St. Louis, MO (My Sportsbook) - Matt Ryan was 7-for-8 passing with 81 yards and a touchdown to lead the Atlanta Falcons past St. Louis, 20-13, spoiling Steve Spagnuolo's home debut with the Rams.

Michael Turner gained 65 yards and a score on seven touches for the Falcons, who dropped their preseason opener, 27-26, to the Lions. Tony Gonzalez had three catches totaling 32 yards and a TD in the win. Jason Elam was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts.

Kyle Boller, who started in place of an injured Marc Bulger, went 9-for-16 for 91 yards and also had an 11-yard run for the Rams, who won their preseason opener, 23-20, against the Jets. Kenneth Darby gained 30 yards on seven carries. Derek Stanley had two catches for 32 yards and a score. Josh Brown was also 2-for-2 on field goals.

The Falcons took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Atlanta took the opening drive 77 yards in nine plays, and found paydirt as Turner punched in a one- yard score.

The Rams were held to six plays on their next possession and the Falcons capitalized. The 70-yard trek was capped by a Gonzalez 14-yard score.

Brown's 43-yard field goal closed the gap to 14-3 with just over 13 minutes left in the second quarter.

Following a D.J. Shockley fumble at the Falcons 22-yard-line, Brock Berlin hit Stanley for a 20-yard score to bring the home team within 14-10 with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the third.

Elam nailed a 34-yard kick late in the third to make it 17-10 heading to the fourth frame. Brown had a 24-yard kick on the Rams' first possession of the fourth, but Elam countered with a 27-yarder to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Bulger suffered a fractured pinkie on his throwing hand in practice this past Monday...The Falcons won the only prior preseason meeting with the Rams, a 38-17 tilt played in Jacksonville prior to the 1991, when the Rams organization was located in the Los Angeles area...These two teams also met in Week 17 of the 2008 regular season, a 31-27 home victory for the Falcons.