Falcons at Jets
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, MetLife Stadium
TV: Fox 5
Records: Falcons 4-7; Jets 2-9
Line: Falcons -3
Outlook: The Falcons ended their five-game skid last week with a win over the New Orleans Saints. They have another opportunity to stack a victory against a two-win team, and possibly vault themselves back into contention for the division title.
Follow along with the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter and Rod Beard.
The Falcons dropped a heartbreaker, with Nick Folk's 56-yard field goal giving the New York Jets a 27-24 victory on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets (3-9) stuck around for much of the game, and scored the final 10 points of the game to take the victory, dropping the Falcons to 4-8.
Check out the quick takeaways:Take 5: Five quick takeaways from the Falcons’ loss to the Jets
The Jets have been resilient, with Tyrod Taylor leading the way. His 10-yard touchdown run has tied it at 24 with under 2 minutes remaining.
The 15-play, 65-yard drive had a lucky catch by Allen Lazard on a tipped pass on third down, but they showed composure in rolling the rest of the way, and Taylor finished it off.
It's up to the Falcons to try to get in field-goal range to try to win it.
The Falcons' offense has been clicking in the second half with another touchdown drive, with David Sills V scoring on a 9-yard pass play for a 24-17 lead.
They've spread the ball around nicely, with a 31-yard screen pass to Tyler Allgeier and some nice runs by Robinson. The Falcons have found that elusive mix and they're set up to finish the game nicely.
The Falcons' special teams hurt them again, allowing an 83-yard kickoff return after they'd regained the lead, and the Jets had a prime opportunity to score, starting at the 15.
The defense held and John Metchie III had a drop that would have been a go-ahead touchdown, and the Jets had to settle for a 32-yard field goal that tied the game at 17.
The Falcons and Jets exchanged long missed field goals, but Zane Gonzalez hit a 52-yarder to give the Falcons the lead, 17-14, heading into the fourth quarter.
His kicking has become something of a strength – despite the miss today – and the Falcons have the lead.
The defense got another stop to force the Jets' long field-goal try, and that unit is playing well today.
The Falcons looked as if they would grab the lead again, but Zane Gonzalez missed a 50-yard field goal wide right. The conditions are rainy and sloppy at MetLife Stadium, so that one is a bit understandable.
The Falcons had another positive drive, getting inside the 30 before an incompletion and a loss on a screen by Bijan Robinson. The offense still is doing good things, including a 24-yard completion to Kyle Pitts, but that drive just stalled.
The Jets, who had a pair of three-and-outs on their previous possessions, used a big play by Adonai Mitchell to tie the score at 14.
After Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes tripped on the play, Mitchell was open for a 52-yard catch from Tyrod Taylor, and the Jets tied it. To that point, the Falcons hadn't given up a big play, and that one stemmed the tide of the momentum the Falcons had gained.
This looks like more of what the Falcons expected from their offense this season, even without Drake London today.
After the defense held the Jets to a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, the offense came alive, with a mix of runs by Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson, plus a 42-yard catch-and-run by Robinson, setting them up in the red zone.
Robinson scored easily on a 5-yard run, ending the 8-play, 95-yard drive and giving the Falcons a 14-7 lead.
This was a nice adjustment by the offense in mixing the run and pass and also getting Robinson looks in the open field.
The Falcons had their best drive of the game just before halftime, tying it on Tyler Allgeier's 1-yard run with nine seconds left, on their 10-play, 62-yard touchdown.
That drive featured the play mix that I referred to earlier – including alternating plays of running Bijan Robinson, including a 16-yard run to start the drive. He has 13 carries for 90 yards, and the offense looked so much more efficient and impactful on that possession.
The Jets' touchdown is on the defense's ledger, but it's because of the error on special teams that New York has the short field, starting at the 2.
The Falcons have forced punts on all the other Jets possessions, including a three-and-out and getting a sack on third-and-long to end the last drive.
The only pock mark is a penalty for pass interference, which was something of an iffy call.
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