The Falcoholic
If you were so inclined, you could find plenty to complain about in this game. The Falcons allowed a couple of big, explosive passing plays and were downright lackluster against the run. The offense messed up some key third and fourth downs and turned the ball over once. Special teams was mildly shaky. And so on.
But I’m not so inclined today. The Falcons put together a workmanlike performance across the board, with Bijan Robinson being the stellar exception, and it was enough to overcome a very slow start and dismantle the Arizona Cardinals. After falling behind 13-3 in the second quarter, the Falcons rallied to tie things up at halftime, and then outscored the Cardinals 10-3 in a second half where they simply ground Arizona to dust. Even given the quality of the opponent and the relatively close margin, it was a solid effort, one that wasn’t defined by a huge pile of penalties, a massive special teams mishap, or an endless stream of big plays. The Falcons simply won.
In a very different season, one where the Falcons were on the top of the heap in the NFC South, we’d be glad they escaped from this game. With the season’s playoff dreams already over and nothing left to play for except pride, jobs, and keeping the Rams from picking in the top ten, this game registered as an effort low in frustration and relatively high in fun moments from Bijan, CJ Henderson, Kyle Pitts, and Kirk Cousins, among others. With only two games to go and all the big decisions ahead for this franchise, it was a perfectly pleasant way to pass a late Sunday afternoon. I wish we could have said that about more games this season, but it was both odd and satisfying to have a relatively normal-seeming Falcons game where they won as they were supposed to and escaped without any significant injuries or embarrassing lowlights.
There’s one more hugely difficult game against the Rams to come and then the Saints game ahead, but we’re almost done and into yet another hugely consequential offseason. Regardless of what that means for the Falcons, I wouldn’t mind a couple more enjoyable wins to cap things off; the final two games shouldn’t swing the pendulum too far either way for Arthur Blank and company. If nothing else, perhaps we can daydream about a season not far from now where solid, light-on-the-drama wins are the norm, not the exception.
On to the full recap.
