What we learned from Sunday's Week 12 games
Atlanta's 43-6 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders was its best performance of the season by a good margin. It was similar to the Falcons' 40-23 win against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, but the defense had a complete performance throughout the entire game on Sunday, allowing just three points in each half.
Deion Jones was among the heroes of the game, coming through with a pick-six in the third quarter, which was one of five turnovers for the Falcons. Atlanta also had five sacks, including the first of Jacob Tuioti-Mariner's career. Offensively, it took a little bit of time to get things going, but Matt Ryan tossed two touchdown passes – one each to Calvin Ridley and Brandon Powell – and Ito Smith closed things off with a fourth-quarter touchdown run.
One week after a lackluster performance against the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons rebounded in a big way. This type of win is more along the lines of what fans expected from Atlanta this season, and it could once again make Raheem Morris a prime contender for the full-time coaching job, which Adam Maya writes in his recap of the Falcons-Raiders game for NFL.com.
"Raheem Morris is ready to be a head coach again," Maya writes. "Whether that happens with Atlanta remains to be seen, but its latest performance gives Arthur Blank, who's also looking for a new general manager, even more to consider. The Falcons have looked like a completely different team since Morris took over -- or, they've been who we thought they'd be. The offense is explosive, but not one-dimensional, the defense is opportunistic and stingy against the pass. They exhibited all of that while routing the Raiders for their fourth win in six tries under Morris. Blank intimated his interim coach might have been too young when he was hired to run the Buccaneers at 32, his tenure ending after just three seasons and a 17-31 mark. Morris, now 44, has clearly learned some things along the way and has a team that began the season 0-5 not just competitive but beating potential playoff teams. Atlanta (4-7) is a long shot to be one this year, but Morris' chances of being an NFL head coach in 2021 should be better."
Week 12 NFL grades
Atlanta's performance was made even more impressive by the fact that it came against a team right in the thick of the AFC playoff race and is the only team to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs this season. It's the type of win that garners national praise, and that's exactly what has happened. While the Raiders received an "F" grade from CBSSports.com's John Breech for their play, the Falcons earned the highest possible grade, an "A+."
"The Falcons went into this game with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but they're probably going to be feeling pretty good about themselves after their performance on Sunday," Breech writes. "It's hard to say what was more impressive, the fact that they forced five turnovers (including a pick-six from Deion Jones), the fact they limited Josh Jacobs to just 27 yards on the ground, the fact that they sacked Derek Carr five times or the fact that they didn't surrender a touchdown. It you can't tell by now, it was one of the most dominant performances the Falcons have had all season long."
Week 12 NFL takeaways
There was a bit of a trend among the insights gleaned from Atlanta's win on Sunday – the defense grabbed a lot of attention. Tuioti-Mariner, who had a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to go along with his sack, was named the standout player in Harry Lyles Jr.’s takeaways for ESPN.com, a well-deserved honor for a young player coming into his own.
"The Falcons played their best defensive game of the season against the Raiders, forcing five turnovers and producing five sacks," Lyles writes. "It was the type of defensive effort the Falcons have been looking for over the past few seasons. If they're able to put together similar performances in the final weeks of the season, Raheem Morris has to like his chances of becoming the permanent head coach."
We're now seeing the Falcons we expected
Part of the reason Sunday's game was so noteworthy for the Falcons is because there were those who expected it to be a much more common occurrence in 2020. That there have now been two such games under Raheem Morris is a good sign for the team's interim head coach, and it showed the potential that Atlanta still has. In one of his few positive columns of the season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Mark Bradley praised the Falcons for their play Sunday.
"The Falcons stopped themselves from having a realistic chance to do anything of significance this season," Bradley writes. "They showed Sunday what can happen if they keep the pressure on an opponent and step aside as that opponent falls to pieces. They made a decent Raiders team look downright indecent. Even as the lead was mounting and we were starting to make jokes about how even the Falcons mightn't be able to blow this game, they kept building on it. They built until Jon Gruden took pity on his addled quarterback and pulled Carr with 10 minutes remaining."
More headlines for Falcons fans
- AtlantaFalcons.com: Tabeek: Defense leading charge in team’s turnaround
- AtlantaFalcons.com: Ryan on Jones’s pick-six: Great players are opportunistic
- AtlantaFalcons.com: Falcons learning to finish games
- AtlantaFalcons.com: Falcons rebound with dominant showing vs. Raiders
- NBCSports.com: FMIA Week 12
- PFF.com: Falcons-Raiders ReFocused
- AJC.com: Tuioti-Mariner ‘was everywhere’ in win over Raiders
- AJC.com: Morris: ‘This is how a game should end when you got control’
- AJC.com: Falcons’ receivers step up with Julio Jones out
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders with top photos from Week 12.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan #2 runs out of the tunnel before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is shown before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell #24 warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus #17 warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan #2 warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Hill #23 and fullback Keith Smith #40 are shown before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons huddle before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 celebrates during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal #22 makes a stop against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 and defensive end Steven Means #55 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan #2 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett #97 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell #15 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett #97 celebratesduring the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Hill #23 in action during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo #7 kicks the ball during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jacob Tuioti-Mariner #91 celebrates during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Marlon Davidson #90 celebrates with Austin Edwards after causing a fumble, that was over turned after review, during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker #43 signals a turnover during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Marlon Davidson #90 celebrates after causing a fumble, that was over turned after review, during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive back Darqueze Dennard #34 breaks up a pass intended for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller #83 during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo #7 celebrates after kicking a field goal during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan #2 throws a pass during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jacob Tuioti-Mariner #91 celebrates recovering a fumble during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 receives the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 receives the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 and Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris celebrate after Ridley scored a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley #18 and wide receiver Christian Blake #13 celebrate after Ridley scored a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jacob Tuioti-Mariner #91 celebrates with cornerback Isaiah Oliver #26 after Tuioti-Mariner caused a fumble during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jacob Tuioti-Mariner #91 recovers a fumble during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive end Allen Bailey #93 prepares for the snap during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage #83 runs the ball during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett #97 in action during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 intercepts and runs the ball for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 intercepts and runs the ball for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 celebrates after a pick six during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 celebrates after with free safety Ricardo Allen #37 after Jones had a pick six during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen #37 celebrates after linebacker Deion Jones #45 after Jones had a pick six during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones #45 celebrates with teammates after Jones had a pick six during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell #15 celebrates after receiving the ball to score a touchdown during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell #15 receives the ball to score a touchdown during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Brandon Powell #15 receives the ball to score a touchdown during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds #59 gestures after recovering a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Marlon Davidson #90 gestures during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds #59 and defensive tackle Marlon Davidson #90 recovering a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith #25 in action during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith #25 and tight end Jaeden Graham #87 celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Hill #23 in action during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Hill #23 and running back Ito Smith #25 celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins #32 celebrates after sacking Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman #3 during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
Atlanta Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins #32 sacks Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman #3 during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 29, 2020.
