Right from the start, a horse trained by one not-so-over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result: a huge upset and the end of any hopes for a Triple Crown attempt at the Belmont Stakes.ATLANTA – Matt Ryan threw the 100th touchdown pass of his career and the Atlanta Falcons held off the Denver Broncos 27-21 Monday night.
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning was intercepted three times in the first quarter, only the second time in his career he’s had such an awful opening period.
The Falcons raced to a 20-0 lead before Manning finally connected with Demaryius Thomas on a 17-yard TD pass with 6 seconds left in the first half.
Manning guided the Broncos to two fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut the lead to 27-21, but the Denver defense was unable to stop Atlanta on a third-down play just before the two-minute warning.
A week after Manning won his Denver debut with a home victory over Pittsburgh, the Broncos had turnovers on four on their first five possessions.
Vilma, Goodell meet
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in New York to discuss his suspension that was temporarily lifted.
Vilma called the meeting “very frank, very truthful” after spending a little more than three hours at NFL headquarters.
Vilma was one of four players suspended in the bounty scandal.
But an appeals panel this month said Goodell must clarify his rulings to ensure no part of his decisions was based on salary cap violations. That would be the jurisdiction of special master Stephen Burbank.
Around the league
Washington defensive starters Brian Orakpo (pectoral muscle) and Adam Carriker (quad tendon) were declared out for the season. … Philadelphia center Jason Kelce will miss at least four to six weeks because of a torn knee ligament, and it’s possible he could face season-ending surgery.
