Tag: Atlanta Falcons
Falcons counting on Kirk Cousins to continue success vs. Eagles
Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins hopes the third time is the charm when the Falcons visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
It is the third straight season that Cousins has traveled to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 2 for a primetime game. He lost the previous two years while playing for the Minnesota Vikings, falling 24-7 on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 19, 2022, and 34-28 on “Thursday Night Football” on Sept. 14, 2023.
Atlanta (0-1) is coming off a season-opening 18-10 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cousins’ Falcons debut. He looked rusty during his first game since tearing his right Achilles tendon last October and first since signing a $180 million contract in March.
Cousins completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Steelers. He was also sacked twice and hit seven times as the Falcons operated almost exclusively from the pistol or shotgun, opting to avoid play-action with their 36-year-old signal-caller.
“We did not have a good game. He (Cousins) did not have a good game,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We were very clear about that. There was no sugarcoating that.”
Including his time with NFC East rival Washington, Cousins has had success against Philadelphia with a 6-5 record and more career passing yards (3,341) and touchdown passes (26) against the Eagles than any other opponent. In last year’s game at the Linc, he completed 31 of 44 passes for 364 yards with four TDs and no INTs.
“He’s gonna bring the urgency,” Morris said of what he expects from Cousins. “He’s gonna bring everything he has to do in order to play better, to find a way to get that thing to the results that we want.”
Cousins will face some heat from the Eagles (1-0), who should be rested and recovered playing 10 days after their 34-29 defeat of Green Bay in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Linebacker Zack Baun recorded two sacks in his Philadelphia debut, matching his career total from 62 games with the New Orleans Saints (2020-23). His game-ending sack against Malik Willis, after Jordan Love left with a knee injury, preserved the win.
“A great indicator of how you’re going to play in games is how you practice,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Baun, who added a game-high 15 tackles with 11 solo stops. “You know, he’s been relentless to the football. Relentless effort. That really showed up.”
The Packers gained 414 yards against the Eagles but came away with only one touchdown in four trips to the red zone against new coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.
On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia offset Jalen Hurts’ two interceptions and a fumbled exchange with new center Cam Jurgens with a big debut by Saquon Barkley (132 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns).
The Eagles face an Atlanta defense that did not allow a touchdown to the Steelers, who settled for six field goals by Chris Boswell. Grady Jarrett had 1.5 sacks and Matt Judon added a half-sack and six tackles in his Falcons debut.
Sirianni is also concerned with stopping Bijan Robinson, who tallied 111 yards from scrimmage in Week 1 and who reminds the Philly coach of Barkley.
“He’s a really good football player who can create on his own,” Sirianni said. “Things can break down and he can still make a play.”
Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams (foot) was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice. Linebacker Devin White (ankle) and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (hand) were full participants after missing Week 1.
Falcons linebacker Nate Landman (calf, quad) and cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin) did not practice Thursday and right tackle Kaleb McGary (groin) was limited.
–Field Level Media
Chris Boswell hits 6 FGs, Justin Fields guides Steelers past Falcons
ATLANTA — Chris Boswell made all six of his field goal attempts, including three longer than 50 yards, to guide the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers to an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener on Sunday.
In his team debut, Justin Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards for Pittsburgh, adding 57 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Najee Harris ran for a team-high 70 yards, while George Pickens caught six balls for 85 yards as the Steelers improved to 16-2-1 all-time vs Atlanta.
Also making his first start with his new team, Kirk Cousins was 16-for-26 for 155 yards, throwing for one touchdown and two interceptions. Bijan Robinson ran for 68 yards for the Falcons.
In a defensive battle, Pittsburgh totaled 270 yards to Atlanta’s 226.
The Falcons capped off a 12-play, 64-yard opening drive with Younghoe Koo’s 24-yard field goal, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead at the 9:06 mark. After converting on a pair of third-down plays, Pittsburgh tied the game on Boswell’s 57-yard field goal with 4:37 remaining in the first.
Two plays into the ensuing Falcons drive, Cousins was picked off by DeShon Elliott at the Steelers’ 49-yard line. Pittsburgh settled for Boswell’s 51-yard field goal with 12:54 left in the second quarter.
After the teams traded punts, Cousins led a 90-yard drive that resulted in a 12-yard passing touchdown to Kyle Pitts, giving the Falcons a 10-6 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half.
On the final possession of the half, Fields found Pickens for 33 yards to the Atlanta 25-yard line, setting up Boswell’s 44-yard field goal as time expired.
After forcing a Pittsburgh punt on the second half’s opening drive, a fumble in the Falcons’ backfield was recovered by T.J. Watt, setting up the Steelers on their own 38-yard line with 10:29 to go in the third. A nine-play, 24-yard drive was then stamped with Boswell’s fourth field goal, a 56-yarder that gave Pittsburgh a 12-10 advantage at the 7:45 mark.
Following an Atlanta punt, Fields’ 40-yard pass to Pickens pushed Pittsburgh into Atlanta territory, but the Steelers had to settle for Boswell’s 40-yard field goal, extending the lead to 15-10 with 25 seconds left in the third.
Atlanta’s ensuing drive was stymied, and it punted for a second straight possession. Starting on their own 22-yard line, the Steelers marched down to the Falcons’ 6-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-1, Fields’ quarterback sneak was stopped for no gain, giving the ball back to the Atlanta offense with 7:03 left in the fourth.
After another Atlanta punt, Grady Jarrett and Matthew Judon combined to sack Fields on third-and-13, forcing a punt.
Taking over on their own 40 with 3:19 left, Robinson ran for 13 yards on first down, but Donte Jackson picked off Cousins on the next play and returned it to the Atlanta 18 with 2:47 remaining.
