The Falcoholic
Two disappointing bird teams on the same field! A pair of 30-plus quarterbacks with little to lose airing it out! Some defense in there, maybe! That ought to get the blood pumping.
The Falcons want to avoid handing the Rams a top ten pick, lean into what might be a job-saving stretch for Raheem Morris if he can finish the season strong (even if we don’t think it should decide his fate), and continue to figure out who belongs here for what damn well better be a more successful 2026 team. Getting there would be helped a great deal by a win over the Cardinals.
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s game.
These rankings tell a story of a Falcons team that is a little worse record-wise than it should be, and a Cardinals team that’s probably also true of. In both cases, though, it’s narrow.
Atlanta is the better team, too, but again that gap is not a massive one. It’s most striking on defense, where the Falcons have very obviously been the better team, and in terms of rushing, where the same is true.
A bit since the last time the Falcons saw them in 2023, and bigger changes to come.
My favorite journeyman quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, has taken over for Kyler Murray. While I don’t expect Brissett to be the 2026 starter for the Cardinals, this likely does mark the end of the Murray era in Arizona, as he appeared in just six games and threw six touchdowns against three interceptions with a career-low 46.3 QBR and 44.1% success rate as a passer. Brissett hasn’t gotten the Cardinals any wins, but he’s willing to throw all day long and has tied a career-high with 18 touchdown passes in 11 games and nine starts. Atlanta’s going to see this team, which is mighty deficient in terms of rushing, throwing the ball a lot on Sunday.
Chances are good the team will also fire coach Jonathan Gannon, who has a 1-1 record against the Falcons in a couple of really hideous football games that ended 25-23 and 20-19, and basically reboot the franchise outside of a few core pieces like receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, edge rusher Josh Sweat, and tight end Trey McBride. Things are fairly grim.
The team that the Falcons are seeing is very, very different than 2023, regardless. The defense has changed considerably outside of Baker and fellow safety Jalen Thompson, and Sweat is kind of terrifying to deal with. The offense is also quite different, with Wilson and McBride among the handful of familiar faces the Falcons will be contending with, and certainly the most impactful.
I predicted that Thursday Night Football would be a slopfest between the Falcons and Buccaneers, both because it was a short week and it’s deep in the DNA of those two teams. As predicted, aside from second half...
