contract set to expire at the end of next season, there were more than a few fan

ATLANTA - Playing in the NFLs only division with no losing records, the Pittsburgh Steelers added another win to their resume.The Atlanta Falcons lost again, but still have a shot in the leagues only division with no winning teams.Ben Roethlisberger threw for 360 yards, LeVeon Bell ran for two touchdowns and the Steelers beat the Falcons 27-20 on Sunday.William Gay returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown for the Steelers (9-5), who remained a half-game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North.The Falcons (5-9) fell out of a first-place tie in the NFC South but would win the division by beating New Orleans and Carolina the next two weeks.For the Steelers, who lost to the lowly Jets and Buccaneers earlier this season, this ranked as a quality win.This was a big win against a division leader, Gay said. Thats something that you try to get in December football.Bell was limited to 47 yards rushing on 20 carries by an Atlanta defence that focused on stopping the run.They did a good job of neutralizing our running game, although we were able to run it in crucial moments, short yardage and goal line, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.The Falcons have a must-win game next week at New Orleans.That is the situation that we are in, Atlanta cornerback Robert McClain said. Obviously, a win today would have put us in better shape but ... we have to get a win next week.Bell had five catches for 72 yards but was denied in his bid to become the first NFL player with 200 total yards in four straight games.It was tough sledding running the ball but that opened up other things, Bell said. They had a lot of guys up front, a lot of guys in the box.Bells second touchdown run, a 13-yarder early in the fourth quarter, gave Pittsburgh a 27-13 lead.The Falcons answered with Matt Ryans 4-yard scoring pass to Roddy White but couldnt prevent the Steelers from running the final 4:34 off the clock. Pittsburgh converted twice on third down, the clincher coming on Roethlisbergers 25-yard pass to Heath Miller on third-and-1 from the Atlanta 39.Anytime you can finish the game with the ball in your hands and not let the other offence get on the field, thats the ideal situation, Miller said.Here are some things to know after the Steelers improved to 5-3 on the road and the Falcons fell to 3-4 at home:RING THE BELL: Bells breakout performance has paid off with the Steelers record for most total yards in a season.Bell passed Barry Fosters mark of 2,034 yards from scrimmage in 1992. He began the day with 1,924 yards. He added 119 yards to lift his season total to 2,043.Bell also set the team record for yards receiving by a Pittsburgh running back. He has 765 for the season. Ray Matthews had the old record with 762 in 1955.REWRITING THE RECORDS: Roethlisberger has 4,415 yards passing, surpassing his previous franchise record of 4,328 in 2009. Antonio Brown had 10 receptions for 123 yards, giving him a franchise-record 115 catches for the year. Hines Ward had 112 receptions in 2002.NO JULIO: Ryan completed 26 of 37 passes for 310 yards, even though he didnt have his top receiver. Julio Jones, who began the day on top of the NFL in yards receiving, was held out with a hip injury.INJURIES: Steelers safety Mike Mitchell returned after leaving with a groin injury. Tomlin said the other injuries were only bumps and bruises. Falcons cornerback Josh Wilson was escorted to the locker room with a hand injury.ROAD-FIELD ADVANTAGE: Steelers fans made up perhaps half of the crowd of 71,161. They showed up early and were waving their yellow towels before kickoff.I love and appreciate the support we get from our fans when were on the road, Tomlin said. Were used to seeing it, but it never gets old.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Charles Odum on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CharlesOdum New Balance Shoes Australia Sale . Spains victory rendered Frances 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivios own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers. New Balance Clearance Outlet . “The shootout, theres nothing wrong with it, I think its an exciting part of the game but its just one small aspect,” said Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. “Its a skill exhibition. If you can get it back closer to regular hockey and have it decided that way; that would be my preference.” “I dont think its a knock on the shootout, I think more of the managers would like to see it end in overtime,” added Washington Capitals GM George McPhee. http://www.wholesalenewbalanceaustralia.com/ . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Wholesale New Balance Shoes Australia .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. New Balance Sale Australia . Rookie Marek Mazanec made 39 saves for his first NHL victory and the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 Saturday night.The news that Bobby Ryan is undergoing season-ending surgery did not come as a complete surprise. Earlier this week, head coach Paul MacLean confirmed that Ryan had been dealing with a nagging injury since November – our first tangible clue that the winger has not been 100 per cent healthy all season. But for the past few weeks, the whispers had been growing louder and louder that Ryan was playing hurt. When the club returned to practice after the Olympic break, the winger took a couple of maintenance days that raised a few eyebrows. Now that the club has confirmed he was playing for the past four months with a sports hernia injury, it forces us to reassess our opinion of Ryans first season in Ottawa. In a strange twist, every player involved in the massive Ducks-Senators trade from last summer suffered a significant injury this season. Jakob Silfverberg had a broken hand, Stefan Noesen tore the ACL in his knee and now Ryan is done with the sports hernia injury. (The Ducks may want to order some bubble wrap to protect their first round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft that they will receive from Ottawa). When he was famously left off the Team USA roster for the Olympics, many suggested that Ryan was crushed by the bad news and went into a prolonged slump. He scored just two goals in 12 games in the month of January and looked like a shadow of himself at times. Certainly, the Team USA snub hurt him on a personal level, but its rather obvious that the physical pain of a sports hernia injury was the bigger factor for his declining numbers. Ryans limited ice time was also a source of controversy in this market, as fans and media openly questioned MacLeans deployment of his No. 1 sniper. He was taken off a unit with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur and was given third-line minutes instead. When the Sens were swept in Alberta earlier this month, Ryan played fewer than 15 minutes on each night – causing some to wonder aloud if there was a rift between star player and coach. In reality, the reduced ice time was likely the result of his nagging injury. In a statement to the media on Thursday, general manager Bryan Murray indicated that Ryan tried to play through the injury and doesnt appear to be concerned about how he was used by MacLean. "I know there were some times in games that he felt like he couldnt contribute very muchh but he stayed on the ice as required by the coaching staff and tried very hard to be a big factor for our team," Murray said.dddddddddddd "I think he was and obviously we like that kind of person and want to treat him right in return." If you look at Ryans on-ice production from this season (time on ice to produce a point), you can see a significant drop-off once the calendar flipped to December: Month Time on ice/point October 20:32 November 16:17 December 24:42 January 33:10 February 46:40 March 41:47 Ryans struggles were a red flag for many Ottawa fans, who were concerned about his lack of productivity and compete level down the stretch. With a contract set to expire at the end of next season, there were more than a few fans who were suggesting it was time to move on from the 26-year-old winger. But now that we have a clear picture of Ryans health, its a little more accurate to say that his first season was not a complete disaster. The fact that he led this team in goal-scoring with 23 despite the injury is fairly impressive. Considering the recovery time from this injury is about six weeks, GM Bryan Murray says there is every reason to believe that Ryan will come into training camp next season ready to return to his 30-goal form. "Well, he certainly started very, very well. He shoots the puck awfully well, he scored some goals, his line obviously carried the team early on. He was a big part of that," Murray said. "I think after the hernia started to get aggravated a little bit, he seemed to shoot the puck a bit less. Overall, very happy and satisfied with his overall play and we know hell be a real contributor going forward." That last comment from the general manager seems like the one that carries the most weight moving into this summer. Nobody is certain if the Sens will lock up Ryan with a long-term extension in the coming months, but one thing is clear: this organization hasnt soured on him after a disappointing season in which he played hurt. ' ' '