Atlanta, GA

Interview with the Enemy: Atlanta Falcons

Published

1 year ago

September 27, 2024

Interview with the Enemy: Atlanta Falcons

This week, the New Orleans Saints head into enemy territory as they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 of the 2024 regular season. Tre’Shon Diaz of The Falcoholic joins us to preview Sunday’s showdown between one of the league’s most heated division rivalries.

NJ: In your opinion, how has QB Kirk Cousins looked in his return from season-ending Achilles surgery? Does he seem capable of leading Atlanta to the promised land? If not, how soon should first-round NFL Draft pick Michael Penix Jr. take over as the team’s starting QB?

TD: I expected Cousins to have a slower start after coming off the significant injury, and that’s what we’ve seen. Each week, he’s knocked a layer of rust off, and most of it has appeared to be mental, not physical. People attributed his Week 1 shakiness to health, but the real issue was TJ Watt being in his lap the entire game.

At this point, he has taken care of it. Cousins has enough left in the tank to get this roster to the playoffs, so I won’t anticipate seeing Penix until 2025 or 2026.

NJ: With Atlanta set to be missing two starters on the offensive line—RT Kaleb McGary (sprained MCL, day-to-day) and C Drew Dalman (high ankle sprain, IR)—are you concerned about the Falcons’ ability to contain the Saints’ revitalized pass rush? New Orleans is currently tied for fourth in the league with 11 team sacks.

TD: There’s still a chance McGary plays this Sunday, but regardless of health, I would still be concerned. The defense has had an abundance of opportunities to rush the passer due to the position their opponents have been in, and they’ve been capitalizing on them. Ryan Neuzil filled in for Dalmn last year and did well until running into the Saints. Storm Norton also filled in for Kaleb McGary in 2023 and clamped rookie sensation Will Anderson, but he was up and down in his other outings.

Last week, the line adjusted well by the fourth quarter, and I think with a week of preparation, they’ll be able to devise a game-plan to protect Cousins.

NJ: Atlanta is 6 of 27 on third down conversions to open the season. What do you believe is the cause of this—coaching or execution? Do you think things will change against New Orleans?

TD: It’s a combination of both. There have been drops and other execution errors for plays that had potential. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has also put the team in bad positions. With only a three-game sample size, I’m not panicking yet, but there is a healthy level of concern.

Things have to change against the Saints, and Robinson has shown the ability to adjust and has improved week to week as a play-caller. However, there will still be growing pains with the rookie coordinator.

NJ: It’s clear that many fans are still upset about New Orleans failing to land All-Pro safety Justin Simmons, especially after Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert recorded 170 receiving yards on 10 receptions against the Saints on Sunday. With that being said, has the superstar tandem of Simmons and Jessie Bates III been as lethal as advertised for the Falcons secondary?

TD: Per PFF, in 101 coverage snaps this season, Simmons has 16 yards allowed, one interception, and one forced incompletion while allowing a 6.3 passer rating when targeted. Jessie Bates was the NFC Player of the Week after his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, which included a game-winning interception.

The duo has been everything the team has hoped for. They’ve allowed defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and head coach Raheem Morris to bring over their zone-heavy scheme from Los Angeles. The duo has also helped cover up a subpar pass rush through coverage sacks.

NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Falcons (-120) are currently 1.5-point favorites over the Saints (+102) in Sunday’s matchup; who do you think will come out on top, and what is your final score prediction?

TD: Derek Carr will have a long day trying to push the ball down the field with Justin Simmons and Jessie Bates looming in the secondary; we may even see another pick-six. I think Bijan Robinson will continue his dominance in this series, and Atlanta will win 21-17.

Thank you again to Tre’Shon Diaz for joining us this week! You can check out the rest of his work here.

Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel

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Atlanta, GA

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Published

14 hours ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Arts & Entertainment

The Atlanta rapper will make his NBA halftime show debut next week when the Hawks host the Pistons.

At his welcome-home show at State Farm Arena in August, YFN Lucci performed a mix of fan favorites, collaborations and new songs to a packed crowd. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci will make his return to State Farm Arena, but as a halftime act instead of a headliner.

