The Atlanta Falcons get out of the desert with their first road win against the Arizona Cardinals in over 20 years. Bijan Robinson became the third Falcon in team history to hit the 2,000 scrimmage yard
mark. A Falcons win should feel better than it currently does, but the win still feels good. Here are the Week 16 snap reactions.
Bijan Robinson is one of a kind
This is going to be the running back this current generation of young fans remembers for the rest of their days. And I don’t just mean Falcons fans, I mean NFL fans across the globe. Bijan is the most undeniable talent the team has had since Julio Jones, and we’re only three years into his career.
Do whatever it takes to keep this man in Atlanta. Pay him early and pay him what he wants. Allow him to use team funds for a Hollywood biopic starring Matthew McConaughey as Zac Robinson. Whatever the price, he’s worth it.
Two birds that hate special teams
It’s not often a competitor tries to challenge the Falcons for the worst special teams performance of the day, but the Cardinals rose to the occasion. Atlanta had an extra point blocked by the legend Calias Campbell, who now has 11 blocked kicks in his career. However, the Cardinals delivered a doink, a kickoff slip (which led to a penalty), and a field goal shank to edge out the Falcons in the special teams snafu department.
Brandon Dorlus, the next great Falcons DT?
In his first season cut loose, Dorlus has more sacks in a single season than Grady Jarrett did during his Falcons career. The defensive tackle is just behind the team lead in sacks and is looking like one of the biggest steals of the 2024 draft. Dorlus isn’t perfect; he can be moved in the run.
Still, we’ve seen his explosiveness lead to TFLs, and with another offseason to build his base up, he could become a more effective three-down player. He’s not a household name yet, but he’s heading in the right direction.
Execution errors remain
The Falcons still can’t manage to play a clean game. Penalties and mistakes happen, but the Falcons continue to make the same ones, and that is nothing short of a cardinal sin in the game of football. We already touched on the special teams issues, and the offense took part as usual as well. A motion error on fourth down opened the door for an Arizona comeback. It’s clear that Atlanta had more talent than the Cardinals today, but you can’t say the same about the coaching.
Is it gonna happen?
Some of you can already see that “The Atlanta Falcons have elected to retain HC Raheem Morris” notification. The Falcons have won two games in a row, the third time they’ve done so this season. The team will have a chance to show that they can sustain success with two more games left on the schedule. Regardless of whether they win or lose, the season ends against the Saints. While some fans hope that fact carries more weight than this final stretch, history tells us that Arthur Blank believes momentum carries over to the next season (despite that never happening here).
The Falcons will have a real test on Monday Night Football. They’ll play the Los Angeles Rams, a team Atlanta will be linked to for a long time after the 2025 draft trade that landed James Pearce Jr.
