If you were so inclined, you could find plenty to complain about in this game. The Falcons allowed a couple of big, explosive passing plays and were downright lackluster against the run. The offense messed up some key third and fourth downs and turned the ball over once. Special teams was mildly shaky. And so on.
But I’m not so inclined today. The Falcons put together a workmanlike performance across the board, with Bijan Robinson being the stellar exception, and it was enough to overcome a very slow
start and dismantle the Arizona Cardinals. After falling behind 13-3 in the second quarter, the Falcons rallied to tie things up at halftime, and then outscored the Cardinals 10-3 in a second half where they simply ground Arizona to dust. Even given the quality of the opponent and the relatively close margin, it was a solid effort, one that wasn’t defined by a huge pile of penalties, a massive special teams mishap, or an endless stream of big plays. The Falcons simply won.
In a very different season, one where the Falcons were on the top of the heap in the NFC South, we’d be glad they escaped from this game. With the season’s playoff dreams already over and nothing left to play for except pride, jobs, and keeping the Rams from picking in the top ten, this game registered as an effort low in frustration and relatively high in fun moments from Bijan, CJ Henderson, Kyle Pitts, and Kirk Cousins, among others. With only two games to go and all the big decisions ahead for this franchise, it was a perfectly pleasant way to pass a late Sunday afternoon. I wish we could have said that about more games this season, but it was both odd and satisfying to have a relatively normal-seeming Falcons game where they won as they were supposed to and escaped without any significant injuries or embarrassing lowlights.
There’s one more hugely difficult game against the Rams to come and then the Saints game ahead, but we’re almost done and into yet another hugely consequential offseason. Regardless of what that means for the Falcons, I wouldn’t mind a couple more enjoyable wins to cap things off; the final two games shouldn’t swing the pendulum too far either way for Arthur Blank and company. If nothing else, perhaps we can daydream about a season not far from now where solid, light-on-the-drama wins are the norm, not the exception.
On to the full recap.
The Good
- The third Falcons drive of the game in the second quarter featured a touchback that put the Falcons a the 30 yard line, exactly three Bijan Robinson touches, and a touchdown. He caught a ball spinning that went for nearly 40 yards, picked up 11 yards and a first down on the ground, and then caught a quick pass from Kirk Cousins and turned on the jets to score. It was Bijan in brief, an absurd showcase of his balance and ability to make defenders miss, and it gave the Falcons a fighting chance as it almost always does. He would go on to put up 78 yards on the ground, a team-leading 92 yards through the air, and a score as the undisputed best player on either offense. Even in a pretty dour season, Bijan remains a joy to watch.
- Tyler Allgeier had a great game, too. He was stuffed a couple of times on short yardage, had-to-have-it situations that could have proven costly, but he also managed 79 yards on 16 carries as the bulldozing back we all know and love.
- It wasn’t a standout game from Cousins, who made some off-balance throws early on with pressure coming in, but he settled in very nicely and directed the offense efficiently and effectively. Minus an inception that wasn’t entirely on him, he went 21/34 for 197 yards and a touchdown, taking what was given to him and producing a handful of absolute lasers to Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts. The Falcons can certainly win when Cousins plays like that, especially if he has an effective quarterback sneak or two for a score in him.
- Kyle Pitts was quiet in the first quarter, but he followed it up with a nice set of grabs that included a key first down and a wide open touchdown late in the second quarter. He finished the day with 57 yards and a score, hardly the record-setting day he enjoyed last week but still good for one of Atlanta’s two receiving touchdowns and for the second-highest receiving total on the day. He’s capping off a season that will likely rank as his best in the NFL when all is said and done.
- Divine Deablo figured to be essential to the outcome, and he showed up early. Deablo broke up a pass to Trey McBride, made a nice tackle, and hit Michael Carter hard enough to make a tough catch attempt impossible. He continued to be one of the few Falcons showing up against the run early on, and continues to be one of the defense’s truly vital players.
- Brandon Dorlus is having a fantastic second season, and has turned into exactly the kind of plus pass rusher on the interior the Falcons were hoping he could be. In this one, he nearly had a couple of sacks and finally got Jacoby Brissett in the fourth quarter, bringing him down on third down to force a punt with the Falcons up ten points alongside and splitting the sack with James Pearce Jr. Pearce, of course, had a nice game of his own with the half sack, multiple pressures, and a batted down Brissett pass he saw the whole way.
- Arnold Ebiketie has been getting pressure this year, but it hasn’t translated to many sacks or splash plays. In this one, though, he brought down Brissett for an early, key sack, his second of the season.