Boswell’s 25-yarder punctuated his perfect day with 31 seconds left.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
With season opener vs. Steelers looming, Raheem Morris excited to guide Falcons
Since his hiring as the 19th head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in January, Raheem Morris has brought a sense of optimism to a franchise searching for its first winning season since 2017.
Morris, along with a bevy of key free-agent signings, will debut Atlanta’s new look on Sunday, when the Falcons host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the regular season.
Not a stranger to being “the guy”, Morris went 17-31 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach from 2009-11, and 4-7 as Atlanta’s interim coach in 2020 after Dan Quinn’s firing.
A non-factor in the postseason picture since their last appearance in the 2017 season, the Falcons added offensive weapons in quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, while also acquiring safety Justin Simmons and linebacker Matthew Judon in August.
The offseason additions have the Falcons in a spot to contend for an up-for-grabs NFC South Division. For Morris, season opener Sunday presents a chance to prove he’s ready to lead a team with lofty expectations.
“I like the ‘anywhere, any place’ kind of mentality our team has,” Morris said Monday. “I just love the mentality and the mindset to get better every single time they’re in the building. That’s what has really stood out with this football team. It’s a veteran-laced group with a bunch of young guys that really care. That’s a credit to our front office and the people that have gone out and picked the players for this team.”
As for Morris’ first game as a head coach since Jan. 3, 2021, the 47-year-old will square off against the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin — a former coworker in Tampa Bay.
Morris was a defensive assistant alongside Tomlin for the Buccaneers from 2002-05.
“(Mike) is the elder statesman in this,” Morris said of the matchup. “He looks at this with a lot of pride and does the same with the guys that he’s developed. I certainly have a lot of respect for him.”
Sunday will also mark the return of Arthur Smith, the Steelers’ offensive coordinator and former Falcons head coach. Smith was fired in January after finishing 21-30 in three seasons with Atlanta.
The Falcons’ .139 winning percentage all-time against Pittsburgh is their lowest versus any team in the NFL. Atlanta is searching for its first win in the series since October 2006.
–Field Level Media
Falcons release TE Tucker Fisk, sign two wide receivers
The Atlanta Falcons signed wide receivers Daylen Baldwin and OJ Hiliare and released tight end Tucker Fisk on Wednesday.
Fisk, 25, had been with the Falcons since 2022, mostly on the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster multiple times in 2023 and played in six games, making two starts. He caught his only target for a 9-yard reception.
Baldwin, 24, played in one game for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and caught his two targets for 25 yards. He was on the Browns’ practice squad most of that season.
He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in November 2023, later signing a reserve/future contract before his release on May 7.
Hiliare is an undrafted free agent who played for Alabama A&M and later Bowling Green.
–Field Level Media
Falcons sign DL James Smith-Williams
The Atlanta Falcons signed free agent defensive lineman James Smith-Williams, the team announced Wednesday.
Williams, 26, spent four seasons with Washington, which selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State.
He had 22 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits in 13 games (seven starts) for the Commanders in 2023. For his career, Williams has 85 tackles, seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 31 QB hits in 55 games (27 starts).
–Field Level Media
Falcons sign former Packers CB Kevin King
The Atlanta Falcons signed free agent cornerback Kevin King on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.
King, 28, was a second-round pick by Green Bay in 2017 but has not played in the NFL since 2021.
In five seasons with the Packers, he had seven interceptions and 197 tackles in 51 games (42 starts).
King sat out the 2022 season to focus on his mental health, then tore an Achilles tendon getting ready for 2023.
–Field Level Media
Falcons sign veteran DT Eddie Goldman
The Atlanta Falcons announced the signing Wednesday of defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.
The former second-round draft pick has missed three of the past four NFL seasons.
Goldman, 30, originally signed a one-year deal with Atlanta in July 2022, but he announced his retirement two weeks later.
The Falcons reinstated Goldman from the reserve/retired list in March 2023, but he landed on the exempt/left squad list in July and never played a snap last season.
Goldman also sat out the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He played six NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears (2015-19, 2021), who drafted him 39th overall in 2015. He has 175 tackles, 13 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 81 games (73 starts).
–Field Level Media
Report: Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke agrees to pay cut
Backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke agreed to a pay cut to remain with the Atlanta Falcons, ESPN reported.
His base salary for the 2024 season was slashed from $5 million to $1.21 million, and his $1.32 million roster bonus was reclassified as a signing bonus, per Monday’s report.
Heinicke’s active roster bonus of $40,000 per game was also removed from his contract and his total cap number was reduced from $8.96 million to $4.53 million.
The Falcons have overhauled their quarterback room this offseason, signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract at the start of free agency and trading Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals.
Heinicke, 31, was 1-3 as the starter in his first season with Atlanta in 2023, completing 54.4 percent of his passes for 890 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
He is 13-15-1 overall with 6,635 passing yards, 39 TDs and 28 picks in 38 games (29 starts) with the Houston Texans (2017), Carolina Panthers (2018), Washington (2020-22) and Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
Falcons sign return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud
The Atlanta Falcons signed wide receiver and return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year contract Monday.
Terms were not disclosed but prior reports said the deal was worth up to $6 million for the 27-year-old free agent.
McCloud gained 593 all-purpose yards in 12 games (one start) with the San Francisco 49ers last season.
On offense, he has 90 catches for 768 yards and one touchdown and 15 rushes for 192 yards and one TD in 77 career games (11 starts) with the Buffalo Bills (2018), Carolina Panthers (2019), Pittsburgh Steelers (2020-21) and 49ers.
On special teams, McCloud has averaged 9.6 yards on 138 punt returns and 22.6 yards on 108 kickoff returns. He led the NFL with 367 punt-return yards in 2021.
The Bills drafted him out of Clemson with a sixth-round pick in 2018.
–Field Level Media