4. Atlanta Falcons
While their foes over in Tampa Bay had my attention, the Atlanta Falcons were over by Silicon Valley, causing a few short circuits of the NFC playoff switchboard.
Typical, too—yes, they’re certainly this week’s Oliver Stone Award winners—and also maddening, because it’s the type of output most expected from the Falcons. They rolled into San Fran, against a defense that is one of the best in the NFL, and they managed to keep the offensive game plan moving forward (as opposed to the backward and sideways we’ve seen with these 2019 49ers). Penalties? Yes, there were more mistakes than you’d typically like to see, but it wasn’t a “Death by Yellow Flag” scenario, either. Ultimately, It ended up being one hell of a game, a thriller…that included some sold protection for Matt Ryan:
Absolutely thrilling. pic.twitter.com/YvloK1mTQ4
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 16, 2019
Alex Mack, Chris Lindstrom, Weston Schweitzer, Kaleb McGary, and Jake Matthews: Any. Given. Sunday!