He’ll perform during halftime at the Atlanta Hawks game on Nov. 18, when the team plays against the Detroit Pistons. The appearance follows Lucci’s sold-out homecoming show at the venue in August.

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Rapper YFN Lucci (left) was joined by his four children at the end of his sold-out homecoming show at State Farm Arena in August. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

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DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia’s work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.

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Atlanta, GA

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

Published

1 day ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

ATLANTA – Travel headaches are piling up at the world’s busiest airport as the government shutdown stretches into another week.

What we know:

More than 800 flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled over the weekend, according to FlightAware, while more than 1,500 were delayed. Officials say a shortage of air traffic controllers triggered the widespread disruptions.

To address the growing number of absences, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flights at the nation’s 40 busiest airports. The cuts started at 4% last week, will increase to 6% on Tuesday, and are expected to reach 10% by Friday.

As of Monday afternoon, FlightAware reported more than 220 cancellations and over 300 delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interantional Airport.

What they’re saying:

“Was supposed to fly out this morning at 10 a.m. that was canceled,” said frustrated traveler Jason Julio. He and his son have been trying to get home to New Jersey since Sunday.

“You book a trip to have a good time and make memories,” Julio said. “These are the last types of memories you want to have.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN that 18 of the 22 air traffic controllers scheduled to work in Atlanta on Saturday didn’t show up.

“As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle, as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” he said.

SEE ALSO:

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the ongoing shutdown is to blame.

“Congress must act immediately and end the government shutdown, and ensure that all individuals who have not been paid during this prolonged closure receive their compensation,” said Nick Daniels, president of the union.

Even with the phased flight cuts, the weekend was chaotic at airports across the country because of staffing shortages and weather issues.

Rabbi Paula Mack Drill said the travel mess has even affected a group of female rabbis attending a retreat in Georgia.

“So far, at least a dozen of us have had to cancel because there was no way to get in from all around the country and internationally,” Drill said.

The Source: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, FlightAware, and the FAA provided details for this article. FOX News, FOX Business, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportPoliticsNewsTravelTravel NewsTransportation

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Atlanta, GA

Sources: Atlanta in line to get 17th NWSL franchise

Published

2 days ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Sources: Atlanta in line to get 17th NWSL franchise

Jeff KassoufNov 9, 2025, 09:14 PM ET
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The NWSL has awarded an expansion team to Atlanta as its 17th franchise, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The team will be owned by Arthur Blank’s AMB Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’ Atlanta United FC. Both teams play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the NWSL franchise is expected to begin play in 2028.

A spokesperson for AMB Sports and Entertainment provided the following statement to ESPN:

“We have had productive engagement with NWSL and others in its stakeholder group on the possibility of bringing an expansion franchise to Atlanta. We have nothing to announce currently as those conversations are ongoing.”

An NWSL spokesperson declined to comment.

The Athletic, which was the first to report the news, said the expansion fee would be $165 million, up from the $110 million that Denver Summit FC paid less than a year ago. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed in September what ESPN reported in July, that the league would shift to rolling expansion rather than formal bidding processes.

“Those conversations are ongoing,” Berman said at the time. “Each of them has a different perspective on how much time they need to launch, the investments they need to make to be successful, including potentially around infrastructure, and we want to not force a square peg into a round hole.”

The NWSL will expand to 16 teams next year with the introduction of Boston Legacy FC and Denver. Berman has said several times this year that the NWSL can eventually be as big as the 32-team NFL, at least conceptually.

Atlanta and Blank have been part of the NWSL expansion conversation intermittently for nearly a decade, with many sources describing the market as a when-not-if situation once Blank is ready to join the league.

The city was previously home to women’s professional soccer when the Atlanta Beat played there in WUSA from 2001 to 2003 and in WPS in 2010 and 2011. The WPS version of the Beat built a stadium for the team in Kennesaw, Georgia, in collaboration with Kennesaw State University.

Atlanta is the seventh-largest TV media market, per Nielsen data.

Atlanta United has been a major success for MLS since launching in 2017. The team won a championship the following year and has led MLS in attendance every season since launching (except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020), averaging over 40,000 fans per game.

Atlanta will also be the new home of U.S. Soccer’s headquarters as of next year. Blank donated $50 million to that project.

ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.

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