Dave Choate

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/ A well-deserved honor for a player who ended two potential scoring drives and scored a touchdown himself. Jessie Bates didn’t just have a great game against the New Orleans Saints. The Atlanta Falcons safety had the kind of game that, in conjunction with a potent day on the ground, ensured the Saints were sunk and the Falcons would fly high. It was a masterful performance. On Sunday, Bates had a pick-six on Derek Carr that ended a would-be scoring drive, forced a Taysom Hill fumble, and roamed all over the field creating minor forms of havoc...

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Atlanta wants to keep the good times rolling against a woeful Jets offense, but a still-game Jets defense stands in the way. The biggest win of the season is in the books. With a victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, the Atlanta Falcons moved to 3-0 against the NFC South in 2023 and first place in the division. Now the next challenge arises, in the form of staying perched atop the NFC South. The next obstacle is a road game against the New York Jets. A would-be AFC East powerhouse, the Jets lost Aaron Rodgers a few...

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/ Atlanta makes some post-bye adjustments to playing time. The Atlanta Falcons needed that bye week to get right, and to their credit, they came out of it looking better. It was far from a perfect effort and many of the same questions still linger, but they got the win against the Saints and had some big moments on defense and on the ground. Let’s talk about how they way they divvied up snaps may have helped them get there. Offense Desmond Ridder: 62 Jake Matthews: 62 Matthew Bergeron: 62 Drew Dalman: 62 Chris Lindstrom: 62 Kaleb McGary: 62 Drake...

Photo by Todd Kirkland/ The bloodletting begins in the woeful NFC South. The summer seems to have happened aeons ago. That was the last time we thought these Atlanta Falcons might be a 10 win team without some divine intervention, when Saints fans had convinced themselves that Derek Carr was the answer, when Buccaneers fans...well, their expectations were probably pretty realistic, actually. No team had their hopes and dreams more rudely smashed to bits than Carolina Panthers. There were articles about an all-star coaching staff, big belief in Bryce Young, and a sense...

Photo by Todd Kirkland/ It wasn’t pretty, but a banged-up Saints squad couldn’t get the job done and the Falcons slammed the door shut en route to the NFC South lead. If the Atlanta Falcons had come out of the bye flat, showing zero resilience and all the same flaws, it would have been time to dust our hands and declare the season over. Instead, they mixed in the familiar frustrations with some brilliant moments and some genuine improvements, and that was enough to put a slumping Saints team in the deep, dark hole they belong in. We’ll start with the good stuff,...

Photo by Todd Kirkland/ The Falcons needed this win badly, and they triumphed in a sloppy one against their most hated rival. The Atlanta Falcons needed this win. They had to have this win. A victory propelled them to the top of the NFC South and kept their playoff hopes alive after a 4-6 start and plenty of ugliness, while a loss more or less doomed their hopes for the year. In a sloppy one marred by turnovers by both teams and some late down misses, the Falcons got that victory they needed, and by a comfortable nine points. With Bijan Robinson scoring two touchdowns,...

Photo by Chris Graythen/ It’s the biggest divisional battle of the year thus far for both teams. It’s nearly here. The Atlanta Falcons play shortly against their biggest rival and the team we all love to hate, the New Orleans Saints. You’ll want to watch this one, even if you’re justifiably nervous about it. Here’s all the information you’ll need to do so, whether you’re local or a long way away. Schedule & TV information Date: Sunday, November 26 Time: 1 p.m. EST Channel: FOX Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia Announcers: Joe Davis,...

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/ The veteran kicker will be insurance for the Saints game. The most alarming news of the week for the Atlanta Falcons was the unwelcome report that Younghoe Koo was dealing with a back injury. One of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, Koo is an essential player for the Falcons, who settle for more field goals than we’d like and are always confident that Koo will nail them. If Koo can’t go Sunday—and we just don’t know yet—the Falcons will need an alternative. They chose that player on Thanksgiving, adding veteran Matthew Wright....

Photo by Norm Hall/ If Atlanta’s going to make more noise, they’ll need improvement and better usage for these players. The Atlanta Falcons are a team that needs to improve more-or-less across the board, which makes focusing in on any one player feel like picking on said player. The reality is that some players are just important to this team’s fortunes, and some players need to be far better for the Falcons to really unlock their potential over the season’s final seven games. Here are six such players, and what the Falcons need to do to get more out of them,...

Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Here is a frequently updated Atlanta Falcons roster for 2023. Last year, we kept track of the Falcons’ roster with regular updates via our tracker. This year, we’re kicking off a brand new 2023 Atlanta Falcons roster tracker to help us keep up with all the many changes to come during the season. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can return to it frequently, especially because the Falcons love to tweak their roster throughout the season. Here’s the roster as of today. 2023 Falcons roster (Updated 11/23) Offense QB...

Photo by Todd Kirkland/ Atlanta’s got to hit New Orleans where it hurts. There is no other rivalry in football that inspires the level of disgust and number of often hilarious barbs between fanbases that Atlanta Falcons - New Orleans Saints entails. Unfortunately, that rivalry has become a little too one-sided in recent years, to the detriment of Atlanta fans. There’s an opportunity to start correcting that Sunday, and it comes at a critical moment for the Falcons. Win and they regain control of the NFC South; lose and they are in even bigger trouble than they...

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/ With the team looking for a spark, lineup tweaks are possible. The Atlanta Falcons have put the bye week behind them and must prepare for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in a game you can comfortably term as a “must-win” effort for a team in danger of losing the season entirely. What changes did the bye week bring us? There’s one we know about, but lineup tweaks and opportunities for some reserves might be on the table. Here’s what I’m guessing we’ll see the rest of the way, plus that one confirmed item. A new (old) quarterback...

Photo by Steph Chambers/ The terrific blocking tight end may well find his way onto the active roster down the stretch. The Atlanta Falcons haven’t fielded quite the caliber of rushing attack this season that we anticipated, considering they added Bijan Robinson to an already talented group. Part of that has been subpar run blocking, especially from Atlanta’s group of tight ends and wide receivers, though they appear to be getting on track a bit in recent weeks. Perhaps Parker Hesse will be able to help with that. One of the vital cogs in the team’s rushing...

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/ The Falcons will get back a couple of key defenders for Sunday’s tilt with the Saints. In his Monday press conference, naturally Arthur Smith had to confirm the reports that Desmond Ridder will be the team’s starter going forward. The Atlanta Falcons head coach also delivered some positive injury news. The Falcons will be getting Dee Alford and David Onyemata back out there on the practice field, potentially bringing back a pair of key defensive starters ahead of their Week 12 game against the Saints. The news is less positive for Taylor...

Atlanta’s on a bye, so chat with fellow fans about the other matchups for the day. Today’s an off day for the Falcons, giving us a Sunday to recharge and brace ourselves for what Atlanta’s football team is going to bring us over the final seven weeks of the season. You can use this as your open thread for the day’s slate of games, with two NFC South matchups on the docket in the form of a likely Cowboys drubbing of the Panthers and probable San Francisco deconstruction of the Buccaneers. The best game of the week will be Eagles-Chiefs, in all likelihood, but we’re...