FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The last snap of postseason football Jake Matthews played came from the 2-yard line at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia almost seven years ago. It was fourth-and-goal and the Falcons trailed the Eagles 15-10. When Matt Ryan’s pass to Julio Jones fell incomplete, Atlanta went home, and it hasn’t returned to the postseason since.
But things are starting to feel familiar for Matthews.
“I’ve been around here for a while and this is as close to a playoff game as we’ve had,” the 11th-year offensive tackle said. “It’s going to be a really big game against a tough opponent in a harsh environment.”
When the Falcons (8-7) kick off against the Commanders (10-5) in Washington on Sunday night, there’s a chance they will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win. That would require Tampa Bay (8-7) to lose to Carolina (4-11) earlier in the day.
The Falcons’ playoff scenario is simple down the stretch. If they match the record of the Buccaneers, they will win the NFC South because of their tiebreaker advantage. Technically, they haven’t been eliminated from wild-card contention, either, but Washington and Seattle would have to lose both of their remaining games.
“Everybody wants to be 16-0, but that’s not the reality that you live in,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “The reality is that you fight, you fight, you fight and put yourself in position to win your division. We are right in the mix of doing that, and we have to go finish.”
Atlanta’s six straight years outside the playoffs is the fourth-longest active playoff drought in the NFL, behind the Jets (14), Broncos (eight) and Panthers (eight).
“It’s a different feeling than it’s been the past couple of years without a doubt,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said.
Penix Part II
Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson were very pleased with Michael Penix Jr.’s starting debut, but Morris inadvertently pointed out something that will give fans pause.
Josh Freeman won his first start, too. Freeman was Morris’ quarterback during his first head coaching stint in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers made Freeman the starter in Week 9, and he beat Green Bay 38-28. He then lost his next five starts, finished the season 3-7 and wound up 25-36 for his career as a starter.
So, following up a solid start will be key for Penix.
“It’s going to be a really big test this week, a lot’s going to be expected of him,” Morris said. “It’ll be a good challenge. That’s what Mike signed up for. That’s what we all signed up for. We want to be in these big moments and compete against the best in important games like this.”
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Sunday not only has significant playoff implications for Atlanta, but it also will be Penix’s first road game and first prime-time game.
“He’s played in a lot of big football games,” Robinson said. “He’s played in the national championship, the semifinal last year against Texas. He’s been on the big stage. He invites the big stage. It seems like he’s so poised and so calm that nothing fazes the guy. I’m sure there’s pregame jitters, just like everybody has, but once the ball is kicked off and he’s under the lights, he’ll go perform.”
Penix will be facing a fellow rookie in Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, whom he worked out with in California before the draft earlier this year. Penix and Daniels both are students of private quarterbacks coach John Beck, and Penix said they spoke on the phone last week. Daniels, the frontrunner for offensive rookie of the year, will be making his 16th start while Penix makes his second.
“It’s great to be able to see him doing what he’s doing, the way that he’s playing,” Penix said. “He’s been playing really good football, and I expected nothing less. It’s good to be able to see that, and for me to be able to be out there and be able to make some plays as well. I’m super excited for it, and I’m ready to get it going.”
Falcons wide receiver Drake London has averaged 71 receiving yards in the last six games. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images)
The march toward 1,000
Drake London sat out the end of the Falcons’ 34-7 win over the Giants on Sunday with what the team called a hamstring injury and he was limited in Thursday’s practice because of a knee injury. London, though, is fine, he said Thursday afternoon. In fact, he could have finished Sunday’s game had it been close, and he expects to be ready against the Commanders.
“Finishing off the season if the game’s out of proportion like (the Giants game) and you’ve got something nagging, it’s better for the team not to risk injury,” London said.
The third-year wide receiver needs 22 receiving yards to hit 1,000 for the first time in his career. He is 13th in the league with 978 yards. Darnell Mooney needs 45 more yards to hit 1,000 for the first time since 2021 in Chicago.
“In free agency, Darnell was our top target to try to get to complement Drake’s skill set,” Robinson said. “His speed and one-on-one ability was something that we all liked. As we started putting this whole thing together in the spring, you could see how it could complement, how they could work well together. It’s kind of just grown and taken a life of its own. Credit to those guys and just their work they put in from the spring, and they’re both having great seasons.”
London and Mooney are “probably the two competitive guys in the building,” Robinson said.
“They love it,” Robinson said. “Those two guys are a lot of fun to coach every single day because they bring it, and they bring out the best in everybody. So, it’s no surprise that they’re having such great seasons.”
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A first time for old friends
Sunday will be a milestone for old friends Morris and Dan Quinn — their first meeting as head coaches. The two have faced off as assistants since their time together in Atlanta but never with both in charge.
“I hate this guy,” Morris joked this week. “It’s always fun to play against your friends, your confidants, your mentors — whatever you want to look at it as. I enjoy those moments of being able to go against guys that you care about, but this week, man, he’s got to be a nameless gray face, and we’ve got to go out there and get a win.”
Morris and Quinn coached together at Hofstra and then from 2015 to 2020 in Atlanta, where Morris took over as interim head coach after Quinn was fired during the 2020 season. They met as defensive assistants in Los Angeles and Dallas twice since then with Quinn’s Cowboys winning both games.
“Obviously, you swap texts on normal weeks, but I won’t talk to him this week,” Morris said. “I’ll ban him this week. I’ll block him on my phone. But, obviously, we talk.”
The Falcons have five players remaining on the 53-man roster who played for Quinn in Atlanta — Matthews, Jarrett, cornerback A.J. Terrell and offensive linemen Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary.
“He’s a really good coach and he did a really good job here, got a lot of fond memories from when he was here, but we want to win,” Matthews said. “We have to find a way to get it done regardless of personal feelings of how I might appreciate him or what he’s done here.”
Up front all important
The most important matchup for the Falcons on Sunday night will be their offensive line against a Washington team that is eighth in the NFL in pressure percentage (36.6) and 10th in sacks (39).
“With DQ, you knew the front seven would be a key factor,” Morris said. “It’s what they really value. For us, it’s about our front five and our guys in protection really holding up and straining a little bit extra. You know they are going to come, they are going to cause significant violence and we have to be ready to deal.”
The Falcons are ninth in the league in sacks allowed (29) and 10th in pressure percentage allowed (32.6), and they didn’t surrender a sack in Penix’s debut last week.
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