For the 2025 NFL season, digital team reporter Terrin Waack will provide select stats, facts and quotes from the most recent Atlanta Falcons game to consume with Miller Lite. Stats were gathered with the help of StatsPerform.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Atlanta Falcons won 26-19 against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday in their Week 16 game at State Farm Stadium in front of 60,673 ticketed fans.
STATS TO CHEERS OVER
-- Eleven different Falcons defenders have recorded at least two sacks this season, which is the second most by any team and the most by Atlanta since 1982, when sacks became an official statistic. Edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie became the 11th to do so when he sacked Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the second quarter. He now has two sacks in 2025.
-- The Falcons scored on all of their red-zone drives against the Cardinals, making them one of five teams in Week 16 with a 100% red-zone efficiency. That puts the Falcons' streak of red-zone drives with a touchdown at seven, which is the second-longest active streak in the NFL at the moment. The Miami Dolphins boast the longest with eight.
-- Kirk Cousins is one of eight quarterbacks in NFL history to have at least 295 touchdowns passes and 20 rushing touchdowns, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Fran Tarkenton and John Elway. Cousins threw a 13-yard pass to running back Bijan Robinson and a 5-yard pass to tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. in the second quarter, and then Cousins scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.
-- Pitts finished with 57 yards receiving and has now totaled 395 yards receiving in his last four games. That's the most ever by a Falcons tight end in a four-game span. Austin Hooper had the second most with 369 yards receiving from Weeks 3-6 in 2019. Pitts also holds the third, fourth and fifth spots on this particular list. Alge Crumpler is sixth with 354 yards receiving from Weeks 8-12 (Week 9 was a bye) in 2004.
-- Robinson caught a 41-yard pass in the second quarter. It was his fourth reception of at least 40 yards. That's double any other running back in the NFL. Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley, Chicago Bears' D'Andre Swift and New York Jets' Breece Hall each have two apiece. (Read more about Robinson’s impressive performance in his home state.)
FACTS TO SIP ON
-- Cousins' 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his first regular season touchdown run since Week 8 of the 2022 season when he scored for the Minnesota Vikings on a 17-yard run. Cousins' opponent then? Also the Cardinals.
-- Falcons defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, who's in his second season, recorded half a sack against the Cardinals, putting him at 7.5 this year. That's equal to highest sack total defensive lineman Grady Jarrett ever had in a single season during his 10-year run with the Falcons. Jarrett had 7.5 in 2019, when Atlanta finished with 28 as a team. The Falcons currently hold 50 sacks with two games remaining. This just goes to show how much emphasis Atlanta has put in improving its pass rush in 2025, starting with the addition of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
-- The Falcons were 0-3 when tied at halftime entering Sunday's game. Now, they're 1-3. It was 16-all through two quarters in Arizona.
-- Opening drives appear to be tricky for the Falcons, regardless of the half. The Falcons did not score points on their 10th consecutive opening drive of a game this season, which is the longest such streak by any team in the NFL. Atlanta's first offensive drive in Arizona lasted nine plays for 26 yards. It ended due to an interception. Then, the Falcons did not score a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half against the Cardinals. It marked the fourth time this season Atlanta started the second half with the ball; the offense did not score a touchdown on any of those drives. Half of those drives ended in field goals, however, including Sunday, when Zane Gonzalez made a 40-yard kick after Atlanta's 13-play drive.
-- With the win in Arizona, the Falcons have now won two games this season when trailing at the end of the first quarter. They trailed the Cardinals 10-3 entering the second quarter on Sunday. Only five other teams have won multiple games when trailing after the first quarter: the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.
QUOTING RAHEEM MORRIS
On Falcons running back Bijan Robinson breaking 2,000 yards from scrimmage this season…
"Everything that we ask from our players and what a Falcon looks like is Bijan Robinson."
QUOTING THE FALCONS
Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.
On left tackle Jake Matthews almost having a touchdown catch…
"It was unfortunate that he dropped it. I was ready for the celebration, the snake celebration."
Snake celebration?
"It's from the 'Dodgeball' movie."
Just for Matthews?
"Yeah, for Jake. That's the 'Jake the Snake' celebration."
Quarterback Kirk Cousins
On whether he would have worn the Christmas suit if the Falcons had lost…
"I have enough self-awareness to know that's not the right decision."
QUOTING THE OPPONENT
Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell
On former Falcons teammate Bijan Robinson's performance…
"If you were going to create a running back in Madden, it would look a lot like Bijan Robinson."
GAME LEADERS
Top passers
- Cardinals: Jacoby Brissett | 16-of-31 for 203 yards, 1 touchdown (1 interception, 2 sacks)
- Falcons: Kirk Cousins | 21-of-35 for 197 yards, 2 touchdowns (1 interception, 1 sack)
Top rushers
- Falcons: Tyler Allgeier | 16 carries for 79 yards
- Falcons: Bijan Robinson | 16 carries for 76 yards
- Cardinals: Michael Carter | 11 carries for 65 yards
Top receivers
- Falcons: Bijan Robinson | 7 receptions for 92 yards, 1 touchdown
- Cardinals: Elijah Higgins | 7 receptions for 91 yards
- Falcons: Kyle Pitts Sr. | 7 receptions for 57 yards, 1 touchdown
Top tacklers
- Cardinals: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | 11 total tackles, 5 solo (1 pass breakup)
- Cardinals: Akeem Davis-Gaither | 11 total tackles, 5 solo
- Cardinals: Budda Bakers | 10 total tackles, 4 solo (1 pass breakup)
LAST CALL
The Falcons (6-9) close out the season with back-to-back home games, starting with the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) in Week 17. It'll be a Monday prime-time game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and CBS Atlanta.
The Rams will have had more time to prepare when these two teams meet in Atlanta since they had the Thursday game in Week 16. Unlike the Falcons, though, the Rams are coming off a loss, falling 38-37 in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks.
This is a reunion of sorts. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson both worked for the Rams before coming to Atlanta in 2024. They worked under Rams head coach Sean McVay, who's still in Los Angeles.
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium during Week 16, presented by Grady.
