The Falcons appear to be legitimate, and they showed real progress in a win over Dallas.
The Atlanta Falcons kicked off their second winning streak of the season by taking down the Dallas Cowboys in the Benz. Atlanta is now 3-3 at home and 6-3 on the season, with all six of those wins coming against NFC opponents.
The Falcons continue their push to the playoffs, giving fans more hope than ever. Here are Week 9’s snap reactions.
Kaden Elliss Responds
The inside linebacker has been criticized for their subpar play this season, but Atlanta’s man in the middle was anything but that today. Elliss came into the game leading the team in pressures and was in Dak Prescott’s face all game. Elliss has been effective as a blitzer all season, but Lake upped those opportunities today, and the linebacker took advantage, leading the team in pressures and getting his first sack of the year.
Where the Falcons have been needing good play from Elliss the most, inside linebacker, is where we saw him take the most significant strides. Elliss sniffed out a critical fourth down jet sweep for a loss. He was much more impactful in coverage and, while not perfect against the run, gave much better effort and played more soundly there than he has for most of this season.
Lake’s defense overwhelms Dallas but leaves a sour taste
I had a nearly 100% positive paragraph drafted before the final Falcons defensive drive. The soft coverage that teams have been able to pick apart couldn’t stop the Copper Rush and the surging Dallas offense and allowed a late score. Luckily, that was not the story for the majority of this game; it was quite the opposite. Jimmy Lake’s defense bullied Mike McCarthy’s offense for 90% of the afternoon. The Cowboys went 3-13 on third down and 1-5 on fourth down.
The Falcons gave up the third-fewest points (10) in the first half this season and their fewest since Week 2. The Falcons did the impossible and got to the quarterback three times, half the number of sacks they came into the games with. Atlanta applied pressure constantly and finally finished their plays with sacks. Arnold Ebiketie, Kaden Elliss, and Grady Jarrett were causing havoc all afternoon.
The defense even stood firm on the final drive of the second half. While the final impression wasn’t great, the defense took legitimate steps forward for what feels like the first time all season.
Mid-season injuries continue to stack
It’s that time of year again; every team deals with injuries as the hits add up, and the Falcons are no different. Troy Andersen missed his fifth game in a row, and Drew Dalman wasn’t able to go after being activated off injured reserve earlier this week. The Falcons were also without two of their only rookies that get snaps, JD Bertrand and Ruke Orhorhoro. Orhorhoro was put on IR and will, unfortunately, miss at least four games.
The Falcons lost Drake London and Grady Jarrett in this game, and it’s uncertain how long either could miss after today, especially Jarrett, who was reported to have an Achilles strain. The Falcons bye week can’t come soon enough and is luckily only a few weeks away. Atlanta needs to get healthy if they want to continue their impressive 2024 run.
The Falcons offense continues to grow
The Atlanta Falcons have a top flight offense by all metrics. They could have been better, but the group has continued to grow every week. The unit scored a touchdown every quarter for the first time all year. Kirk Cousins was highly efficient, going 19/24 for 222 and three touchdowns. Bijan Robinson has become one of the best offensive weapons in the league, putting up another 100-yard all-purpose performance. Drake London mossed Diggs early and left the game after a breakdancing celebration went awry, but Darnell Mooney didn’t miss a beat and showed that this team really does have two WR1-caliber receivers.
The team still needs to cut back on costly penalties and do a better job of sustaining drives, even if they don’t lead to points, but the Falcons have plenty to be happy about as the offense continues to heat up as we enter the early winter.
This team is legit
There’s no excuse for this team not securing their spot in dance this year. The Falcons have set themselves up to compete for a first-round bye and take control of the NFC playoffs. There will be challenges ahead, but none of them will be insurmountable. The Falcons best shot on either side of the ball is good enough to beat anyone; it just comes down to execution.
If the Falcons can take care of what they can control, the sky is the limit. This team hasn’t even begun to peak, and the expectations that come with winning haven’t knocked them off their path.
The Atlanta Falcons are in the midst of one of the best starts in franchise history. Their free agent quarterback acquisition looks like the best signing of the offseason, and the pass rush finally showed up after being missing in action all season. The Falcons have been heating up all fall, and if current trends continue, they will be entering winter blistering hot.