Week 8 was a rough one for the Falcons, but a handful of former Atlanta players had much better Sundays and Mondays elsewhere.
Atlanta got shut out 16-0 by the Buccaneers in a game that spiraled badly in the rain. Tampa Bay ran the ball 56 times for more than 320 yards, Baker Mayfield threw only three passes, and the Bucs became the first team to win a game without completing a pass since 1974.
The Falcons’ side of it was ugly across the board: the coaching was poor, Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions, and the chance to take control of the NFC South slipped away. James Pearce Jr.’s return was about the only bright spot.
Elsewhere, Tyler Allgeier put together the best game of his NFL career. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30 in overtime after falling behind 17-3, and Allgeier was central to the comeback.
With Jeremiyah Love leaving early because of injury, the 26-year-old handled feature-back duties and delivered in a big way. He ran 11 times for 147 yards and a touchdown, including a 63-yard score for the longest run of his career.
He also added five catches for 47 yards and another touchdown. It came against a shaky Cowboys run defense, but with Love expected to miss time, Allgeier should keep getting that lead role.
Kirk Cousins also turned in a strong performance for the Las Vegas Raiders. While Penix struggled in bad weather, Cousins helped Las Vegas rally from multiple scores down to beat the Jets 38-33.
The 38-year-old completed 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, then added a rushing touchdown for good measure. His chemistry with Brock Bowers keeps growing, and he did it while throwing to what the source called the single weakest wide receiver room in the league.
After some calls last week for Fernando Mendoza to take over, Klint Kubiak looked smart for sticking with Cousins.
On defense, Grady Jarrett’s night with the Chicago Bears was quieter. In Chicago’s 34-17 win over the Seahawks, he finished with just one tackle, no sacks, no tackles for loss, one stop, and one pressure. Seattle still averaged 4.3 yards per carry with its running back rotation, so it wasn’t a big run-stopping outing for him.
Ruke Orhorhoro got more run in Jacksonville’s 42-7 win over the Colts. The Jaguars’ blowout let him play a season-high 44 snaps, and he finished with two pressures and a quarterback hit. With Davon Hamilton done for the year, Jacksonville may need more from him, especially if it can’t land a big-name defensive tackle at the trade deadline.
Foye Oluokun was all over the field in that same Jaguars win. He posted nine tackles, including five solo, plus a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit.
He also had six stops and two pressures. Coverage wasn’t his best area in Week 8, but he made plenty of noise near the line of scrimmage.
Arnold Ebiketie’s role shrank again in the Eagles’ 27-10 loss to the Commanders on Sunday night. He played 24 snaps, his lowest total since Week 4, after Nolan Smith and Jonathan Greenard returned to the lineup. That pushed him back into the rotational role he started the year in, which was also the role Atlanta asked him to fill.
In Other News...
Falcons Injury Update Puts Focus On James Pearce At Last
The Falcons settled into Madrid on Wednesday and got their first walkthrough of Week 9 against the Bengals, with the trip carrying a little extra attention because of the injury report. James Pearce Jr. finally took part in a full practice for the first time this season after serving his suspension, a notable step for a defense that has been waiting to see what the edge rusher can add once he is cleared for game action.
Atlanta also had a few moving parts elsewhere on the report, with Zachariah Branch ruled out because of a hamstring injury and several others limited. For a team trying to keep the week clean in an unusual setting, the bigger question now is how quickly Pearce can slide into the mix and what kind of role he can handle once the Falcons get to game day. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Plan To Protect Michael Penix Jr. Is Starting To Show
The Falcons offseason blueprint is starting to take shape around one clear priority: making life easier for Michael Penix Jr. Sports Illustrateds latest mock draft has Atlanta looking hard at the offensive line, a move that fits the teams broader effort to fortify protection for its young quarterback while also keeping an eye on looming free-agent decisions and the long-term health of the front five.
There is also a bigger roster-planning element to the approach, with the Falcons expected to have significant salary cap space available in 2027 to keep improving the roster. For now, though, the direction is obvious enough. Atlanta appears intent on building stability up front first, and the way it handles that spot could shape not just Penixs development, but the next phase of the offense as a whole. [Read more 🡒]
Jahan Dotson Is Giving Falcons Fans Real Hope After Rough Loss
Jahan Dotson has quickly become one of the more encouraging pieces in Atlantas offense since signing his two-year deal, giving the Falcons a legitimate deep threat to pair with the rest of their skill talent. Through eight weeks, he has been one of the leagues most explosive receivers on a per-catch basis, and his latest outing showed why the team believes he can stretch defenses in ways that change how opponents have to play them.
Even in a Week 8 loss, Dotson turned in his best receiving day in nearly three years, a reminder that the Falcons may have found a useful answer on the outside after moving on from other options at the position. For a team still trying to find more consistency, his ability to threaten downfield has offered a real bright spot, and it has only added to the sense that Atlantas passing game may have another layer it can lean on as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]