In a battle between two of the most tortured fanbases the NFC has ever produced, the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals have historically just about shared the spoils in their respective histories head to head, with the Cards edging out a narrow 18-16 lead. The former St. Louis, turned Phoenix, turned Arizona Cardinals do not have a great history of success in the NFL, but they sure were good at beating the Falcons, after Atlanta's inception into the NFL world in the 1960s.
After another week of amazing football, led off by a crazy TNF divisional win by the Falcons, week 16 is already shaping up to be another all-timer. A primetime TNF game between two of the better teams in the league, A Green Bay-Chicago matchup that may decide the fate of the NFC North, and a chance for the Jaguars to legitimize their spot as a contender in the AFC.
While last week's win over Tampa Bay was not Bryant's first action of the season, it was his most extensive action to date. He was forced to fill in for injured starting cornerback Mike Hughes, who has already been ruled out against the Cardinals. Stepping into the role as a starter, Bryant was repeatedly targeted by Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Their first bold strike came when they signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180MM pact with $100MM in guarantees in March 2024. With Cousins in the fold on a mega-deal, there was no expectation the Falcons would immediately use a high pick on a passer in that spring's draft. They stunningly did just that in selecting former Indiana Hoosier and Washington Husky Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall.
The Falcons have been eliminated from the playoffs and have nothing left to play for in 2025, but the final three games are still important. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz discuss what's worth saving from the 2025 Falcons, including Kyle Pitts, Zane Gonzalez, the young players all over the defense, and the defensive coaching staff. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast!
Outside of the Falcons, the rest of the league is in a heated battle throughout, with 23 teams vying for all 14 playoff spots, which are still up for grabs. But even better, we have a few teams that can clinch their spots in the playoffs: The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams can all clinch a spot in the dance this week with wins against their opponents.
The Falcons trailed 28-14, committed a franchise record 19 penalties, and...defeated the Buccaneers 29-28 as time expired. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz break down one of the strangest and most unlikely victories in Falcons history, discuss why this result doesn't change anything for Raheem Morris and Co., and enjoy some phenomenal performances from Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Kirk Cousins, and James Pearce Jr. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!
Morris elected to go the "CEO" route as a head coach, bringing in rookie offensive and defensive playcallers and choosing to take on a higher-level management role. Given his experience on both sides of the ball, this approach made some sense. Unfortunately, Morris has struggled in that role and his lack of control in all three phases-and in-game management-has become a major issue for the Falcons.
The Falcons dropped to 4-9 after an embarrassing blowout loss to the Seahawks, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention. With issues mounting from all three phases and the roster looking shakier by the day, it's time to ask a serious question: will the Falcons make a coaching change? If so, when should we expect it to happen? Who are some top candidates to watch for 2026? Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!
Being an Atlanta Falcons fan is a curse. This Thanksgiving weekend may have been one of the best weekends of football from the entire league, from massive upsets to incredible performances throughout the weekend, the NFL showed why it is the preeminent sports league in the country. But if you're a Falcons fan, there's always that tinge of disappointment surrounding the weekend because this lowly franchise can't figure out how to finish a very winnable game against the Jets.
This Atlanta Falcons team had everything to play for-a small chance to climb the ladder in the NFC South, pride, their coaching staff, one another, and even not handing a top ten pick to the Rams in 2026-and they simply weren't good enough to beat a Jets team that entered the day at 2-9. The list of failures was long, but what's most remarkable is how many times the Falcons could have simply won this one outright against a Jets team
The Atlanta Falcons weren't going to get a much two game stretch than the one against the Saints and Jets, and it represented their last, best hope to claw their way back into the NFC South. Instead, they did what they've done so many times in recent years with such aplomb and found a way to lose on a rainy day in New Jersey. With Nick Folks' 56 yard field goal just squeaking through, Atlanta dropped to 4-8 and their season is officially over.
Atlanta Falcons Washington Commanders With leading receiver Drake London set to miss his second straight game with a knee injury, Drummond joins the 53-man roster off the taxi squad. He was unable to be a standard gameday practice squad elevation, since he'd already been elevated three times this year. Chosen is headed to the waiver wire after three games with Washington.
With the team leaning heavily on two receivers, it ended up being Mooney and Sills bearing the load. Sills continues to be infrequently targeted but is someone this coaching staff clearly trusts; Drummond playing ahead of guys actually on the roster tells you they trust him more as a receiving option. I thought both players looked solid on Sunday; if London misses more time the Mooney/Sills/Drummond trio will likely get a lot of run again.