The Atlanta Falcons faced the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC contest during Week 16. Ahead of the game, the Falcons had a 5-9 record, and although they had been eliminated from playoff contention, they showed fight as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15, 29-28.
Arizona, however, has only won three games this season, and a significant part of that is the injury to starting quarterback Kyler Murray, who has dealt with a foot injury since Week 5 of the regular season and was later placed on IR. The Falcons won the game, 26-19, and here’s what went right and wrong for Atlanta.
Falcons Contained Cardinals’ Tight End Trey McBride
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has been having a fantastic season, with over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns heading into the game. However, in the matchup, the Falcons’ defense shut down McBride, as he caught only four passes for 27 yards and no touchdowns.
The defense played well, getting to Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, forcing an interception, and sacking him twice. Cornerback C.J. Henderson picked Brissett off, which helped seal the game for Atlanta.
The Offense Looked Good, But Not Great
Atlanta was able to gain 342 total yards, and the offense showed bright spots, but they weren’t consistently great. Some of which were the run game working well, with running back Tyler Allgeier rushing for 79 yards. In contrast, fellow back Bijan Robinson rushed for 76.
Bijan Robinson led the team in receiving with seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. also had a good game with seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. 3rd down efficiency was well, going 7/14 but 4th down, not so much. Atlanta went 2/5 on fourth down, which had fans wondering what the offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, was doing.
Turnovers were also a deterrent, as Cousins threw an interception and fumbled on fourth down, which gave the Cardinals the ball back and contributed to their struggles on fourth down.
Drake London Was Back, But Not The Same
Star Wide receiver Drake London returned to the field after missing four straight games due to a PCL Sprain in his left knee. London didn’t have a very productive game, catching only three passes for 27 yards on eight targets.
London is usually a big play waiting to happen, but it was difficult for Atlanta to get him the ball. That led some fans to question whether he should play or sit out for the rest of the season, since they’re eliminated from playoff contention.
