FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons are turning a page, if only momentarily.
After three games against the NFC South, in which it earned a 3-0 record and early head-to-head advantage on the division, Atlanta will face the Seattle Seahawks in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Don't you worry, though. The division isn't going anywhere, as a rematch with the Buccaneers awaits in Week 8.
But let's use this time to reflect and appreciate the Falcons accomplishing a key goal at an early inflection point of the season. They've shown versatility, resilience and an ability to create their own good fortune. Those are qualities good teams in this league possess. This stretch has also provided some early moments that fans will cherish for a long time.
That brings us to the question Tori McElhaney, Will McFadden, Terrin Waack and Amna Subhan are here to answer:
What was your favorite moment during the Falcons' 3-0 division run?
McELHANEY: Special teams. Special plays. Special players.
I have to say I love the wild and wacky, so it should come as no surprise to you that my favorite moment(s) of this run happened when special teams put the team on its back against the Saints to start this run off three weeks ago.
KhaDarel Hodge fell on a muffed punt in the end zone in the very first quarter. Younghoe Koo kicked a career-long, game-winning field goal from 58 yards out to put the Falcons on top. Two plays bookended a game that saw the Falcons never score an offensive touchdown.
For all of the noise the offense has made in the last two weeks — for good reason, too — don't forget the role special teams and the defense played in this win over an arch rival.
McFADDEN: I'll go back to the play that one could argue really ignited this hot streak: Troy Andersen's 47-yard pick-six. Because it's been a minute, why don't we indulge in this highlight one more time.
The Falcons recaptured the lead against the Saints on that play, made possible by Matthew Judon, and it provided the signature moment of the best performance in Andersen's young career. The uproar Andersen's touchdown elicited from the large crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was one of the loudest I've heard in a while, and it came at a pivotal point in the game.
My anticipation for Andersen's encore performance is nearly boiling over. It felt like that was a true put-it-all-together game for a player who has so much ability, and it was a fantastic sign in his return from last year's injury.
Whenever he does set foot back on the field, Andersen will join a defense that is developing an opportunistic reputation, and it's clear he can add to that aspect of the unit. But his speed is truly a unique skill that this defense could use right now, both against the run and in the pass rush.
We will see what the injury report says throughout the week, but I'm hopeful Atlanta will get its trio of linebackers together again soon.
WAACK: Recency bias is definitely coming into play here, but I am choosing to highlight cornerback Clark Phillips III's interception that solidified the Falcons' Week 6 win against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
For starters, it was Phillip's first-ever interception in 17 career games since joining the Falcons as a fourth-round draft pick in 2023. That's always a special moment. Especially for someone like Phillips, who’s listed as a backup on the depth chart, because his live reps are limited. He only played a third of the Falcons' defensive snaps against the Panthers.
"You practice like you play," Phillips said. "I felt like I stacked a good training camp. I put some good stuff on film. It was a heavy competition, and it was fun. And then, you get out here in the games, all you hope for and pray about is that you get those opportunities in the game. When they come, you got to capitalize."
Which he did. Even if it pained him.
Phillips came 6 yards away from scoring his first-ever pick-six, too. There was not a single Panthers defender in his way of the end zone. But instead of breaking the plane of the goal line, Phillips voluntarily collapsed. He knew going down and settling for the turnover was a better move for the team overall. It allowed the Falcons' offense, rather than the defense, to run out the clock with no worries. The Panthers never again got the chance to somehow overcome their 18-point deficit.
"I wish it wasn't the end of the game, so he didn't have to slide," Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said. "That was his first pick. But it was a great, great decision by him."
Not everyone, even if jokingly, thought so.
"The offensive guys (were) like, 'Why didn't you score?'" Bates said. "Guys like me, I'm like, 'Good job. I didn't want to go back out there.' But yeah, he got some (expletive)."
It's a good memory either way for Phillips.
SUBHAN: Without a doubt, my favorite moment of the Falcons' three-game win streak came from the overtime win against the Buccaneers, and also what happened moments after the final whistle.
Kirk Cousins' 509 passing yards was a sight to see, all the way through to the final 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
But the real can't-miss moment happened after the walk-off win. Cousins Swag Surfin' with the crowd immediately caught my attention and perhaps captured the hearts of Falcons fans.
Since Cousins signed with the Falcons in March, he's talked about the kinship he feels with the city. He's spent about every offseason here with his wife, who is from metro Atlanta and is a University of Georgia alum. He's mentioned the lore of Hartsfield-Jackson airport and did an interview parked in front of a Waffle House. But in this moment, it felt like he truly became an Atlanta Falcon.
It felt like an inevitability after Cousins called out the celebratory dance of the rap song that originated in Atlanta in his previous postgame press conference. In true "Kirko" fashion, he called it “Swag and Surf” and then learned the dance ahead of the prime-time game.
He surpassed not only his career high in the victory but also the franchise record previously held by Matt Ryan. And on Ryan's Ring of Honor induction night, no less. Not to mention with a national audience on "Thursday Night Football" to witness it all.
It's one of those moments where as a storyteller, you couldn't write it up any better.
