The Falcons escaped Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers with a win despite committing some critical mistakes down the stretch. Younghoe Koo’s game-winning field goal propelled Atlanta to the top of the NFC South with a 4-3 record.
While it was good to see the Falcons get a win when they weren’t playing their best football, there’s still plenty of room for improvement going forward. Here are our studs and duds from Week 7.
Tyler Allgeier stepped up big in place of a limited Bijan Robinson, racking up over 100 all-purpose yards — 59 rushing yards and 53 receiving yards — in Sunday’s win. The second-year running back finished second to Drake London in receiving yards for the game. It has been a quiet year for Allgeier, but he undoubtedly stepped up when the team needed him in Week 7, and deserves credit.
Sunday wasn’t a great day for Dalman, who struggled often in the center-quarterback exchange. His lack of consistency played into Desmond Ridder’s second fumble at the goal line. Dalman also fired low on a few shotgun snaps that Ridder had to squat to catch. While it wasn’t his best game, the Falcons center is having a solid season and he should bounce back.
We haven’t seen a lot of Cordarelle Patterson this season, but with Bijan out, he stepped into the No. 2 running back role and thrived. Patterson rushed for 56 yards on 10 carries and looked as healthy as he has since 2021. Patterson should continue to become a bigger weapon as the season goes on with performances like he had Sunday.
Outside of the Texans game, Ridder hasn’t looked great this season. Against the Buccaneers, the second-year quarterback turned the ball over in the red zone three times — although Dalman deserves some blame for the second fumble. Ridder had an inexcusable turnover as he slowed down toward the end of what would have been his second touchdown run. This lack of awareness allowed Antoine Winfield to punch the ball from Ridder’s grasp before he crossed the goal line. The team is lucky to be 4-3 after some of the plays Ridder made in Week 7.
Without Koo, the Falcons would have a significantly worse record under head coach Arthur Smith. The 29-year-old kicker continues to deliver in clutch moments whenever the team needs it. Koo made all three of his field goal attempts in Week 7, including the game-winner as time expired.
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