The Atlanta Falcons were defeated by the New York Jets 27-24 in a Week 13 matchup at MetLife Stadium. The loss drops the Falcons to a 4-8 record for the season, making their path to the playoffs more challenging with five games remaining.
Special teams mistakes played a significant role in the outcome. In the second quarter, returner Jamal Agnew muffed a punt, which led to the Jets taking over at Atlanta’s 2-yard line and scoring on the next play. Later, kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 50-yard field goal attempt that could have given Atlanta the lead in the third quarter. While Gonzalez later converted from 52 yards out, another special teams lapse occurred when the Falcons allowed an 83-yard punt return by New York in the fourth quarter. This set up a game-tying field goal for Jets kicker Nick Folk.
These errors contributed directly to ten points for New York. Otherwise, Atlanta’s defense gave up only two touchdowns during regulation.
Running back Bijan Robinson stood out for Atlanta, amassing 193 yards from scrimmage and scoring one of three team touchdowns. His third-quarter rushing touchdown was his 30th career score, achieved in just 46 games—the fastest any Falcon has reached this milestone. Robinson had accumulated 90 rushing yards by halftime and leads all NFL players in first-half rushing yards through Sunday’s early games.
Other notable performances included wide receiver Deven Thompkins catching his first pass of the season and edge rusher Leonard Floyd recording a sack—his fourth consecutive game with at least one sack against New York. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw his 291st career touchdown pass, tying him with Hall of Famer Warren Moon for sixteenth on the NFL’s all-time list.
On injuries, defensive lineman Kentavius Street exited with a possible injury late in the first quarter. Edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie briefly left after colliding with teammate David Onyemata but returned to play. Tight end Feleipe Franks was listed as doubtful to return due to a calf injury suffered in the second quarter.
Editorial staff shared their reactions on social media following the game:
McElhaney: “Seemed like special teams tried every way imaginable to keep the Jets in this game.”
McFadden: “I’m trying to be more positive in life, so I’m going to focus on Bijan Robinson being an actual running back deity and not Atlanta’s special teams.”
Waack: “The weather matched the vibe of the game.”
Ahead of Sunday’s contest, it was noted that Atlanta entered ranked third in sacks across the league this season with 39 total—a marked improvement over last year’s tally of 31 sacks. Kicker Zane Gonzalez was recently named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after converting three field goals (two from beyond fifty yards) during last week’s win against New Orleans.
Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss has been nominated by Atlanta for this year’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award; head coach Raheem Morris described this as “self-explanatory.”
Atlanta will host Seattle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next week as they look to improve their standing before season’s end.
