If Atlanta doesn’t make it easy, they still make it work.
The Atlanta Falcons are good. They’re frustrating, sure, with flaws that can prove fatal on any given Sunday. In a deeply unsettled NFC and with the talent on hand, however, they’re a contender, and their record reflects that reality.
After the past several seasons, it’s difficult to say that so simply without wanting to couch it further, and I did a little bit of that above. But they’ve played the undefeated Chiefs close, knocked off would-be contenders in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, and handled games against bad Dallas, Carolina, and New Orleans teams en route to a 6-3 record, 4-0 divisional mark, and 6-1 conference tally. You can be miles away from great and still be quite good, and that’s where Atlanta finds themselves.
It’s a position they earned by knocking off the Cowboys in a game that tightened considerably at the very end, but felt lopsided much of the day. The Falcons defense teed off on Dak Prescott to the tune of three sacks (half their season total coming into Sunday!) and multiple pressures, locked up the ground game after a tepid start, and largely erased the team’s remaining strengths aside from a couple of unfortunate drives. The offense had a day marred by a small handful of ill-timed penalties and mistakes, but those were really just blemishes for a team that once again scored four touchdowns and had some truly effortless-looking stretches. The coaches clearly had a good game plan for Dallas and were aggressive again when it counted; it all added up to a win where the team might have fallen apart in the past.
It was proof that the Falcons would not be caught flat-footed by an inferior opponent this time out, and aside from that brutal beatdown from a better-than-expected Seahawks team, they’ve taken care of business against NFC squads they’re expected to beat. They now have an opportunity to deliver the coup de grace to the Saints and run their divisional record to 5-0 before facing a game but uneven Denver Broncos team, and then they’ll have a buy. Sitting at 7-4 or even 8-3 heading into the bye will put them in an excellent position to make the playoffs down the stretch, and the thing is, it’s perfectly justified to be talking this way given where Atlanta sits today.
That’s a lovely change of pace and a credit to this team, which still may swing a needed deadline deal to help the pass rush, but seized their moment and put together another savvy offseason even if the draft picks look like they’re set to deliver in future seasons rather than 2024. If the Falcons can build on their effort against Dallas and make strides on the little things that still bedevil them, this is one of the NFC’s most dangerous teams. Bask in that knowledge and hope the good times continue.
On to the full recap.
The Good
- Kirk Cousins once again made smart decisions and read the defense well, which led to a jump ball touchdown to Drake London, a fourth down zippy throw to a wide open Darnell Mooney, a ball into a window to Ray-Ray McCloud for a third score, and a bunch of big conversions for an offense that needed them. Looking confident and measured, Cousins is smoothing out some of his frustrating early season tendencies and becoming exactly the kind of player the Falcons hoped to get, which is lifting all boats on this offense. Gone are the doubts that he can run this offense the way Zac Robinson wants it run, and as his comfort grows, so does this team’s considerable potential.
- Bijan Robinson had some negative plays, but often they were when he had little chance to make anything happen. With a heavy workload, he once again looked like the real deal, changing direction and making defenders miss to consistently pick up additional yardage on the ground and through the air. He had multiple big chunk runs and seemingly desperate pass plays that became major gains, and that’s a credit to his elusiveness and intelligence with the ball in his hands. Robinson’s the centerpiece of this offense for good reasons, and he totaled an impressive 145 yards on just 26 touches with a score. Few backs are doing it like he is.
- If Bijan’s the centerpiece, Tyler Allgeier is perhaps the league’s best complementary option. In this one, he was vital on special teams with his relentless motor and ran well, including a touchdown in the fourth quarter where he stayed on his feet and got a shove from the offensive line to get in. Allgeier’s numbers were pedestrian, but even on his quieter days he finds ways to contribute in multiple phases.
- On a day where Drake London exited early after a nice touchdown grab, the Falcons’ other receivers stepped up in a major way. Darnell Mooney made a number of big grabs, including a wide-open touchdown and a couple of big sideline first down conversions, while the volitale Ray-Ray McCloud also grabbed a nice touchdown and was a favored Cousins target. It’s Mooney who has a mindmeld with Cousins and seemingly gets open at will, but McCloud continues to be an underrated piece of the offense, if one who mixes in big grabs with some frustrating mistakes (though thankfully he recovered his own fumble in this one).
- Aside from a couple of big moments from the still-productive Carl Lawson and a couple of negative run plays, the Falcons’ offensive line held up in a big way against an injured but still talented Dallas defense. Only two sacks allowed, plenty of success on the ground for Bijan Robinson, and another productive day overall for the offense speaks well to this group, which continues to operate at a high level despite not having Drew Dalman.
- The pass rush finally had some success. Arnold Ebiketie had a coverage sack that he earned with persistence, Grady Jarrett followed that up with another sack on the very next play, and Elliss added one later. Pressure also forced some off-kilter Prescott throws, as the Falcons got half their 2024 sack total in a single game against Dallas, and Elliss and Ebiketie were particularly effective at rushing Prescott and Cooper Rush through their throws.
