ATLANTA (AP) — Two games into the Michael Penix Jr. era, it's clear the Atlanta Falcons are in good hands at quarterback.
Trouble is, there might not be enough time to salvage a trip to the playoffs.
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates after winning over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris talks to reporters after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won in overtime 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Drake London (5) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders, who rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to pull out a 30-24 overtime victory Sunday night, dealt a huge blow to Atlanta's postseason hopes.
Now Tampa Bay controls its fate in the NFC South, needing only to win its final game against the lowly New Orleans Saints to lock up the division title.
If that happens, the Falcons (8-8) will spend a tortuous offseason wondering how it all slipped away. They were firmly in control of the division race with a 6-3 mark in early November, only to go on a four-game skid that eventually cost $180 million free-agent signee Kirk Cousins his job as the No. 1 quarterback.
No way this team should be missing the playoffs for seventh year in a row, but that very well could be the case.
“We have to be dominant,” running back Bijan Robinson said Monday. “There’s so much talent on this team, on this offense. The young talent that we have, man, it’s pretty special.”
In retrospect, it's clear the Falcons should have switched to Penix before the final three games of the regular season. The No. 8 overall pick has played extremely well in his first two starts. though it wasn't enough to knock off the Commanders and their rookie star, Jayden Daniels.
Even so, Atlanta might very well have beaten the Commanders — and needed only to win their final game to clinch a playoff spot — if not for some inexplicable time mismanagement by coach Raheem Morris.
He didn't use any of his three timeouts in the closing minutes of the first half, deciding to run the clock down and settle for a field goal instead of going for a touchdown that could've stretched the Atlanta lead to 21-7.
More troubling was Morris' decision not to call a timeout — he had two remaining — after Penix hooked up with Darnell Mooney on a 25-yard completion with 40 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 24.
The Falcons allowed the clock to run down to 17 seconds before the offense finally got lined up for a play that resulted in an incompletion. After another incomplete pass, Morris finally called a timeout while the clock was not running.
A pair of penalties gave the Falcons a chance to win with a 56-yard field goal, but Riley Patterson's kick landed far short. The Commanders won the game in overtime without Atlanta ever getting another possession.
If Morris had used his two timeouts during that final drive of the fourth quarter, Atlanta would've had time to get Patterson in position for a more reasonable field-goal attempt.
The coach said Monday that he wanted to keep the clock running to prevent the Commanders from subbing in their pass-rushing specialists.
“You definitely go back and second-guess it when it doesn't work,” Morris said. “When it doesn't go right, I'm not gonna run away and blame it on anybody else. I apologize to our fans for not getting it done."
In his second NFL start, Penix continued to impress with his arm strength and decision-making. He completed 19 of 35 passes for 223 yards, including his first career touchdown to cap a dramatic fourth-quarter drive that forced overtime. Penix converted twice on fourth-and-long with laser-like throws.
On the other side of the line, the Falcons recorded five sacks — one each from five players — to mark their fifth straight game with at least three QB takedowns. They have 21 sacks during that span, compared with an NFL-low 10 sacks over the first 11 games.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson inexplicably abandoned the running game after Robinson carried 13 times for 82 yards in the first half. Robinson had only four carries for 8 yards the rest of the way.
WR Drake London had seven catches for 106 yards to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career.
CB A.J. Terrell covered Commanders WR Terry McLaurin on 32 of his 34 routes, allowing just one reception for 5 yards on seven targets, according to Next Gen Stats. McLaurin had been averaging 4.9 receptions, 14.1 yards per reception and 68.6 yards per game.
Morris' game management issues turned up the heat on a first-year coach who was hired with a clear mandate to get the Falcons back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. With that goal now in major jeopardy, it will be intriguing to see if there's any fallout should the Falcons come up short.
The Falcons were shorthanded in the secondary with CBs Antonio Hamilton (quad) and Kevin King (concussion) sitting out. Atlanta reported no significant injuries during the game.
10:59 — Washington's advantage in time of possession in the second half, when the Commanders ran 41 plays to Atlanta's 24. The third quarter was particularly striking as the Commanders took 25 snaps while the Falcons went three-and-out in their lone possession.
