With little to play for but the moral victory of keeping the hope of consecutive back-to-back winning seasons alive, the Atlanta Falcons gritted one out in the bone-chilling cold of the Meadowlands.

Matt Ryan found Tony Gonzalez for a six-yard TD pass with 93 seconds left to lift Atlanta to a 10-7 win over the stunned New York Jets. It was the first cold-weather win for the Dirty Birds from the South since Atlanta bested Denver at old Mile High Stadium in 1982.

It wasn’t the prettiest of days for the Atlanta offense, which mustered just 238 yards. But Atlanta got the job done when it mattered most and kept that vengeful Falcons curse at bay.

To the offensive grades we go.

Quarterback: Ryan looked terrible until the final drive, completing 10 of 25 passes for a paltry 115 yards. But he showed up big time down the stretch, connecting on six of nine passes on that final 73-yard drive, including that strike to Gonzalez to win it. Grade: B-

Matt Ryan mostly struggled in his return from a toe injury, but he rebounded to throw the winning touchdown pass.

Running Backs: Michael Turner’s return lasted all of one play before he reinjured his sore right ankle. Like Ryan, Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood were terrible until that winning drive, amassing just 55 yards on the ground. But Snelling had two big runs to set up Atlanta’s go-ahead score. Grade: C-

Receivers: Redemption seems to be the theme of Sunday’s win. The receiving corps was, well, terrible until that last TD. Roddy White had a downright awful game, connecting with Ryan just four times for 33 yards. Ditto for Michael Jenkins (one catch, 20 yards). But Gonzalez saved the clubs’ proverbial bacon in the end. Grade: C+

Offensive Line: The O-line opened very few holes for Atlanta’s rushing attack; however, it did keep Ryan protected for most of the night and the Falcons somehow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Grade: B

-- PHIL FOLEY