Falcons

Many national pundits also had the Buccaneers and Saints dominating this division, and both of those teams are cold bowls of hot farts thus far in 2022. At the ...

It goes without saying that this division is far from settled, but the Falcons ultimately did what they needed to this weekend and got out of their matchup against the Panthers with a win. It remains to be seen what the Falcons do with that opportunity, but it’s safe to say they have the chance to run the NFC South for at least a couple of seasons, if not significantly longer than that. The remaining three teams in the division have zero combined long-term answers at quarterback, are all in the red in terms of 2023 cap space, and are certainly not in significantly better positions than the Falcons roster-wise, if at all. - The Panthers are likely in a similar no quarterback, very little cap space situation, but they also don’t have a set coaching staff. Tampa Bay pushed their chips in to win a championship or two with Brady and got one, but given that It probably seems like an odd time to write all this given that they’re coming off a heart attack effort against what should’ve been an inferior Carolina team, but at 4-4 and with all that cash and promise ahead, they’re in a fine position.

Sunday's contest between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers carried high stakes and needed more than to four quarters to reach an end.

"That was one of the crazier games I've ever been a part of," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. The Atlanta Falcons are winners after one of the wildest games the NFL has seen all season. and marched down the field to do exactly that. and then another after that. While that always seem harsh, the playoffs remained a distant afterthought. In a winner-take-first place game within the NFC South, the Falcons had to have Sunday's game - and they got it, even at the expense of Smith's hair color. and did exactly that. And still, after dodging seemingly the biggest bullet of the day, the Falcons had another one coming ... [D'Onta Foreman](https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-falcons-avoid-christian-mccaffrey-carolina-panthers-rb-donta-foreman) ran in a 12-yard touchdown with three minutes to go, the Falcons needed a touchdown to win ... By all accounts, the Falcons gift wrapped the game for the Panthers several times, but when Carolina failed to capitalize, Atlanta ultimately managed to make the plays when they needed to down the stretch, coming away with a much-needed home victory in what was arguably the most important game of the season. [Atlanta's 37-34 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium](https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-falcons-carolina-panthers-recap-marcus-mariota-pj-walker) was a critical game for the 2022 Falcons, a team - and regime - trying to [establish a new identity](https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-falcons-win-streak-helps-embrace-identity-cleveland-browns). [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/nfl/falcons/news/carolina-panthers-vs-atlanta-falcons-notebook-3-observations-overtime-win) hold a 4-4 record - good enough to put them in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

FLOWERY BRANCH – With left cornerback A.J. Terrell (hamstring) and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (concussion) out, Cornell Armstrong and Dean Marlowe made their ...

Your Atlanta Falcons won on Sunday against the Panthers and are leading the NFC South, just as they were after the Buccaneers imploded against the Ravens on ...

- Falcons special teams has been a true strength this year, but they were a bit of a liability on Sunday for reasons that had to enrage special teams coordinator Marquice Williams. Walker just flat out missed a handful of times on deep shots, including one where the Falcons weren’t close to having his receiver covered, and a couple of drops and bobbles deflated his numbers a bit. Once again the blame can be spread around for that play, as I’m not certain it was wise for Mariota to try it deep again to Byrd given that he had gone to that well already successfully and put the Panthers on high alert, but he might’ve still gotten it done had he not been hit as he threw. Moore on that ruinous completion at the end of the game and I’m not going to blame him for that one, and overall he continues to play pretty well this year. The team’s strength on that side of the ball through seven weeks collapsed into ruin and sadness in this one, allowing former Falcon D’Onta Foreman to run for well over 100 yards and three touchdowns against them on Sunday. Mariota sometimes holds on to the ball far too long and walks into sacks on his own, I’ll readily grant you, but the costly calls (Elijah Wilkinson was hit with two in this one) and generally shaky pass protection are impacting the course of the game, as the latter did on that hit on the overtime deep ball. - Grady Jarrett had two tackles for a loss in this one, but his impact continues to go beyond the box score, as the veteran defensive lineman demands extra attention and is disruptive on a more regular basis than anyone else for Atlanta. - Drake London had a fairly quiet day in terms of receiving production, but the catches he did make were difficult and important ones, and he continues to be an impressive factor as a blocker. Ultimately, he did so on the final drive to get Atlanta in a position to get a game-winning field goal, and then used that difficult-to-defend speed to pick up about 30 yards on a run and ensure the team was within Younghoe Koo’s comfort zone. There was a pick six for Atlanta and two picks for Carolina, the last of which seemed to be the end of the game. As shaky as this line has been protecting Mariota at times, they continue to pave the way effectively for these runners, and they do work further from the line of scrimmage that’s critical as well. Over the long haul I think this team is going to be just fine, and if the next offseason goes well, perhaps even a bit of a juggernaut in the near future.

