The Atlanta Falcons snapped their losing streak against the New Orleans Saints. The defense had more sacks than points allowed, and the team finally has a competent kicker again. Here’s the Week 12, 3 up and 3 down:

3 up

Kirk Cousins

Cousins stepped in and had his best game in over a year. The Falcons didn’t win this game with his arm alone; they only had 23 attempts and 27 dropbacks on the day, but Cousins executed the game plan and delivered when he needed to. His 49-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney is the longest touchdown...

We saw some different looks from the offense this week, so let’s dig into the snap counts.

Offense

Kirk Cousins: 56

Jake Matthews: 56

Ryan Neuzil: 56

Chris Lindstrom: 56

Elijah Wilkinson: 56

Matthew Bergeron: 54

Kyle Pitts: 53

David Sills: 39

Bijan Robinson: 37

Darnell Mooney: 37

Teagan Quitoriano: 35

Charlie Woerner: 34

Tyler Allgeier: 22

Dylan Drummond: 15

KhaDarel Hodge: 5

Feleipe Franks: 3

Kyle Hinton: 2

An interesting game, personnel-wise. The Falcons went to three tight end sets frequently in this one, with Quitoriano being the clear TE3 and Franks working in as a gadget...

This has been a season from hell. Michael Penix, Jr. is out for the season, Drake London was out for this game, and the playoffs are essentially an afterthought.

But at least we’re not the New Orleans Saints.

The Atlanta Falcons retake the lead in the all-time series, 57-56, rightfully pushing the Saints back to little brother status for the time being.

So, for the first time since we’ve started this highlight reel series, we have a win to talk about, filled with highlights from Dee Alford, Bijan Robinson, and some potential history from Kirk Cousins.

Dee Alford scoops up...

Nobody likes the Saints except Saints fans, and this season even that’s in doubt. In a playoff season, in a lost campaign, in the final football game before the apocalypse, the Falcons beating the Saints is something to celebrate.

And they did so, by the way, by two full touchdowns. While there was plenty to pick apart in this performance—too many plays where Tyler Shough escaped, dropped interceptions, stone hands from Kyle Pitts, bad penalties—Atlanta also earned their first win in over a month, dropped their hated rival even further into the basement, and kept whatever dim hope they had...

The Atlanta Falcons snapped their five-game losing streak in New Orleans. Kirk Cousins is off to the kind of start he had hoped for, and this defense continues to get after the quarterback. Here’s the Week 12 snap reactions.

Under center uptick

The Falcons still primarily operated out of shotgun and pistol formations before the game got out of hand, but the uptick in under center was notable. The loss of Drake London influenced some of this; the team ran the most 13 personnel since their game against Minnesota, but the other reason is, obviously, Kirk Cousins’ comfort level...

The Atlanta Falcons had lost five in a row and lost several key contributors. They needed a get-right game, even if the season has essentially slipped away, and got one against their most hated rival. Forget the big picture: That was nice to see.

Kirk Cousins did pretty well, the Falcons got enough on the ground to ensure the win, and the defense made plays when they needed to in order to frequently stall long, annoying Saints drives. As bad as the Saints are—and make no mistake, they’re really bad—beating New Orleans is always welcome, and this one was arguably...

With very little left to play for in the 2025 season, the Falcons rallied to get a much-needed (and surprisingly dominant) win over the hated Saints. Kevin Knight and Allen Strk break down the first victory in over a month, the encouraging play of Kirk Cousins, the high-end play of the defense despite mounting injuries, and more. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!

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It’s nearly time. The injured, terrible Falcons have traveled to face the just plain ol’ regular terrible Saints in a battle of basement boys. Who will emerge victorious and gain the honor of being able to look at themselves in the mirror on Monday? That’s what the game will tell us.

Go Falcons, and as always, please use this as your open thread for the game ahead.

The playoff picture is getting clearer, the NFL draft order is forming, the final stretch of the 2025 NFL season is upon us, and it is shaping up to be a good one.

Last week, we had a new team at the top of the rankings, the sixth newcomer this season, no movement at the bottom of the barrel, including the woeful Atlanta Falcons, and a few teams that were thought to be out of the playoff race emerged as potential playoff contenders, including a dangerous-looking San Francisco 49ers team.

With the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and...

Despite some devastating injuries this past week, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding the Atlanta Falcons as they travel to face the New Orleans Saints. That intrigue centers on some of the replacements for the injured players, as well as the return of a significant component to their defense. Thus, the task falls to me to name five Falcons, and only five, that will be worth watching on Sunday.

Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins steps in for injured Michael Penix at quarterback for his second start of 2025. With seven games left this season, this is a golden opportunity...

Despite some devastating injuries this past week, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding the Atlanta Falcons as they travel to face the New Orleans Saints. That intrigue centers on some of the replacements for the injured players, as well as the return of a significant component to their defense. Thus, the task falls to me to name five Falcons, and only five, that will be worth watching on Sunday.

Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins steps in for injured Michael Penix at quarterback for his second start of 2025. With seven games left this season, this is a golden opportunity...

Do your Sunday plans involve watching two terrible football teams force one or the other to win? If so, the Falcons head to New Orleans for Hate Week Part I, a game where the Saints enter with a hair’s advantage of 1.5 points, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

Both of these NFC South rivals’ seasons have spiraled out of control, and at 3-7 and 2-8, respectively, it’s essentially a race to the bottom when they meet on Sunday afternoon in the Superdome.

Last week’s loss drove the final nail in Atlanta’s postseason hopes, and with injuries to wide receiver Drake London, Billy...