Atlanta, GA

Atlanta's key to victory down the stretch: Touchdowns, touchdowns, touchdowns

Published

1 year ago

November 29, 2024

Atlanta's key to victory down the stretch: Touchdowns, touchdowns, touchdowns

Underscoring the importance of ending drives with touchdowns is the fact that the Falcons have 113 offensive drives this season, the fourth fewest in the NFL. Despite having a low number of possessions and struggling to score touchdowns over the last two games, Atlanta still ranks 12th in both points per drive (2.10) and touchdown percentage (22.1%). It’s not time to hit the panic button, but it’s clear the offense needs to find a way to score touchdowns to get back on track.

Again, it’s not exactly the most advanced statistical analysis to say a team needs to score touchdowns to win. In Atlanta’s case though, the difference in success is clear. The Falcons are a better overall team when scoring more points. In wins, or games when they’ve scored more than 20 points, the Falcons have averaged 2.84 points per drive and scored touchdowns on 29.5% of drives. In those games, Atlanta is also converting 55% of its red zone possessions into touchdowns. In losses, those numbers fall to 1.23 points per drive, 13.5% of drives end in touchdowns and red zone efficiency drops to 50%.

Unsurprisingly, the Falcons also average more plays per drive (6.13 to 5.88), a higher down-set conversion rate (77.4% to 69.1%) and fewer three-and-outs (9.8% to 17.3%) in wins versus losses.

There are clear differences in the numbers when comparing wins to losses, which again, it’s not surprising to say the offense has played better in wins than it has in losses, but the key difference is points. With the exception of losses to Seattle and Denver, Atlanta’s other three losses have come by one score or less.

For Atlanta, this is what it means to play complementary football. The defense has played well enough to win when the offense is scoring. When the offense struggles to score it puts more pressure on the defense and makes each offensive possession more critical.

Scoring, particularly scoring touchdowns, also allows the offense to stay within its game script, as mentioned above. It allows for more opportunities in the run game for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, it enables Zac Robinson to call more play-action passes and helps keep the opposing defense honest, giving the offensive line an edge when it comes to keeping Kirk Cousins clean in the pocket.

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Related Topics:Featured Kirk Cousins Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons (2024-REG-13)Nerdy Birds news Raheem Morris Zac Robinson

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Atlanta, GA

Police officer accidentally shoots self in downtown Atlanta

Published

12 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Police officer accidentally shoots self in downtown Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An Atlanta police officer accidentally shot themselves in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday night, according to the police department.

A spokesperson for Atlanta police said the incident happened on McAfee Street NW.

The officer “sustained a self-inflicted non-fatal injury as a result of an accidental discharge,” the spokesperson said.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.

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Atlanta, GA

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Atlanta’s Loss to the Knicks

Published

24 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Atlanta’s Loss to the Knicks

In what was the best NBA game of the night, the Hawks and the Knicks battled till the very last shot and New York came out on top. It was a playoff like atmostphere and the game was played with the intensity and physicality of a postseason game.

Despite the Hawks losing this game, they have to feel something about being able to go toe to toe with one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. They want to win these games of course, but they are continuing to show that their late season surge is not a fluke.

Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from last night.

The Good

Apr 6, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) shoots over New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Nickeil Alexander-Walker tallied a game-high 36 points on 12-19 shooting, including 7-11 from beyond the arc, to go along with two rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of play, marking his 74th game of the season with 10-or-more points, the third-most double-digit scoring outings amongst all players in the NBA this season and the most by an Eastern Conference player. Alexander-Walker has recorded his 15th career game with 30+ points. Of his 15 career 30-point performances, 10 have come since joining the Hawks this season.

With his seven makes from deep, Alexander-Walker has knocked down 244 three-pointers this season, surpassing Bogdan Bogdanovic (240, 2023-24) for the most triples in a single season in franchise history. The Virginia Tech product has buried at least one three-pointer in 25 consecutive contests, the second-longest such streak of his career.

Dyson Daniels recorded 11 points in addition to a game-high tying 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action, marking his league-leading 49th multi-steal game of the season. With his ninth rebound of the game, Daniels grabbed his 500th board of the season, becoming just the second Hawks guard in franchise history to record 500 rebounds in a single season, joining Lou Hudson in 1968-69 (533).

Jalen Johnson recorded 21 points, shooting 3-5 from deep, in addition to 11 rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes of play, marking his 48th double-double of the season, the third-most such games in the NBA this season. In tonight’s victory, Johnson notched his 28th game of the season with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, the most by a Hawk in a season since Kevin Willis in 1993-94 (31).

CJ McCollum recorded 17 points in addition to six assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes of play, marking his 66th game of the season scoring 10-or-more points.

Onyeka Okongwu recorded 12 points in addition to eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action, marking his 60th double-digit scoring performance of the season and the 205th of his career.

The Hawks had 19 offensive rebounds last night and actually finished with an edge on the glass.

Atlanta won the possession battle, taking 11 more shots than the Knicks.

Atlanta held New York to 11-33 shooting from three.

The Bad

The offense was not good enough for the Hawks, despite the big night from Alexander-Walker. Atlanta shot 41.5% on twos and Atlanta missed a lot of shots that they normally make. If you want to feel good about this loss if you are a Hawks fan, I think you can count on them making those shots more often than not, but they did not have it last night.

Atlanta was outscored 52-34 in the paint.

While the Hawks grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, they were only able to score 13 second chance points.

The Knicks scored 21 points off the Hawks 15 turnovers.

The Knicks had 29 assists last night, Hawks had 23. Atlanta leads the league in assists and it is rare to see them lose that stat.

The Ugly

The Hawks sorely missed Jock Landale in this game. While the Hawks won the overall rebounding battle, they allowed Mitchell Robinson to come off the bench and score eight points and grab 12 rebounds. His presence against Mouahmed Gueye and the backup bigs was noticeable and if these two do end up meeting in the postseason, that will be something to watch.

While he is one of the most clutch players in the league, the Hawks cannot allow Jalen Brunson to score 17 points in the fourth quarter. He took over the game and won it on his own in the final quarter.

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Atlanta, GA

Offset shot in South Florida near Hard Rock Casino; Atlanta rapper hospitalized, stable

Published

2 days ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

Offset shot in South Florida near Hard Rock Casino; Atlanta rapper hospitalized, stable

Atlanta rapper Offset is hospitalized after being shot in South Florida, according to his representative, in a developing story that is drawing national attention across both Miami and Atlanta.

The shooting happened Monday near the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, just outside Miami, according to multiple reports.

“We can confirm Offset was shot and is currently at the hospital receiving medical care,” his representative told Variety. “He is stable and being closely monitored.”

Authorities have not released details about what led to the shooting, whether a suspect is in custody, or if others were involved.

As of Monday night, the investigation remains active.

Atlanta ties amplify concern

Offset, whose real name is Kiari Cephus, rose to fame as a member of the Grammy-nominated hip-hop group Migos, which originated in metro Atlanta.

His connection to the city – and continued influence in its music scene – is prompting concern among fans and artists across Georgia.

The incident also underscores how ties to Atlanta’s music industry continue to intersect with South Florida – a frequent destination for performances, events, and nightlife.

What we do and don’t know

Location: Near Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida

Condition: Stable and under close monitoring

Motive: Unknown

Seminole Police Department released a statement following the incident, saying: “We are aware of an incident that occurred at a valet area after 7 p.m. Monday outside of Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood that resulted in non-life threatening injuries to an individual who was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Seminole Police were on site immediately and the situation was contained quickly. Two individuals have been detained by police. The investigation is ongoing. The site is secure and there is no threat to the public. Operations continue as normal.”