- This was a big of a throwback game from Jessie Bates, who has had an uneven year by his standards but showed up on Sunday. He delivered a jarring hit to knock loose a would-be touchdown to Trey McBride, got his hand in and knocked away a potential third down conversion to McBride one play later, and was a force for good most of the day in coverage and as a tackler. That’s the Bates this defense needs to be elite instead of just pretty good.
- CJ Henderson earned praise from this coaching staff throughout the summer and season, but hadn’t played a role until Sunday. Pressed into starting duties thanks to an A.J. Terrell injury, Henderson made the game-sealing play by intercepting Jacoby Brissett late in the fourth quarter, managing to hang on despite nearly bobbling it. The Falcons were then able to kneel it out, and Henderson’s play gave us confidence the Falcons will at least be able to put together a passable effort if Terrell has to miss any time.
- I thought Cobee Bryant played well, too. With a tough matchup working against Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, Bryant clamped down pretty well aside from a handful of plays where he was out of position. That did not include the Wilson touchdown grab, where Bryant was all over him, got a hand on the ball, and just had Wilson make a stellar play to ultimately reel it in. The undrafted rookie should continue to get playing time down the stretch as the Falcons try to figure out if he can compete for a starting role in 2026.
- Zane Gonzalez had one extra point kick blocked, but otherwise he continued his reliable run. He hit his other two field goal tries and his other two extra points, something we haven’t been used to taking for granted in 2025, and continues to do enough to at least be in the mix for the job in 2026 in Atlanta.
- The Falcons have rallied the past two weeks, especially on offense. Aside from a couple of cringe-worthy fourth down calls, Zac Robinson called a better game, the execution improved, and the defense overcame a slow start against the run in particular to hold the Cardinals under 20 points. It’s still well shy of what I would consider enough for this coaching staff to stay here, given how the past two years have gone relative to expectations, but it might be enough for Arthur Blank to want to give Morris and Terry Fontenot another chance with further roster improvements and probably some staff adjustments; whether they put up a real fight or crumble against the Rams will probably factor in to the ultimate decision. At the very least, the team not going down without swinging is nice to see, particularly with no upside to losing given that their first round pick is headed to the Rams.
The Ugly
- The Falcons really looked good on offense once they got rolling, but they were not immune to dumb plays and execution, nonetheless. In the fourth quarter and driving with a chance to put the game away for good, the Falcons tried back-to-back screens that came up just short, and then tried a handoff that required Kirk Cousins to drop back a bit and give it to Tyler Allgeier on fourth and inches. Charlie Woerner collided with Allgeier, Cousins kind of collided with both of them, and the handoff was fumbled and recovered by the Cardinals. Terrible, hilarious execution and bad use of motion and play call resulted in a predictably bad result.
- The run defense, considering the opponent, was very gnarly. Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, and Corey Kiner, both running behind an injury-ravaged line, combined for 22 carries and 127 yards, averaging well over five yards per carry along the way. These are Arizona’s #4, #5, and #6 options—James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight are all on injured reserve—and yet they sliced through the heart of this Falcons defense in a way that bodes very poorly for the upcoming matchup against Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. I know the Falcons badly wanted to stop Brissett from taking over the game and were fairly successful at it, but run defense is an area where the Falcons need upgrades this coming offseason, regardless.
- Special teams miscues cost the Falcons again. A penalty on the opening kickoff gave Arizona good field position, which they turned into a field goal despite only gaining one first down. Later on, Zane Gonzalez had an extra point attempt at the end of the first quarter blocked to prevent the Falcons from taking their first lead. Finally, Deven Thompkins came very close to taking the ball out of the end zone before kneeling, which would have led to Atlanta having potentially setting up the Cardinals with excellent field position if they had faltered on that drive; fortunately he did not do so. Luckily, these mistakes and near-mistakes were not fatal this time around, but the lapses continue to be a real problem in that phase.
- It’s nearly Christmas and the Falcons won a game where they were only truly embarrassing on a small handful of plays, so we’re not going to belabor the small stuff. We might need to save it up for Week 17, after all.
The Wrapup
Game MVP
Obviously Bijan Robinson, who accounted for one of Atlanta’s scores and about half their total yards on offense.
One Takeaway
Big picture takeaways are difficult after a win over a bad team late in a lost season, but I do think repeating that the Falcons have not given up even though the year has been so bitterly disappointing is probably the best one we’ve got.
Next Week
The last primetime game of the season, a Monday night battle against the great-but-tiny-bit-vulnerable Rams.
Final Word
NicelittleSunday.
