Somehow, given the state of the NFC South, the hopes for the Atlanta Falcons haven’t completely vanished. Unfortunately, with Michael Penix Jr. going down for the season after surgery on his partially torn ACL, the hope is slim for the franchise. But it isn’t completely dead yet.
But with Kirk Cousins looking like a shell of himself, and somehow even worse than last season, it is going to be an uphill battle for the Falcons to remain in the race. A game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 offered them a chance to improve their chances significantly. However, it wasn’t a great first half for the team, with a particularly rough performance from Darnell Mooney.
What Happened to Darnell Mooney?
With Drake London continuing to miss time for a month, the hope for Atlanta had to be that Mooney could pick up the slack on the offensive side of the football. Unfortunately, the first half did not have the desired effect.
The offense as a whole put up 14 points. However, the veteran wide receiver was targeted just one time in the entire period. He could not haul that ball in, ending with zeroes across the board on the stat sheet.
Ranking at number 97 on PFSN’s WR Impact this season, he had just 329 receiving yards and a single touchdown coming into this game. For a player who had one of his better seasons last year, racking up close to 1,000 yards for the Falcons, the drop-off in production has been significant.
MORE: 3-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
That has reflected in his impact score as well, where he ranked 33rd on WRi. Some of his struggles have been a direct by-product of the weak quarterback play, both from Penix and Cousins, since he took over the job under center.
Even with the injury to their WR1, Mooney hasn’t been able to step up and increase his production in London’s absence. Instead, it’s Kyle Pitts Sr. who’s had a mini renaissance, which is the story of this game as well.
Dominating the receiving yards, the tight end crossed the 100-yard mark in the first half itself, also scoring both their touchdowns, while the running game also provided impact, led by Bijan Robinson.
In a massive victory for Atlanta, they were able to register a 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter. However, Mooney’s impact remained limited throughout the night, as he finished with just three receptions and 35 yards.
Instead, the brilliance from Pitts continued, as he caught 11 of 12 passes thrown towards him, registering 166 yards and three touchdowns. Finally, a last-second field goal was enough to make the difference, and the Falcons walked away with a 29-28 win.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