To claim the NFC South title and earn a home playoff game, the Falcons must defeat Carolina (4-12) on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and get an upset win from New Orleans (5-11) in its game at Tampa Bay that kicks off at the same time.
The first part of that equation is certainly doable. Atlanta beat the Panthers 38-20 when they met at Charlotte on Oct. 13. But counting on a Saints win is far more problematic. New Orleans has lost three in a row, been outscored 59-10 the last two weeks and looked dreadful again in a 25-10 home loss to the lowly Raiders.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates after winning over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris talks to reporters after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won in overtime 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Drake London (5) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
New York at (3-13) at Philadelphia (13-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3 1/2
Against the spread: New York 4-11-1; Philadelphia 10-6
Series record: Eagles lead 91-86-2
Last meeting: Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards to lead Philadelphia to a 28-3 victory in New York on Oct. 20.
Last week: Giants defeated the Colts 45-33. Eagles routed the Cowboys 41-7.
Giants offense: overall (29), rush (22), pass (27), scoring (31).
Giants defense: overall (24), rush (31), pass (10), scoring (23).
Eagles offense: overall (6), rush (1), pass (30), scoring (7).
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (10), pass (1), scoring (T-6).
Turnover differential: Giants: minus-7; Eagles: plus-10.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick has 104 catches for 1,140 yards and 6 touchdowns and is four receptions shy of topping Steve Smith’s franchise mark of 107 catches in a season, set in 2009.
QB Tanner McKee. The third-string quarterback could start with Jalen Hurts and backup Kenny Pickett sidelined by injuries. McKee threw two touchdown passes and put the finishing touches on a rout against Dallas.
If Barkley played, it would have been New York’s rushing defense vs. Barkley. The Giants are second from the bottom in the NFL by allowing an average of 141.6 rushing yards per game. In Barkley’s place, the Giants rushing defense will be contending with Kenneth Gainwell.
Giants: Defensive lineman Armon Watts (knee) was injured in the first half against the Colts last week and didn’t return. He underwent surgery and won’t play on Sunday, coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday. C John Michael Schmitz (ankle) and LB Micah McFadden (neck) did not play against Indianapolis. Neither practiced on Wednesday. RT Evan Neal (rib/hip) also didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) did not play last week and missed the final three quarters against Washington the week before after getting injured early against the Commanders. The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday rather than a full practice, but Hurts would not have participated had it been a full practice. Either way, he likely will not play this week to heal up for the playoffs. TE Dallas Goedert (knee), out since Dec. 1 and LB Nakobe Dean (abdominal), who missed last week’s game against Dallas, would have been full participants on Wednesday if the Eagles held a full practice rather than a walkthrough. Many starters either didn’t participate on Wednesday because of rest and several others were limited participants.
The Eagles are NFC East champions for the second time in three seasons. The Giants finished last in the division for the second time in the past four. New York lost the inside track for the top pick in the draft by beating the Colts last week.
Giants QB Drew Lock passed for 309 yards and four touchdowns without an interception and ran for a 5-yard score in the win over the Colts that snapped a 10-game losing streak. … The victory over Indianapolis kept the Giants from becoming the first team to go 0-9 at home, but also knocked them out of control of the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. … New York had six plays of 30 or more yards against Indianapolis. … Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score last Sunday. … WR Malik Nabers has 104 catches for 1,140 yards and 6 touchdowns and is four receptions shy of topping Steve Smith’s franchise mark of 107 catches in a season, set in 2009. ... Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will host either Washington or Green Bay on January 11, 12 or 13 in a wild-card game. If Washington loses Sunday to Dallas and Green Bay beats Chicago, the Commanders are headed to Philadelphia. If the Commanders win, the Packers are the No. 7 seed and play the Eagles. … Philadelphia needs 35 points to eclipse the club record of 477, set in 2022. … Brown joined Mike Quick (1983–85) as Eagles receivers to reach 1,000-plus receiving yards in three straight seasons last week. Brown stands at 1,079 yards and has surpassed 1,000 in each of the past three seasons. … Zack Baun has a career-high 150 tackles, which ranks third in the NFL. … C.J. Gardner-Johnson has four interceptions in the past four games.
For those still playing in fantasy leagues, Nabers could have another big game to close out his stellar rookie season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) gets past Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (45) to score a touchdown on a 5-yard run in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)