When you have a game like the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons did on Sunday, you're going to have plenty of remarkable moments to look back on.

500 and in sole possession of first place of the NFC South. With 36 seconds left, PJ Walker hit DJ Moore with a 62-yard Hail Mary for a game-winning touchdown ...

[ Prior to the Week 8 win over Carolina](https://www.sportstalkatl.com/nfl-playoff-picture-odds-the-falcons-make-postseason/), Atlanta had a 39% chance of making the postseason and a 33% chance of winning the division. The last time Atlanta had a record over .500 was 2017, and 2016 was the last time the Falcons were in first place in the division at this point in the season. There’s a genuine possibility the Falcons will make the postseason, which will mark the first time the team has played meaningful games in January since 2017. The Falcons then drove down the field to set up a 41-yard Younghoe Koo field goal to win the game. [Marcus Mariota](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MariMa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-) had what ended up being a back-breaking fumble inside the 5-yard line. There were ten lead changes and six scores in the final quarter and overtime in the Falcons 37-34 win over the Panthers, which puts the Dirty Birds at .500 and in sole possession of first place of the NFC South.

Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons: How to Watch, Listen and Live Stream · MATCHUP HISTORY · GAME DATE/TIME · LOCATION · WATCH ON TV · STREAMING · LISTEN ON ...

Press conferences are also available on demand following the live stream on the website, app and on YouTube. [NFL+](https://www.nfl.com/plus/learn-more?affiliateCustomId=&affiliateCustomUrl=&affiliateId=54553&clickId=4052406167&icampaign=npl-ros-adv) Watch live out-of-market preseason games across devices and live local & primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet. [Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/) Stream the NFL on CBS with Paramount Plus! Wide receiver Keenan Allen hauled in the team's first touchdown of the afternoon and finished the day with nine receptions for 52 yards. [website](https://www.chargers.com/) and app (turn on notifications to receive updates on when the press conferences start). Sunday's game will mark the 12th meeting between these two teams.

The Chargers are road favorites against the NFC South-leading Falcons in Week 9.

[Week 8 NFL Takeaways](https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/10/31/nfl-week-8-takeaways-falcons-cowboys-patriots-mmqb) [Frankie Taddeo](https://www.twitter.com/Frankie_Fantasy) is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. The Falcons find a favorable matchup they will attempt to exploit against a Chargers’ run defense that is surrendering the sixth-most rushing yards per game (137.6). The weekly game requires bettors to make 10 selections against the spread for a chance at a share of a $10,000 prize. Atlanta (+138) On Sunday, the Chargers encounter a Falcons’ run defense that has been stout up front, allowing the 11th-fewest rushing yards (108.9) per game. • Chargers (-163) If one or both starting wideouts are forced to miss the game or play on a limited snap count, [Justin Herbert](https://www.si.com/college/college-football/player/justin-herbert) may fail to throw multiple touchdown passes for the fourth time in his last six games. [Phillies-Astros MVP Odds](https://www.si.com/betting/2022/10/28/world-series-mvp-odds-bets-bryce-harper-rhys-hopkins-yordan-alvarez) [Keenan Allen](https://www.si.com/nfl/player/keenan-allen) (hamstring) and [Mike Williams ](https://www.si.com/nfl/player/mike-williams)(ankle). [Panthers](https://www.si.com/nfl/team/carolina-panthers), 37-34, and is with the [Cowboys](https://www.si.com/nfl/team/dallas-cowboys) and the [Giants](https://www.si.com/nfl/team/new-york-giants) for the league’s best ATS mark at 6-2.