- Kaden Elliss had his best game in a long while. He blew up a fourth down attempt, made critical tackles, and was in the backfield multiple times to cause havoc, coming up with three pressure and a sack on six shots at Dak Prescott through three quarters. That included a key pass rush in the second quarter with eight seconds left, where he forced Prescott to throw it away to the sideline because he was coming in hot, and that big down-wasting sack late in the third quarter.
- Dee Alford had a really good game, too. He almost always delivers big hits, but he had tight coverage throughout this one, working to prevent some would-be big gains and first downs by staying close and delivering ball-jarring hits. He, A.J. Terrell, and Mike Hughes, who continued his run of really sticky coverage outside of a late touchdown allowed, are capable of playing like one of the league’s better trios when they’re rolling, and they largely were Sunday.
- For the second straight week, a team decided to try a fake punt. For the second straight week, a smart group on special teams for Atlanta sniffed it out and stopped it. Natrone Brooks was the one who knocked down (and nearly picked) the attempt.
- Another week, another note of praise for an aggressive coaching staff. They once again went for it on fourth down when presented with chances to do so, and they converted both, including that great touchdown to Mooney where the play design appeared to confuse the Dallas defense enough to spring the receiver for an easy downfield grab. This team has the weapons, the quarterback, and the savvy to treat every 4th and a handful of yards like an opportunity for a big play, and thus far they’ve done so and done so quite well.
The Ugly
- The run defense won’t get quite the same scrutiny because the run didn’t really get Dallas back into this game in the end, but it was another forgettable day for Atlanta. They allowed Rico Dowdle to pick up 75 yards on just 12 carries (6.2 yards per tote), gave up 30 yards on three Dak Prescott scrambles, allowed a couple of productive CeeDee Lamb runs, and allowed the recently exhumed Dalvin Cook to pick up 8 yards on two carries, finishing the day with 137 yards allowed on 21 carries. Given that the Cowboys had one of the league’s worst rushing attacks and had not had a carry of over 15 yards until they had multiple ones against Atlanta, the Falcons cemented both the need to get Troy Andersen back in the lineup and just how abysmal they are stopping the run.
- The Cousins fumble on second down was a rough one, as there appeared to be a miscommunication in pass protection that resulted in Carl Lawson getting a free shot at the quarterback. A blindsided Cousins fumbled, Bijan tried to bat the ball away from a Dallas defender, but it was recovered by the Cowboys and killed a potential Falcons scoring drive. That fortunately was not a harbinger of things to come.
- A comedy of errors helped the Cowboys score their first touchdown of the game. Dak Prescott was under pressure, but nobody got home and multiple defenders missed their chance, letting him loft one up to Rico Dowdle. The running back then bobbled it, but Dee Alford couldn’t hit him or knock it down, and Dowdle managed to catch it before he went to the ground. Atlanta’s absurdist defense routine is not putting this team in a position to succeed, and if there’s considerable luck involved in pulling off a play like that for Dallas, there’s also Atlanta making avoidable mistakes to enable it.
- The fact that the Falcons can’t simply walk away with a convincing win will likely remain a point of frustration all season long. Intent on making Dallas chew clock late in the fourth quarter, the Falcons allowed a long, grinding touchdown drive and then a too-easy two point conversion to Dallas to make it 27-21 with 1:28 left on the clock. They needed to recover the onside kick to ensure a victory and did so, with a huge credit to Kyle Pitts on that one, but after the Falcons largely handled this game it was disappointing to see them cede a score so late.
- The Falcons are not more prone to holding calls against them than other teams; indeed, they’re about league average in both yards lost to those calls and the number of calls. The problem has been that with one of the league’s most dynamic sets of running backs, the Falcons have repeatedly held on plays where a hold was not really necessary to spring Bijan or Allgeier, bringing back hugely productive runs and typically killing drives along the way. It will hopefully be a point of emphasis for Atlanta after it happened twice against Dallas.
- Injuries were a huge factor for both teams, which is inherently ugly. Naturally, I care more about what’s going on for my team, and the Falcons pulled Grady Jarrett for an Achilles (precautionary measures, supposedly), lost Drake London to a hamstring injury, and saw A.J. Terrell exit late. In a game where the Falcons had a comfortable lead much of the day, it’s deeply frustrating to lose multiple key contributors, and we have to hope those are short-term injuries.
The Wrapup
Game MVP
Going to give this one to Cousins yet again for another crisp game, especially one down his best receiver for much of the day. Kaden Elliss gets an honorable mention for his stellar work, as does Bijan Robinson for being so vital to the outcome.
One Takeaway
The Falcons are winning the games they’re supposed to win this year, at least at a better clip than in recent years, and it’s setting them up for a successful season.
Next Week
On the road again, this time to face the hated New Orleans Saints, who have lost seven games in a row. The Falcons have a chance to effectively end their woeful season once and for all, which would be an extra sweet moment in this season.
Final Word
AnotherwinningSunday.