Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders will be a prime-time matchup
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons will take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8:20 p.m. ET, the NFL announced Tuesday.
The Week 17 game was a flex game on the schedule that could be played on either Saturday or Sunday. Ultimately, the league locked in this matchup for prime time.
This matchup will mark the second Sunday night game for the Falcons this season. In Week 3, Atlanta hosted the Kansas City Chiefs and narrowly fell 22-17 to the defending Super Bowl champions.
Both the Falcons (7-7) and Commanders (9-5) are vying for playoff spots in the NFC. Atlanta is in a competitive race in the NFC South, currently a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Commanders aim to lock in one of three wild card spots as the Philadelphia Eagles lead the NFC East.
It’s possible the winner of this matchup could be the final wild card team as the Falcons are also competing for the spot two games behind Washington. The Commanders have the Eagles (12-2) and Dallas Cowboys (6-8) left on their schedule in addition to the Falcons. Meanwhile, Atlanta will on the New York Giants (2-12) and the Carolina Panthers (3-11) at home in between its final road game against the Commanders.
The Falcons and head coach Raheem Morris will take on a familiar face in Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn was Falcons head coach for five full seasons and led the Falcons to its second NFC Championship victory in 2016. Morris was on Quinn’s staff for his entire tenure in Atlanta before taking over as interim head coach in 2020 after the Falcons parted ways with Quinn five games into the season.
It will also be a familiar environment for quarterback Kirk Cousins, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Washington after he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Cousins previously returned to face Washington in 2022, earning a 20-17 victory.
Atlanta has met Washington in each of the last three seasons, losing all three contests by one possession. Its last win against the Commanders came during the 2018 season. They’ll look to break the three-game streak on “Sunday Night Football.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens celebrated the 21st Century Road to Housing Act on Monday. The new law aims to make housing construction easier and to prevent corporations from buying large amounts of single-family homes.
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The Atlanta Hawks are now 3-0 in Las Vegas.
Despite being down some of their most talented players, such as Kingston Flemings,Asa Newell, and Zuby Ejiofor, the Hawks notched another win in Summer League, this time taking down the Boston Celtics. Overall, it was the Hawks 5th straight win in Summer League.
What are the biggest takeaways from today’s game?
1. Kobe Johnson Continues to Impress
Kobe Johnson has been impressive all Summer long and is making his case to be the last two-way contract for the Hawks. Atlanta already has Keshon Gilbert and RayJ Dennis in two of the two-way spots for next season and are looking for a third player who they can continue to develop.
With the Hawks being very shorthanded today against the Celtics, Johnson stepped up and played very well. In 13 first half minutes, Johnson scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 3-4 from three-point range, which is the most encouraging part of his performance. He continued that into the second half and was arguably the best player on the floor today for the Hawks.
Johnson finished today’s game with 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Johnson has high-level defensive skills, but he has shown offensive growth over the course of the past week and he is making a real case to be a part of the roster as a two-way player.
2. Henri Veesaar takes advantage of his opportunity
With so many bigs out today, it was going to be the Henri Veesaar show for Atlanta.
He did not disappoint. Veesaar was able to score 20 points on 7-12 shooting (4-6 from three), as well as pulling in four rebounds, and three assists.
As a scorer, Veesaar was at his best today, stretching the floor and scoring the ball off the pick and roll. He showed why the Hawks moved up to take him in the second round of the draft and if he can continue this development into the season, perhaps he can be closer to playing than initially thought.
3. Hawks win short-handed
Atlanta has one of the most talented rosters in Vegas this summer and despite missing their two first round picks from this year’s draft (Flemings and Ejiofor) and their first round pick from last year’s draft (Newell), Atlanta did not have much of a problem today with Boston.
The Celtics were missing a couple of important players today as well, but the Hawks had no trouble in this game, nearly leading by 30 points in the second half. The three-point shooting was strong, the defense forced turnovers, and they kept the Celtics cool from three.
It was an impressive all-around victory for the Hawks and one of their better victories from start to finish.
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