Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

It didn't take long for the rookies to make their mark in Atlanta. On Sunday night in a daunting environment in Minnesota, all four rookies who are either starting or playing significant snaps made a notable impact. Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. earned their first sacks. Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. produced their first interceptions. It was a gratifying night for a front office that has endured its share of misses and losses.

The Atlanta Falcons are on their third kicker of the 2025 campaign. Per NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the team has brought on kicker Zane Gonzalez. The veteran spent part of 2024 with the Washington Commanders, hitting 5 of 7 field goal tries and all 19 extra point attempts, but had previously not kicked in an NFL game since 2021. The corresponding move is, inevitably, Atlanta cutting ties with Parker Romo.

The Falcons hit rock bottom in a blowout loss to the Dolphins in Week 8. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz break down the film, discussing systematic issues with the offense, questions about Raheem Morris' leadership, and trying to figure out why Jeff Ulbrich has so much faith in JD Bertrand. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast!

In fact, the former second-round pick has been a trade target since the preseason, although the Falcons haven't shown any desire to trade him up to this point. Fowler notes that Atlanta's front office will listen to offers on any players, leading the reporter to believe Ebiketie could be had for the right price. Ebiketie appeared to be a foundational piece as recently as last season.

JD Bertrand looks like he doesn't belong out there, and given that the committee Jeff Ulbrich discussed hasn't materialized, that's been a major problem for the defense. The Falcons have talked up Bertrand's ability and effort in the past and clearly like the young linebacker, but if they're going to rely on him, they need better. What's causing this performance, and can he be salvaged?

Miami's starting quarterback, though, has no game status designation and is expected to start against the Falcons. Tagovailoa is trying to rebound from back-to-back three-interception games, the second instance while throwing for just 100 yards in an ugly 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Atlanta is already going to its backup quarterback Sunday, albeit a very experienced and well-paid one, in Kirk Cousins. Falcons starter Michael Penix is expected to be inactive with his knee injury.

The Falcons will soon be adding some depth to their secondary. According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the team designated for return from injured reserve today. Fuller suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that landed him on injured reserve. The veteran only required a minimum four-game stay on IR before returning to practice. The team now has 21 days to activate Fuller to the active roster.

With Ray-Ray McCloud inactive, Sills was the third receiver for much of the game, and did not receive a target while throwing some nice blocks. Casey Washington, who was targeted twice, also was a key blocking option. It's fair to suggest that if Darnell Mooney isn't going to be back, the Falcons have to figure out who they can throw the ball to in this receiving corps outside of Drake London, because neither Sills or Washington seems to be a consistent option in that regard.

Jeff Ulbrich's defense put on an exceptional performance tonight. In total, the team recorded four sacks, two interceptions, and held the Bills to 2-of-9 on third-down conversions. While the offenses flailed in the second half, his defense stood tall, delivering drive after drive and effectively neutralizing the best quarterback in the game. The defense was able to overcome the loss of Billy Bowman due to an outstanding bounce-back performance by Dee Alford,

Only 57 players-not linemen, players-have appeared in more games than Kenn did during his three decade-spanning career, and only five of those players are offensive linemen. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, and a three-time second-team All-pro who started every one of the 251 games he appeared in for the Falcons, and was known for his ability to handle some of the legendary defensive ends of the 70s and 80s.

Michael Penix and the Falcons offense rebounded against the Commanders in Week 4. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz break down the big days of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, along with the best game of Penix's career. Also, Jalon Walker and Brandon Dorlus shoutouts. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast! You can also listen to all of our video shows in an audio-only podcast format, available on

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Falcons fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. It feels good to kick off the Falcons' bye week with a Victory Monday. It feels even better to have a Victory Monday one week removed from one of the team's worst losses in recent memory against the Panthers in Week 3.

The big news with the Falcons continues to be the health of corner A.J. Terrell. Hamstrings are unpredictable with some players being able to bounce back quickly, while others take multiple weeks to months. Terrell remains 'week-to-week' as of Wednesday. My prediction is that he will be back following the Falcons' Week 5 bye week, and play against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 on Monday night. We shall see though.

In Week 2, Romo connected on all five of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point kick. He appeared to be set for a lengthy spell as Atlanta's preferred kicking option as a result, but things took a different turn in Week 3. During Sunday's blowout loss to the Panthers, Romo missed both of his field goal tries. The team now appears to be set for a new round of auditions at the position.

Hilliard remains better known for his run as a receiver, enjoying memorable stays in New York and Tampa after being a No. 7 overall pick in 1997, but he has been in the coaching ranks since coaching in UFL 1.0 from 2009-10. He has since been an assistant wide receivers coach with the Dolphins and wideouts coach with the Bills, Washington (two stints), Steelers and Falcons. For a season in 2022, Hilliard served as Auburn's WRs coach and interim co-OC.

I don't know about you, but I am still trying to reconcile the Falcons pass rush we saw against the Vikings on Sunday night with the pass rush we've seen over the past several years. With the exception of that one Adrian Clayborn game against the Cowboys a few years ago, I can't remember a game where I had that much fun watching the Falcons get after a quarterback since the John Abraham days.

The Falcons found a pass rush in a dominant win over the Vikings. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz break down the film from Week 2 and discuss the outstanding play of the defense, the rookie class showing up big, Bijan Robinson's big day, and some concerns about the red zone offense. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast!