of $8 million in 2016.All Murphy did was hit .347 with 25 homers, 47 doubles and 104 RBI -- all team highs -- and really carry the offense for much of what turned out to be a real down season for Harper.The youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history last season, Harper batted only .243 with 24 homers and 86 RBI in 2016. After hurting his left thumb on a slide in late September, he sat out four games, then returned to go 1 for 11 with eight strikeouts over the last three days of the regular season.Zimmerman, dealing with a bad calf, finished with career lows in batting average (.218), on-base percentage (.272) and slugging percentage (.370).Youve got to tighten up little things, because theres nothing you can about whats already here. You dont have Ramos. You dont have this guy; this guy might not be swinging well; this guy might not be healthy. Or whatever it is. I just have to manage around that. Its not easy. Id rather just have everybody healthy and just have a set lineup, and me just sit back. But Ive never had that. Thats never been the case. So I dont expect that, Baker said. I just burn the midnight oil sometimes and keep that pad by my bed, and when I get a thought, I go with it.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '