The Falcoholic
Even though Thanksgiving has passed, there are many things we are thankful for. The Atlanta Falcons beat the hated New Orleans Saints last week, and hopefully can make it two in a row with another win over the New York Jets in Week 13.
The potential for the team to put together a late-season win streak creates plenty of intrigue for this matchup. And thus, five Falcons must be named who will captivate our attention this weekend as we continue to show our gratitude.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins’ 83.3 PFF grade against the Saints was the third-highest of his tenure as a Falcon. Therefore, we can be thankful that he did not forget how to play quarterback, as the Falcons evolved their offense into a play-action, under-center-heavy attack for the first time.
While the shift in identity has many questioning the team’s development of injured starter Michael Penix, who rarely went under center, others are thankful that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is finally showing the necessary growth as a play-caller.
With fellow wideout Drake London doubtful against the Jets with a knee injury, Darnell Mooney will once again have to do the heavy lifting as a playmaker in the passing game. Coming off a season-high 74 yards on three catches against the Saints, it finally appears he’s ready to live up to it.
Mooney’s connection with Cousins seemingly picked up where it left off in 2024, and we can all be thankful that there is a second quasi-reliable receiving option besides London on the field. If Mooney can maintain this momentum upon London’s return, we might even be thankful for seeing the best version of the Falcons offense.
Falcons right tackle Elijah Wilkinson will face a tough matchup against Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson on Sunday. Wilkinson’s play has taken a downturn since the Falcons’ Week 5 bye, with 21 allowed pressures, according to PFF, tied for fourth-most among offensive tackles in that span. Johnson spends almost 99 percent of his snaps rushing from the left side against the right tackle.
Given concerns about Cousins’ inability to escape pressure, Wilkinson must keep Johnson contained. A hefty dose of an effective run game and play-action passing attack should help slow down Johnson from pinning his ears back against Wilkinson. Thus, we can once again be thankful for this evolving, new version of the Falcons offense.
Falcons rookie edge rusher James Pearce is coming off a career-high five pressures and will get another opportunity to build upon that success against the Jets. It’ll be tougher with the recent uptick in play from both of the Jets’ young offensive tackles, Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.
Over the past five games, Fashanu has earned PFF’s fifth-highest pass-blocking grade among tackles, with Membou not far behind at 14th. Pearce appears to be ascending, and this game will be an excellent litmus test to see if he’s rising at a greater rate than another pair...
