NFL London: Atlanta Falcons hold on for 27-20 win over New York Jets

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The Atlanta Falcons held on for a 27-20 victory over the New York Jets as the NFL made a jubilant return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Falcons were in control at half-time, with touchdowns from Kyle Pitts and Hayden Hurst helping them into a 20-3 lead.

Ty Johnson got into the end zone at the start of the second half to give the Jets hope, and they got within three points late on as they followed Michael Carter's touchdown with a two-point conversion.

The majority of a boisterous crowd of 60,589, relishing the NFL's return to London after the pandemic forced last season's international series to be cancelled, hoped for a field goal to take the game into overtime.

But Mike Davis ran in Atlanta's third touchdown of the day to ensure the Falcons, who have had a nasty knack of throwing away big leads, did not add another to the collection, improving to 2-3 for the season.

Follow the action as it happened, plus the rest of Sunday's games live

It also ensured rookie Pitts could celebrate a milestone day in his fledgling career. With the Falcons missing their top two receivers, Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson had to shoulder the offensive burden.

And Pitts, who became the highest drafted tight end in NFL history when Atlanta made him the fourth overall pick, stepped up to claim his first NFL touchdown.

The 21-year-old was named the game's star man after finishing with nine catches for a game-high 119 receiving yards, while Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, the number two draft pick, failed to shine as his side slipped to 1-4.

"Kyle won his one-on-one match-ups and made some big-time plays for us," said Atlanta coach Arthur Smith. "Everybody wants the hot take after week one but you've just got to see continued improvement. That's why Kyle's here. We like the player he's becoming."

Falcons' veteran quarterback Matt Ryan added: "I've told Kyle I'm proud of him. I think there's going to be a lot of those [performances] in the future for him. He could be a great player in this league.

"There's a lot of noise, both positive and negative, that can distract you for that but he's done well as a young guy to focus and I expect him to continue that."

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