FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons enter the new year a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South standings and on the outside of the playoff picture.
They have one more chance to flip that, but they'll need some help to do so. Success in the NFL is often determined by the smallest of margins and the finest of details. It's part of what makes the league so compelling … and so frustrating. The phrase "any given Sunday" resonates so strongly because, well, it's true. Anything can happen any week, and no two games follow the same blueprint.
So, while everyone is looking ahead to what 2025 will hold, our editorial team is taking one moment to look back. There are a few games on the Falcons' slate that they'd like another crack at, which brings us to this week's question:
Which game on the Falcons' schedule would you like to play again?
McELHANEY: Call it recency bias, but I am going to say the most recent loss to the Commanders. Despite the pitfalls of the month of November the Falcons still found themselves at the top of the NFC South with a chance to stay there with a win. And well, we all know what happened. I do not need to rehash it here. But that game — that loss — is the one that hurts the most. What's the song? What hurts the most is being so close? That's how this game feels. Yes, everything to this point also hurt, but this one? It has to go at the top of the list for me simply because it feels like the ultimate difference for this team. It's what could (and probably will) stand between the team and a postseason.
McFADDEN: Of all the games the Falcons lost this season, there are two that I really believe they should have won — Week 10 and Week 13. Because Week 10 involved a game against the hated New Orleans Saints, that will be my choice.
This was not Atlanta's best game of the season by any means, but it's still one that should have gone down as a W. Two explosive plays in the second quarter, one of which went for a 40-yard touchdown, gave the Saints an early 17-7 lead in the first half. Such plays have been a rarity for the Falcons' defense in 2024, and they quickly made corrections to limit them in the second half.
Another rarity in this matchup: Three kicks from Younghoe Koo that didn't pass through the uprights. One was blocked, the other two were simply missed. If the outcome of just one of those kicks is reversed, this game goes to overtime and the tenor of it changes. If two kicks sailed through, the Falcons win it outright.
Entering Week 18, this loss stands as the one blemish on Atlanta's NFC South slate. I think that would be corrected if they lined up and played it again. Sadly, that's just not how this game works, and it's why teams need their very best each and every week.
WAACK: The 38-6 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11.
This would have prevented the Falcons' first set of back-to-back losses. More importantly, it meant a win would have come right before the bye week. Maybe, just maybe, the positive vibes going into the time off would have better helped the team course correct – specifically the offense and quarterback Kirk Cousin, since the defense seemed to figure things out with its pass rush.
So, a win against the Broncos would have stopped the bleeding before it was too late. It then may have caused a productive domino effect for the final third of the season.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, there are no such things as do-overs in the NFL. Even if there were, who knows what a win against the Broncos would have actually done for the Falcons' future. Would Cousins have returned to his October form? Would the offense have treated the bye differently? Or would both have still struggled enough for a quarterback switch in Week16?
Those answers will remain a mystery.
SUBHAN: Week 13 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.The Falcons lost 13-17 in a very winnable game. All phases but the offense, well really quarterback play, was clicking on all cylinders. The pass rush came alive with a season-high five sacks and held Los Angeles to 187 net yards. Not only that, but the defense forced a fumble and gave the offense the ball at the 34-yard line, resulting in Atlanta's lone touchdown of the day. With Kirk Cousins' 245 passing yards and Bijan Robinson's 102 rushing yards, the Falcons out-gained the Chargers by 163 yards. On special teams, Younghoe Koo kept them in the game by making two of three field goal attempts.
However, Cousins threw four interceptions and no touchdown passes. His last one came on a fourth down deep at the Chargers' 35-yard line. Instead of continuing a potential game-winning drive, the game essentially ended on that play. It's one of those performances that feels more bitter in retrospect. It's one of those games where the Falcons should have won.
