Atlanta, GA

Falcons Stock Report: Risers, Fallers After Win vs. Cowboys

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2024

Falcons Stock Report: Risers, Fallers After Win vs. Cowboys

The Atlanta Falcons are rolling, as their 27-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium marking their fifth win in the last six games.

After a 1-2 start, the Falcons are 6-3 — along with 4-0 in the NFC South — and in control of their own playoff destiny.

Here’s a look at the Falcons’ stock report, with who’s rising and falling after a crucial home win …

The Coaching Staff

Give flowers to Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.

The Falcons have won seven games each of the past three seasons and five of the last six years. Morris, from his culture-aiding charisma to his player-drawing reputation, has helped flipped the script in 10 months.

His fourth down aggression netted the Falcons a touchdown, as quarterback Kirk Cousins hit receiver Darnell Mooney for a 36-yard score that ultimately proved crucial in a 6-point victory. Cousins attributed Atlanta’s different culture and, at least partially, its fourth down success to Morris.

Robinson, meanwhile, drew praise from Morris for calling another strong game. The Falcons punted five times, but they averaged 5.5 yards per play and scored four touchdowns in a seven-drive stretch during the middle of Sunday’s game that helped make Atlanta’s lead insurmountable.

And Lake, after much criticism surrounding a softer approach and lack of pass rush, had his best performance of the season. The Cowboys totaled 378 net yards and rushed for a season-high 137 yards, but the Falcons forced three punts and four turnovers on downs.

Dallas went just 3-of-13 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth down.

Pass Rush — and a variety of contributors

The Falcons had a league-low six sacks entering Sunday. They had three alone against the Cowboys to go along with eight quarterback hits.

Morris pointed to new life on Atlanta’s pass rush, as outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone played his first defensive action of the season Sunday and defensive tackle Kentavius Street was active for the first time since Week 4.

Neither Malone nor Street recorded any sacks or tackles for loss, though Malone had a pair of tackles. However, outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie came to life, registering three quarterback hits and one sack. Linebacker Kaden Elliss had the same numbers.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett added one sack, while fellow defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham secured a quarterback hit.

The Cowboys trailed for the entire second half and were forced into obvious passing situations, making Atlanta’s life easier — but unlike weeks past, the Falcons capitalized, delivering their best pass rushing performance this season.

RB Bijan Robinson

Atlanta’s playmaking young runner had his fourth consecutive day with over 100 yards from scrimmage, rushing 19 times for 86 yards while catching a team-high seven passes for 59 yards.

Robinson accounted for 145 scrimmage yards, 46.8% of Atlanta’s 310-yard output.

Team Health

The Falcons ruled out a pair of stars due to injuries, as receiver Drake London suffered a hip pointer on his nine-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett strained his Achilles during the third quarter.

Jarrett’s exit was ruled a precaution, but Morris had no update on either player’s status postgame.

TE Kyle Pitts

After a strong month of October during which he made 21 receptions for 314 yards and two scores, Pitts saw only one target in Sunday’s game. He caught it for a nine-yard gain, but failed to record any other stats.

Pitts also lost a pass blocking snap to Cowboys pass rusher Carl Lawson, who strip sacked Cousins and forced Atlanta’s lone turnover.

Special Teams

There were highs and lows for special teams coordinator Marquice Williams’ unit.

Falcons return specialist Avery Williams opted not to catch a punt around his own 10-yard line, instead letting the ball hit the turf and bounce toward the goal line. The Cowboys downed the ball at the 1-yard line, putting Atlanta’s offense behind the 8-ball.

Cowboys returner KaVontae Turpin had a pair of long punt returns, including gains of 16 and 18 yards.

Still, the unit had a few positives, as jammer Natrone Brooks knocked down Cowboys punter Bryan Anger’s pass on a fake, and Pitts jumped on kicker Brandon Aubrey’s onside kick try late in the fourth quarter, effectively sealing Atlanta’s victory.

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Atlanta, GA

Latest Intel on the Atlanta Falcons Coaching Search

Published

5 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Press Room

Latest Intel on the Atlanta Falcons Coaching Search

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons’ coaching search has accelerated in recent days following the Falcons’ official announcement of Matt Ryan as their new president of football. Several candidates are now moving quickly to make their case as Atlanta shapes the next phase of its franchise.

The most important domino in this process is former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. The Giants have reportedly made him their top target. According to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic, New York team executive Chris Mara met with Harbaugh for lunch on Sunday in Baltimore before they had “an informal” meeting at the coach’s house.

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Atlanta, who are considered by many to be the Giants’ top competition for Harbaugh, also announced that it interviewed the hot target on Monday afternoon. It was later revealed that it was not in person, which is a common practice at this stage of the process.

Harbaugh has now spoken with all seven teams that have an opening, and The Athletic reported that the Giants, Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns are in the mix for the 18-year Ravens coach. The formal interviews are expected to take place later this week and into next week for the teams he ultimately selects.

The Super Bowl champion coach immediately became the hottest name on the market after the Ravens parted with him last week. He will likely be the first coach to make his decision, with these teams making their best pitches for him.

Harbaugh is not the only coach the Falcons interviewed on Monday, as former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was announced on Monday evening.

McDaniel spent the last four seasons with the Dolphins, where he went 7-10 last season and finished with a 35-33 overall record. His team snapped a five-year postseason drought in his first year in charge, before returning in consecutive seasons, but failing to advance in both tries. Miami was 15-19 over his next two years, leading to the change in leadership.

The former Dolphins coach is widely regarded as one of the sharpest offensive minds in the sport, and he has ties to the Falcons’ organization. He spent two seasons in Atlanta, culminating in the team’s Super Bowl run and Ryan’s MVP season.