Plus, Bills look ho-hum in win over the Packers, but it didn't matter. The Cowboys are rounding into form, the Colts could be sellers by Tuesday's cutoff ...

That said, there’s a reality to starting a rookie quarterback, and overall well-being of the team. But I do think the decision to go to Sam Ehlinger shows a willingness, and maybe a push on ownership’s part, to figure out the quarterback situation, once and for all, whether Ehlinger or someone they draft in April. And whatever it took, we knew we were going to win that game no matter what, and the way it ended, in our hands, no matter how it was, no matter how we were feeling as an offensive line, it was just our offensive line jelling right there at the end. The Giants, conversely, are at the beginning stages of a rebuild, and their loss in Seattle on Sunday was a reminder of it—and why I don’t see Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll getting drunk on their hot start and doing anything shortsighted. To get a win I think is good for him, good for the team, and he’s just got to keep grinding and keep fighting. We had a mindset, we knew it, we wanted to control the rock on the road and our defense stopped the run. I think there was a sense of urgency and that feeling throughout the whole building.” Wilson, true to form, did, and even hit a big one to Garrett Wilson early in the game. “What’s cool is our guys continued to believe, and we understood that if we had a chance for the ball, we could win.” “So he gave me a full read, and I thought that I had a chance to get outside, but he did a good job of kind of continuing down. “It was a zone read and actually I thought [Brian] Burns played it well; he kind of went down to the back and came back at me,” Mariota said. If we continue to have that mentality, I think we’ll like where we are at the end of the year.”

The Falcons might be the surprise of the NFL season. With all due respect to Brian Daboll and what he's done with the Giants, Arthur Smith is arguably doing ...

[New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/atlanta-falcons-nfl-playoff-picture.html#atl-lac-9=loss&car-atl-10=loss&atl-chi-11=win&was-atl-12=win&atl-pit-13=loss&no-atl-15=loss&bal-atl-16=win&atl-ari-17=loss&atl-tb-18=win) has an interesting widget that shows the Falcons postseason probability change in real time depending on the outcomes of the games left on the schedule. When the Falcons sat at 2-2, their odds were even lower at a [30% chance of making the playoffs](https://www.sportstalkatl.com/falcons-nfl-playoff-odds/). The Eagles look like the only serious Super Bowl contender, and the Falcons are right in the middle of the playoff picture. Atlanta might not have the formula to win in a variety of ways, but Arthur Smith has this team believing in themselves and has proven to be a tough draw. The Falcons might be the surprise of the NFL season. Most of the time, in a contest like we saw against the Panthers on Sunday, the Falcons would fold.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons play on Sunday in a game on the NFL Week 9 schedule. What do the odds say about the game?

Saints](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/baltimore-ravens-new-orleans-saints-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10654430002/) Bucs](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/los-angeles-rams-tampa-bay-buccaneers-odds-nfl-week-9/10654253002/) Cardinals](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2022/10/31/seattle-seahawks-arizona-cardinals-betting-odds-nfl-week-9-game/10654218002/) Jets](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/buffalo-bills-new-york-jets-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10654112002/) Patriots](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/indianapolis-colts-new-england-patriots-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10653743002/) Lions](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/green-bay-packers-detroit-lions-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10653572002/) Bengals](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/carolina-panthers-cincinnati-bengals-betting-odds-nfl-week-9-game/10653503002/) Commanders](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/minnesota-vikings-washington-commanders-betting-odds-nfl-week-9-game/10654168002/) [Seahawks vs. Falcons](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/los-angeles-chargers-atlanta-falcons-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10653389002/) Texans](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/philadelphia-eagles-houston-texans-betting-odds-nfl-week-9-game/10653334002/) Jaguars](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/las-vegas-raiders-jacksonville-jaguars-betting-odds-nfl-week-9/10653687002/) [Colts vs. Bears](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/10/31/miami-dolphins-chicago-bears-betting-odds-nfl-week-9-game/10653418002/) [Panthers vs.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Isaiah Oliver dubbed Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers the "craziest game I've ever been a part of in my life," and he ...

