Atlanta (4-7) at New York Jets (2-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
Against the spread: Falcons 5-5-1; Jets 6-4-1.
Series record: Falcons lead 9-5.
Last meeting: Falcons beat Jets 13-8 on Dec. 3, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Last week: Falcons beat Saints 24-10; Jets lost to Ravens 23-10
Falcons offense: overall (18), rush (13), pass (18), scoring (26t).
Falcons defense: overall (16), rush (26), pass (8), scoring (15).
Jets offense: overall (29), rush (7), pass (32), scoring (26t).
Jets defense: overall (14t), rush (23), pass (10), scoring (26).
Turnover differential: Falcons plus-5; Jets minus-13.
QB Kirk Cousins. The 37-year-old veteran was efficient in his return to the starting lineup in last week's win at New Orleans that snapped the Falcons' five-game skid, completing 16 of 23 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns and one interception that was off tight end Kyle Pitts' hands. Because Cousins had a poor finish to 2024, lost his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. and then struggled earlier this season in a fill-in start, there remains reason to question if the solid start against the lowly Saints was a true indicator of what's to come with Penix out for the rest of the season. Cousins' most encouraging throw was a 49-yarder to Darnell Mooney, an indication he might be able to recapture his early season form from last year.
RB Breece Hall. He remains the most dynamic part of the Jets' offense and became the franchise's sixth player since the 1970 merger to surpass 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three or more consecutive seasons. Hall had 119 total yards last week at Baltimore, including 75 yards receiving. He'll also be looking to bounce back from a costly fumble near the goal line midway through the fourth quarter with the Jets down by 10.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson vs. Jets' defensive front. Robinson is a dual threat for Atlanta, who has rushed for 100 or more yards three times this season and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He also has 49 catches with two games over 100 yards receiving. After some early season struggles, the Jets have been solid against the run and have held their past two opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Falcons: WR Drake London was ruled out for the second straight week with a knee injury. ... RG Chris Lindstrom is questionable with a foot injury that limited him Thursday and Friday. ... LG Matthew Bergeron appeared to aggravate his left ankle injury last week after being sidelined a game, but he was removed from the injury report Friday and should play.
Jets: WR Garrett Wilson remains on injured reserve with a knee injury and will miss at least the next two games. ... DT Harrison Phillips (foot) was listed as questionable, but coach Aaron Glenn expected he'll play. ... CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was a late addition to the injury report with a hip ailment and he's questionable to play.
The Falcons have won the past three meetings and five of the past six. ... The Jets' most recent win at home against Atlanta was on Oct. 25, 1998, when Vinny Testaverde threw two touchdown passes and Curtis Martin ran for 101 yards and a score in a 28-3 win. ... Atlanta won the first meeting 28-20 on Nov. 25, 1973, at New York. Bob Lee threw two TD passes and Eddie Ray ran for two scores to top the Jets and Joe Namath, who had two touchdown throws, but was also intercepted three times.
The Falcons are 1-3 against AFC East teams with a win over Buffalo and losses to Miami, New England and Indianapolis. ... With two touchdown passes last week, Cousins moved into a tie with Johnny Unitas for 17th in the NFL's career list with 290. ... Robinson needs one catch and 4 yards to become only the fifth player in NFL history with at least 50 receptions and 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three seasons, joining Matt Forte, Justin Jefferson, Herschel Walker and LaDainian Tomlinson. ... Robinson ranks third in the league with 126.9 scrimmage yards per game. ... Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich went 3-9 as the Jets' interim head coach last season after Robert Saleh was fired. Ulbrich was New York's defensive coordinator from 2021-24. ... First-round draft picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. rank first and second, respectively, among rookies in sacks. Walker has five and Pearce has four. Pearce has sacks in three consecutive games. ... Walker and Pearce are the only rookies to have a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery. ... S Xavier Watts leads NFL rookies with three interceptions. ... The Falcons have at least five sacks in each of their past four games. They rank third with 39 sacks after finishing 2024 with only 31 to finish next to last. ... K Zane Gonzalez made all three of his field-goal attempts — from 56, 41 and 54 yards — in his second game with the Falcons and was selected the NFC's special teams player of the week. ... The Jets have lost two in a row after winning back-to-back games for their first victories this season. Their loss last week at Baltimore clinched their 10th consecutive losing season. ... The Jets have dropped 10 consecutive games after scoring first, tying them with Jacksonville (2019-21) for the second-longest streak in NFL history. Cleveland has the record with 11 in a row during the 2015 to 2018 seasons. ... With a loss to Atlanta, combined with a few other scenarios, New York could be eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight season — the NFL's longest active drought. ... QB Tyrod Taylor gets his second straight start in place of the benched Justin Fields. The 36-year-old Taylor threw for 222 yards with a touchdown and an interceptions against the Ravens. He's 29-30-1 as a starter in his 15 NFL seasons. ... WR John Metchie III, acquired from Philadelphia before the trade deadline, had a career-high six receptions at Baltimore for 65 yards and a touchdown, the third of his career and second in as many weeks. ... TE Mason Taylor is 12 catches away from surpassing Dustin Keller (48 in 2008) for the most receptions by a Jets rookie tight end since the merger. ... The defense has no interceptions, an NFL record through a team’s first 11 games. The franchise mark for fewest in a season is six, set in 2014. The Jets also only have one takeaway, a fumble recovery in Week 6. ... K Nick Folk is 20 for 20 on field goals and 15 for 15 on extra points, the only player to be perfect in both categories this season. ... P Austin McNamara's 42.8 net average ranks as the best by a Jets punter since Stats Pass began tracking the stat in 1976.
Metchie could be a smart late-season add as a WR3 for receiver-needy teams. With Wilson still out, Metchie has quickly established himself as a go-to receiver since being acquired from the Eagles. He has nine catches on 10 targets for 110 yards and two TDs in his past two games.
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