How the Falcons rediscovered their ground game and ran into first place in the NFC South
ATLANTA — When the Atlanta Falcons returned to their practice facility 14 days ago, fresh off their third loss in as many weeks — and to the lowly Arizona Cardinals on top of that — Kaden Elliss had little idea what to expect.
What he saw on that Monday gave him some hope.
“I knew at that point that I was with the right team, that I picked the right spot this offseason because of how people bounced back,” said Elliss, a linebacker who signed with the Falcons as a free agent in the offseason. “It’s easy when there is prosperity. It’s not so easy when things aren’t going your way. Seeing how everybody bounced back and how that continued this week, that’s how we got this win. The fight we had was something special.”
The Falcons used that fight — and the benefit of a bye week — Sunday to beat Elliss’ former team, the New Orleans Saints , 24-15 in what coach Arthur Smith called a “cathartic” win. In addition to stopping the Falcons’ three-game losing streak, it moved the team into first place in the NFC South.
Terry Fontenot was jacked up about this win. #Falcons are now atop the NFC South with six games to play. pic.twitter.com/ERkFJI2MgN— Kelly Price November 26, 2023
The Falcons and Saints are both 5-6, but Atlanta is in better shape thanks to its 3-0 record within the division.
“It’s just one game, but we needed that win in the worst way,” Smith said. “I thought overall it was a good team win. This thing has got to play out. We have six games to go. It’ll feel like six lifetimes. That’s the National Football League .”
The Falcons’ chances of making the playoffs improved from 32 percent to 54 percent with the win, according to the New York Times playoff predictor. That number would jump to 65 percent with a win over the 4-7 New York Jets next week, but the Falcons mostly were happy to focus on just one result Sunday evening.
“Losing sucks,” right tackle Kaleb McGary said. “I think the team needed this in a lot of ways. It was a good team win.”
McGary and the offensive line get the lion’s share of the credit, though. Atlanta had a season-high 228 rushing yards, its second-highest total in three years under Smith. The Falcons ran the ball on every play of a 10-play, 54-yard drive in the fourth quarter that set up Younghoe Koo ’s game-sealing 39-yard field goal with 1:47 left.
“When you’re watching the intent and the way those guys were blocking up front and the way our guys were running the football, why (throw it)?” Smith said. “That was encouraging. That’s who we need to be to close out games.”
The Falcons’ rushing output was the sixth highest by an NFL team this season.
“That’s kind of a representation of what we want to stand for as an offense this year,” said left tackle Jake Matthews , who set a franchise record Sunday by starting his 155th consecutive game. “We ran the ball effectively, mixed it up, protected the quarterback well. We did what we wanted to do. There is always stuff to improve, but overall pretty gratifying win.”
“They brought some special juice today,” Elliss said of the offensive line.
Several Atlanta defensive players traced the offensive line’s performance to the team’s Wednesday practice, which Smith referred to as “a damn battle.”
“That’s what those guys are capable of game in, game out,” said defensive tackle David Onyemata , who, like Elliss, left New Orleans this offseason to join the Falcons. “That should be what the offense is known for. I had a whole training camp with them, so I know exactly what that feels like. Having them come out there and execute the way they did, great to have them on my side.”
Four Falcons averaged more than 4 yards a carry Sunday with rookie Bijan Robinson leading the way with 16 carries for 91 yards, including a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
“I don’t know what (the offensive linemen) were on this week, but they were overpowering everything in practice,” Robinson said. “They had a different mindset. Just seeing those five guys go out there and dominate the will of a defense, it speaks a lot for how good an O-line can be. Those five guys, the tight ends, the receivers. It was all part of the plan this week to do what we do in the ground game.”
Quarterback Desmond Ridder returned to the starting lineup after a two-week benching and completed 13 of 21 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
“I think the No. 1 key for all the drives was the guys up front,” Ridder said. “Those five men up front did a heck of a job. They did everything they could do to move the line of scrimmage. We had a challenge to them early in the week to go out and play their brand of ball, which is tough, nasty and physical and move that defensive line, which we did. We wore them down in the fourth quarter.”
Ridder was 4-for-4 passing for 73 yards on a nine-play, 95-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
“He doesn’t flinch,” Smith said. “Yeah, you don’t want the turnovers, but he’s resilient, and we’ll keep working. That’s what he has done, his history will show you that throughout all the games he has played in college, he’s pretty damn good in critical situations, and he’s done that in the NFL. We have a lot of belief and, more importantly, those guys (in the locker room) have got a lot of belief.”
Ridder’s best play of the day was a 26-yard touchdown pass to Robinson with an unblocked defender sprinting straight toward him.
Watch it on repeatFOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/KNWRtrxHZG
— Atlanta Falcons November 26, 2023
“I just saw the back of (Saints linebacker Demario Davis’) jersey and Bijan running with him and that was just backyard ball, threw it off the back of my foot, gave him a ball he could go get,” Ridder said.
Robinson , who leads the Falcons with six touchdowns this season, was the first read on the play and knew he was getting the ball the moment he saw Davis move to cover him, he said.
“I knew Desmond was going to throw it right away,” Robinson said.
Ridder, who was one of four Falcons to have at least one run longer than 10 yards, added 30 rushing yards on a combination of designed runs and timely scrambles.
“We had seen that they struggled with extension plays, with quarterbacks scrambling out of the pocket,” Ridder said. “We knew that if (option) one and two weren’t there, then option three was going to probably be my legs and just take off and go.”
The Falcons defense held New Orleans to five Blake Grupe field goals, thanks mostly to Jessie Bates, who intercepted his fourth pass of the season and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It was the sixth-longest interception return for a touchdown in team history. Bates then forced a fumble by Taysom Hill on the final play of the third quarter to set up a 95-yard touchdown drive.
Jessie Bates is GONEA 92-yard Falcons pick-six gives Atlanta the lead.
pic.twitter.com/zxjnOScdU1
— The Athletic November 26, 2023
“Number three is special. Let’s start off there,” Elliss said. “Seeing him go out there and do that sparks life.”
Cornerback Tre Flowers , a teammate of Bates in Cincinnati before both joined the Falcons this year, greeted Bates after his touchdown by telling him, “That’s expected,” Flowers said.
“I told him,” Flowers said, “‘That’s what you’re supposed to do. Keep it going.’”
That’s exactly what Atlanta is hoping to do now as prepares to go to New York.
“We haven’t won back-to-back games since the first two weeks,” Ridder pointed out. “Now we have to keep it.”
(Top photo of Bijan Robinson, left, and Tyler Allgeier: Todd Kirkland / )
“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL ’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here .