"That was one of the crazier games I've ever been a part of," Smith said. It was a rollercoaster, the ups, the highs, the lows. "Most teams will crumble, most teams will give up, but we didn't give up and we were able to come out with a win." The fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and those watching on TV certainly felt it, as did Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who said that he's going to have a subtle reminder about the stresses of this game for years to come. Evans finished just behind Walker with nine tackles, while also recording a key sack to put Carolina behind the chains on its penultimate drive in regulation. "That was a crazy experience. The Atlanta Falcons are winners after one of the wildest games the NFL has seen all season. "I can't say I have (been a part of a game like that)," Walker stated. After leading the Falcons on the ground with 16 carries for 91 yards, Huntley was physically exhausted postgame and needed a little extra pick-me-up. "It was crazy, it was wild," Huntley began. After the final whistle blew, the Falcons walked away victorious - and will take more than just the end result with them for weeks to come. Piñeiro came across the ball, hips open, and pulled it left of the goalpost.

Follow along with Falcon Report as we keep you up to date with breaking news in the NFL.

The Atlanta Falcons have signed nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to their practice squad. Additionally, the Falcons signed cornerback Dylan Mabin to the practice squad. The Atlanta Falcons have officially signed tight end Anthony Firkser to the active roster. With the new commitment, Atlanta will also sport the alternate helmet against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. The Falcons' contest against San Francisco will be the first time the helmet design has hit the field since 2012. The 6-1, 195-pound Mabin has played in four career NFL games, all in 2020. After the final whistle blew, the Falcons walked away victorious - and will take more than just the end result with them for weeks to come. He figures to fill the role of Caleb Huntley on Atlanta's practice squad if Williams is knocked out of action. In a corresponding move, the Falcons placed defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo on the practice squad injured reserve. Now, Tabor gets an opportunity to play with the Seahawks. But as the Panthers watch Atlanta rise in the NFC South … 5 after being waived by the Chicago Bears in the final round of preseason cuts.

Arthur Smith: "There's a lot of things we have to fix. But I expect this (division race) to go all the way to the end of the season."

Terrell](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/aj-terrell-eQqSztL6kcdWUHga/), [Arnold Ebiketie](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/arnold-ebiketie-IxOH5DWi0pZpaesB/) and [Troy Andersen](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/troy-andersen-n6NN8c2NN8rsWszB/). [Eddy Pineiro](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/eddy-pineiro-c9AbvAe6pGhOY3Ff/) back 15 yards on the PAT attempt and he missed from 48 yards. [Panthers](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/panthers/). [Jake Matthews](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/jake-matthews-ynmLxEpQzsXPr5DC/), [Grady Jarrett](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/grady-jarrett-qkmIVOcewPeknpL4/), [Kyle Pitts](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/kyle-pitts-KCIoZkL2iCOFp4x0/), [Chris Lindstrom](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/chris-lindstrom-geUOOdneTJ45Cl2C/), [Drake London](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/drake-london-oq6vjgMsBSHV6cTj/), [A.J. Every sports team talks about “culture” and bringing in the “right players.” It’s difficult to pull off. But the reality is we’ve been able to overcome some things that didn’t go our way early in the year. Only two of the Falcons’ remaining nine opponents have winning records — the Chargers this week and the [Falcons](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/falcons/) are 4-4 eight weeks into the NFL season accurately illustrates that they are neither a great team nor an awful team. “The fact that we’re doing it every week is kind of shocking to everybody. You try to foster the right climate and get the right type of guys. But the Falcons being 4-4 should be viewed as a positive because while a 1-7 record would project well for draft position, it would reflect poorly on the decision-making of Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot and their connectivity with the players. The team’s salary-cap ledger includes an NFL record $78.65 million of dead money.