McDaniel followed Kyle Shanahan to San Francisco in 2017, where he spent the next five seasons (one as the run game specialist, two as run game coordinator, and two as the offensive coordinator).

If he does not sign on as a head coach somewhere, McDaniel is expected to be the hottest offensive coordinator target on the market. The Detroit Lions are interested in bringing him on in this capacity, while the Browns, Titans, and Ravens are in the mix for him as a head coach.

Over the weekend, the Falcons welcomed in Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and requested Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

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Evero is in his third season in charge of the Panthers’ defense, and Dave Canales stated that the team “absolutely” wants to bring him back. The Las Vegas Raiders also requested time with the coordinator, and that virtual conversation could be coming any day now that Carolina was eliminated from the playoffs.

Durde is the only candidate in this specific listing who is still in the playoffs, but they were able to speak with him due to the Seahawks having a first-round bye. The Seahawks’ coordinator led one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2025. His unit led the NFL in scoring (17.2 points per game) and was second in expected points added per play (-0.17).

In-person interviews with assistants who are under contract with other teams can begin on Monday (Jan 19), unless those teams are still alive for the conference title games. The deadline would then extend to Jan 26, when those teams are either eliminated from the playoffs or in the midst of their bye week before the Super Bowl – those coaches are not permitted to interview in person during that bye week unless they have completed a virtual interview in January.

A full track record of who the Falcons have spoken with over the last week, and going forward, can be found here. This list will continue to evolve, so make sure to check back in to stay up to date on everything the Falcons have going on during this search.

With Ryan now in place and formal interviews set to begin, the Falcons appear poised to move quickly once Harbaugh makes his decision. Whether Atlanta lands its top target or pivots to a different candidate, the shape of the next era will come into focus in the coming weeks.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Hawks Injury Report Is Filled With Question Marks Ahead of Their Matchup vs the Lakers

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta Hawks Injury Report Is Filled With Question Marks Ahead of Their Matchup vs the Lakers

Don’t look now, but the Atlanta Hawks have won three games in a row and five of their last seven. They have been playing solid defense lately, and in their last two games, they have been missing Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis. Their next test will be tomorrow night in Los Angeles against the Lakers, and ahead of that game, Atlanta has revealed its injury report.

Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion), Luke Kennard (neck sprain), and Asa Newell (right quad contusion) are questionable, while Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) is out. It will be the third straight missed game for Porzingis. Risacher has missed the last two games.

Hawks injury report for Tuesday against the Lakers:
Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion) is questionable.
Luke Kennard (neck sprain) is questionable.
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Asa Newell (right quad contusion) is questionable.
Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) is out.
Dante out.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) January 13, 2026

Kennard and Newell were both banged up in last night’s win over the Warriors. Kennard in particular would be a big loss considering how well he is playing. He was 6-9 from three in yesterday’s game and has been shooting the ball very well.

How did McCollum and Kispert’s debuts go?

Jan 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) momentarily loses his dribble as he is harassed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Last night marked the debut of recent acquisitions CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert for the Hawks, the two players Atlanta acquired in the deal that sent Young to Washington. How did they look in their debuts and what could it mean going forward?

McCollum was the one player that was assuredly going to get playing time for the Hawks. It was not clear though whether or not he was going to start, as he had not come off the bench since the 2014-2015 season. It made sense though that head coach Quin Snyder stuck with Nickeil Alexander-Walker since he had plenty of chemistry with this starting lineup.

The thing that should be encouraging to the Hawks is that they won convincingly on the road against a healthy Warriors team and McCollum did not shoot the ball particularly well.

That is not to say that McCollum was dreadful or anything, counting stats are not the best way to judge games at all, as he finished with a team best +19 in the win last night, but he was 5-14 from the field (including 2-8 in the second half) and was not great on defense, which was a given. Still, he had four assists in 24 minutes and gave the Hawks another ball handler on the court.

I think that McCollum should only improve with the Hawks going forward. He is going to figure out his role with the team and get used to playing with his new teammates. Not only that, but the Hawks were missing Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis. Those two should make McCollum’s life easier as well and I look forward to seeing how he continues to evolve.

McCollum had a role that was fairly easy to define, but Kispert’s was less clear.

Kispert played close to 14 minutes for the Hawks and was 0-4 from the field, including 0-3 from three.

The biggest question that I have going forward is how many minutes does Kispert see when Risacher returns? Kispert’s biggest asset is his three point shooting, but the Hawks are going to prioritize Risacher’s development (even if he does not close games). Vit Krejci has been one of the Hawks best shooters this season and Luke Kennard is playing his best basketball of the season, as evidenced by his 6-9 shooting day from three.

It was an interesting debut for Kispert and he will be a player to keep an eye on when Risacher does indeed return. He adds shooting to the Hawks and you can never have enough of that.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Braves News: Sean Murphy, Braves TV Broadcast, more

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta Braves News: Sean Murphy, Braves TV Broadcast, more

Over at MLB.com, Mark Bowman discussed a few interesting news nuggets among many offseason topics. For one, he once again mentioned that Sean Murphy likely will miss the start of the 2026, which could make backup catcher a need for the Braves in the early part of the season. The hope is that once Murphy does return, he will be closer to full health than he has been in years. But the time frame of when that will occur is still to be determined.

Bowman also mentioned that Brandon Gaudin and CJ Nitkowski should be back as the broadcast duo for the Braves even though the home of the Braves TV Broadcast is still to be determined. That is definitely positive news as Gaudin and Nitkowski are highly thought of in Braves County.

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