The Atlanta Falcons were narrowly defeated by the New York Jets, 27-24, during their Week 13 matchup at MetLife Stadium, with an attendance of 70,012. The game featured notable performances from Falcons running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, each scoring a touchdown. Allgeier’s 1-yard run in the second quarter marked his eighth scrimmage touchdown of the season, while Robinson’s 5-yard score in the third quarter brought his total to seven. No other NFL running back duo has achieved at least seven touchdowns each this season.
Robinson finished the game with 193 yards from scrimmage, marking his third game this season with at least 175 yards—a figure that leads all active players. He also has four games with at least 150 yards from scrimmage and has surpassed 100 yards in eight games, tying for the second-most such performances among active players.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 234 yards, achieving his 132nd career game with over 200 passing yards. This ties him with Joe Flacco of the Cincinnati Bengals for fourth-most among active quarterbacks.
Defensively, rookie edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker each have five sacks this season. The Falcons are one of only four teams in the past decade to have multiple rookies record at least five sacks in a single season, alongside recent teams like the Denver Broncos (2024), Los Angeles Rams (2023), and Detroit Lions (2022).
The Falcons now hold an 8-6 record since 2023 when keeping opponents scoreless in the first quarter; they are 3-3 in such games this year. Against the Jets, Atlanta allowed only 71 total offensive yards in the first half—their best defensive half of the season—though New York rebounded with 198 second-half yards.
Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. led Atlanta receivers with 82 yards; historically, the team is now 10-3 when Pitts gains at least 70 receiving yards.
Special teams had mixed results: punter Bradley Pinion placed a personal-best five punts inside the red zone but special teams also suffered a muffed punt lost, a missed field goal from 50 yards out, and allowed an 83-yard kickoff return—the longest against Atlanta since giving up a longer return to Washington in Week 4 of the 2021 season.
Head coach Raheem Morris addressed questions about weather conditions impacting play by stating: “Nobody cares about the atmosphere. They played in the same atmosphere we played in.” On potential coaching staff changes after another loss he said: “We don’t make emotional decisions, we know that. We won’t talk about those things. We never do that. It’s not our code. It’s not our ethics. It’s not who we are. It’s not what we are. It’s not a decision, that’s not what we do today.”
James Pearce Jr., reflecting on repeated losses, said: “There’s always a lot of would of, could of, should of. At the end of the day, we just want to win.” Bradley Pinion commented on special teams improvement: “Let’s go back to the basics… Really, the basics… just keep going back to the basics… doing it week-in and week-out and not get tired of doing the mundane.”
From their opponent’s side, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn remarked: “We spend a lot of time making sure we get that part of our team on point because I believe that you need all three phases to be able to win the game…” Quarterback Tyrod Taylor added: “It wasn’t a perfect game by any means… Offense had its moments, defense had its moments, and special teams had their moments…”
Game leaders included Kirk Cousins (21-of-33 for 234 yards and one touchdown) for Atlanta and Tyrod Taylor (19-of-33 for 172 yards and one touchdown) for New York; Bijan Robinson rushed for 142 yards and caught five passes for another 51; Adonai Mitchell led all receivers with eight catches for New York.
Next week sees Atlanta (4-7) facing off against Seattle (9-3) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium; kickoff is set for Sunday at 1 p.m., broadcast on FOX. The Seahawks enter after shutting out Minnesota in Week 13—their fourth shutout league-wide this year—and bring consecutive wins into Atlanta.
